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Two of the biggest features in Mario Kart World aren’t so easy to find right at the start of the game. If you’re confused and want to find Free Roam mode or check out the most spectacular Rainbow Road course yet, you’ll need to know how to unlock them. We’ve got you covered. Both are pretty simple to start but easy-to-miss for fans looking to explore every aspect of this new game as quickly as possible. Here’s how to start up Free Roam and unlock Rainbow Road.
How To Play Free Roam
Free Roam is the major new mode in Mario Kart World that isn’t available from the main menu. This mode allows your racer to explore the full map, completing mini-missions and other races while grabbing collectibles, unlocking new costumes for your favorite characters, and generally exploring racetracks in areas you were never meant to go.
- Free Roam Mode: To access Free Roam Mode, press the [+] button on your Nintendo Switch 2 controller.
- The [+] is the small round button directly right of the Nintendo Switch 2 logo at the center of the controller.
Pressing [+] instantly transitions you onto the world map — that main menu demo footage is real-time, and you can start playing at any time. After jumping into Free Roam, press [+] again to open the pause menu. From here you can Change Character and swap instantly. You can also access Photo Mode while paused by pressing the [-] button.
This mode is oddly difficult to find if you don’t know how to begin and can actually be easily missed if your screen size isn’t properly calibrated on your TV monitor. If you’re wondering where Free Mode is, don’t worry! You’re not alone. Press [+] to begin.
How To Unlock Rainbow Road
Another inclusion that’s seemingly missing from Mario Kart World, when you first boot up the game, there is no Rainbow Road in any of the Grand Prix courses. Don’t worry — Rainbow Road is here and it’s absolutely incredible. To unlock it, you’ll need to complete some basic steps.
- How To Unlock Rainbow Road: To unlock Rainbow Road — the final track of Special Cup — you must complete all seven Grand Prix Cups.
You must earn a trophy on every cup. That means you need to come in 1st, 2nd or 3rd place to “complete” a cup.
- The seven cups you must complete are:
- Mushroom Cup
- Flower Cup
- Star Cup
- Shell Cup
- Banana Cup
- Leaf Cup
- Lightning Cup
Earn a trophy on all seven to unlock Special Cup, which includes Rainbow Road as the final track. It’s the only track that isn’t found anywhere else or in any other modes — it’s also one of the most impressive racetracks in the game.
Special Cup includes Acorn Heights, Mario Circuit, Peach Stadium and ends with Rainbow Road. It’s a marathon race from the top of the world to the bottom where you’ll enter the skies above — completing Rainbow Road will cause the credits to roll.
And that’s how you access two of the most iconic parts of Mario Kart World. Don’t miss out on Rainbow Road!
