Mario Kart World Gets Big Update, 3-Lap Courses Appear More Frequently

Changes to the game’s AI, referred to in-game as COM, are in effect as well. No COM is a new option that has been added to Singleplayer VS Race, and COMs have also been nerfed in every mode but Battle.

Some items have also been tweaked; the Boomerang’s homing is now weaker, and you’re less likely to get a Triple Dash Mushroom in a low position when item rules aren’t on Frantic. And, if you press A too early when starting a race, you’ll be alerted with a spinning wheel animation.

According to YouTuber svcTyler, a huge change that wasn’t mentioned in the patch notes involves tricks. Now, when you land from a trick, you get “a ton of extra momentum.” He claims this will trivialize every world record made prior to the update.

Here are the full patch notes for version 1.2.0:

Latest update: Ver. 1.2.0 (Released July 29, 2025)

General

• * In the “VS Race” of “Single Player”, added “No COM” to the COM rules.
• * In the “VS Race” of “Single Player” and “Multiplayer”, added “Mushrooms only” to the item rules.
• * You can now choose “View Replay” after downloading ghost data in “Time Trials”.
• * You can now choose whom to watch when spectating in “Knockout Tour” and “Balloon Battle” in “Online Play”, “Wireless Play”, and “LAN Play”.
• * You can now see the waiting time until the next race or battle starts in “Online Play”, “Wireless Play”, and “LAN Play”.
• * When using CameraPlay in “Multiplayer” and “Online Play”, the game will now remember the camera cursor position and size until the player closes the game.
  • * If you change the number of people playing, the cursor position and size will return to their original settings.
• * On the “Free Roam” map, when you gather all of the P Switches, ? Panels, and Peach Medallions, the colors of the various numbers will now change.
• * Made COM weaker in everything other than “Battle”.
• * Made homing of Boomerang weaker.
• * Decreased the probability of getting a Triple Dash Mushroom in the low position, whenever the item rules in a race are anything other than “Frantic”.
• * Changed it so order of getting ? Block is higher than in the past, whenever the item rules in a race are anything other than “Frantic”.
• * Made it so there is a wheel spinning animation if the player presses the A button (acceleration) too early when starting a race while driving.
  • * Player will not lose speed even when spinning wheels.
• * Increased the frequency of lap-type courses appearing in the selection when choosing the next course in “VS Race” and wireless races.

Fixed Issues

• * Fixed an issue where the rate fluctuations were sometimes displayed incorrectly in wireless races.
• * Fixed an issue where the vehicle would stay floating in air when jumping off a half pipe.
• * Fixed an issue where, when a player crashes while gliding and uses Bullet Bill, they go out of the course.
• * Fixed an issue where, if a player quits a Rewind in the location where they were wall riding, the driver’s posture would not return to what it was before.
• * Fixed an issue where the item that was displayed in the item slot would turn into something else when using it.
• * Fixed an issue where in “Online Play”, the player would not dash even when getting on a Dash Panel.
• * Fixed an issue where the points in a team race in “Wireless Play” would display incorrectly.
• * Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable on the menu screen after the player was retired in “Balloon Battle” in “Wireless Play”.
• * Fixed an issue where a Peach Medallion would sometimes disappear when doing Rewind in “Free Roam”.
• * Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable when the player pointed the cursor at their own character or course and pressed A on the “Free Roam” map.
• * Fixed an issue where sometimes controls were inoperable when the player quit a mission in “Free Roam” right before entering a pipe.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would slip through some drift ice around “Sky-High Sundae”.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on the outside of a handrail on the left and right sides right after the start of “Airship Fortress”.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on the fence and not be able to move forward in “Bowser’s Castle”.
• * Fixed an issue where, when the player used a Bullet Bill in “Bowser’s Castle”, they would not be able to glide and fell into the abyss.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would go out of the course when using a Mega Mushroom on the last turn of “Whistlestop Summit”.
• * Fixed an issue where the player could not get out of the location where they fell from a railroad when “Smart Steering” is on in “Whistlestop Summit”.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the ground at a ramp near the goal at “Choco Mountain”.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on a block when using a Bullet Bill on the road that enters “Choco Mountain”.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on a plank of wood laid on the road when throwing a green shell on the road between “DK Spaceport” and “Whistlestop Summit”.
• * Fixed an issue where the last place would be sometimes incorrect in the wireless races of “Dino Dino Jungle”.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would get caught on the back of a leaf when using a Bullet Bill in “Acorn Heights”.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would not be able to slip through a vase that is placed on the road in “Shy Guy Bazaar”, when using a Boo.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the ceiling in “Dry Bones Burnout”.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would sometimes hit a fence when throwing a red shell on the first turn in “Moo Moo Meadows”.
• * Fixed an issue where one part of the effects that take place for the bridge transforming when heading toward “Rainbow Road” did not display.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the ground on the road between ”Starview Peak” and “Sky-High Sundae”.
• * Fixed an issue where some of the item boxes would not have appeared in “Wario Shipyard”.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would slip through the bottom of a rock near the goal of ”Wario Shipyard”.
• * Fixed an issue where the player would go out of the course when using a Mega Mushroom on a turn inside “Wario Stadium”.
• * Fixed an issue where the player gets caught on a tree in the middle of a shortcut if they have “Smart Steering” on when heading from “Starview Peak” to “Dandelion Depths” in “Ice Rally” of “Knockout Tour”.
• * Several other issues have been addressed to improve the gameplay experience.