Mario Kart World Fans Are Winning Races By Doing the Exact Opposite of This Common Strategy

Mario Kart World: Amid heated arguments about the fastest characters and suspiciously precise bots, some Mario Kart World fans have cracked the code: dominate races by staying at the back, until the final stretch.

Thanks to Mario Kart World, the Switch 2 is smashing sales records, with nearly 80% of U.S. customers bundling the game. However, the influx of players is transforming the competitive scene, and not everyone’s thrilled.

Everything Builds to the Last Lap

This isn’t a new discovery, it’s been part of Mario Kart’s design from the start. To ensure chaotic and competitive gameplay, the item system favors those in last place, while punishing those in first with less thrilling options like green shells and bananas.

Staying in first place guarantees a lightning ambush or blue shell at some point. With my amateur skills, I still recognize the blue shell warning and immediately settle into second.

Mario Kart World is objectively hilarious, because how did I go from getting knocked off the track in 23rd to 2nd on the last lap 🫣

The funniest part is I would've won too but the Luigi in 1st somehow didn't get shocked by the Lightning https://t.co/5JrXACfp0T pic.twitter.com/SHWFWNA0LJ

— cookieboy17 (@cookieboy1794) June 17, 2025

As Polygon points out, Mario Kart World players are discovering that playing from behind might actually be the best way to win. In a trend popularized by YouTuber ShortCat, racers hang back to collect top-tier items, only to rocket past the competition on the final lap.

Mario Kart has always thrived on mayhem, but Mario Kart World amps things up. Not only does it double the racer count, but it also rewires how the item system works.

Competitive player Wadsm analyzed the changes on his YouTube channel, revealing that before Mario Kart 8, item drops were based on your position. Since then, the system has favored players who are physically farther from first place, not just those lower in rank.

This mechanic was designed to aid players trailing behind, helping them stay competitive. But with item drops based on placement once again, and a larger racing pool, it’s become a go-to strategy to hang just behind first, hoard strong items, and surge ahead right at the finish.

The original goal was to give lagging players a fair shot at catching up. However, with the return of place-based items and more racers per match, it’s now much easier to secure powerful items without falling too far behind, creating the perfect storm for a game-changing final lap.

Mario Kart World

Also Read: Final Fantasy 16 On Switch 2? Yoshi‑P Teases Possibility, Says Only Nintendo Is Holding It Back