Mario Kart World Main Racer
Image: Nintendo Life

After the best part of a decade with Mario Kart 8, we'd wager that you had probably grown pretty close to your main. You know, your main. The character that you picked to sit behind the wheel, regardless of the situation, because their weight class, look, or general vibe matched your playstyle perfectly.

But then Mario Kart World came along and shook those mains up. A new batch of racers have been added to the mix, but a huge batch have also fallen off the roster (pour one out for the Koopaling mains out there). After two weeks of open-world racing, huge swathes of us have found ourselves pivoting to a new racer, either drawn in by the shiny new faces, or rebounding from the loss of our go-to picks.

The question is, have you pivoted from your old main and if so, who's your new go-to racer? A handful of us Nintendo Lifers have shared our picks below, but you can take to the comments to let us know yours too.

Mole in One (Jim Norman, staff writer)

Mario Kart World - Monty Mole
Image: Nintendo Life

My Mario Kart 8 sweetheart, Roy, was one of the many faces lost to the abyss, so I came into World knowing that I'd have to find somebody new. I was tempted by Cow, but she quickly got too mainstream. Goomba appealed to my usual Lil' Guy preference, but lost my attention. Birdo made a good play for top dog and is still first on my reserves bench. But none of them stuck as much as Monty Mole.

I'm yet to work out whether there's anything that keeps pulling me back to this little fella outside of the fact that he bashes his belly when he's pleased with himself (he just like me, fr), but regardless, he has been my go-to racer through thick and thin so far. The lack of outfits is upsetting — come on, Nintendo, give all the bad guys a couple of looks! — but stick this underground underdog in a Biddybuggy or Pipe Frame and boom, instant dopamine hit.

The lore may state that nobody likes him, but Monty Mole is quickly becoming my best pal.

Drivin' on Sunshine, whoa-oh (Ollie Reynolds, staff writer)

MK World 1
Image: Nintendo Life

Everybody should know by now that I have a major soft spot for Super Mario Sunshine, so of course my go-to is going to be Sightseeing Mario. It's basically the closest I'm going to get to a direct visual reference to Sunshine in 2025 (other than Pianta, I know, shut up), so I'll take it.

Combined with the Funky Dorrie vehicle – which basically looks like a dolphin-themed jetski – I can cruise about the world in ultimate style. And look, I couldn't give a hoot if it's not very good in terms of stats; It looks awesome, and that's all that matters!

Bonus points if the combination also lines up with the Isle Delfino track from MK World's exceptional soundtrack. Pure bliss.

Pipe frame's my main frame (Gavin Lane, editor)

Mario Kart World - Waluigi
Image: Nintendo Life

A new racer? Nope. Waluigi on a pipe-frame kart. Always. Job done.

I know people like to analyse driver weights and kart velocity and coin-speed percentages and all that game, but I can't be doing with any of that crap. For Time Trails, perhaps, but that's not what the main game's about.

Seriously, in a series with rubber-band items that you can win by doing absolutely nothing, I'm not farting around with anything beyond, 'Yep, the lanky Lazy Town-lookin' dude in a sombrero, please.'

And I always choose the pipe-frame because it reminds me of MK64, my first Mario Kart. For the same reason, I'll sometimes I'll choose DK in lieu of Waluigi, as he was my go-to back in the '90s. He dabs a lot these days, though, and I lose a tiny piece of respect for him each time he does.

Pretty fly for a shy guy (PJ O'Reilly, staff writer)

Mario Kart World - Conkdor
Image: Nintendo Life

I am a steadfast Shy Guy sort of person, it's a character that speaks to me on many levels, and he's been my go-to for a long time now.

However! I was tootling around in Mario Kart World the other night when I happened to unlock Conkdor, and let me tell you something...the moment I saw those killer purple shades, that tiny spiky shell, and a poker face that could put Robert Shaw out of business, I knew it was time to take my racing style to the skies. I'm actually considering a tattoo. I have become one with the Conkdor.

Perch said bird on my current cart of choice, the incredibly bad-ass Baby Blooper, and I believe you'll find I'm quite unbeatable. Until I'm not.

Racing for Boo-ty (Alana Hagues, deputy editor)

Mario Kart World King Boo
Image: Nintendo Life

Seems like I can't shake old habits. As much as the many new NPC characters make me laugh (Cow, Penguin... Sidestepper???), I have once again gravitated to my favourite spooky sovereign, King Boo.

I love boos. They're super adorable, and some of my favourite stages in classic Mario games are the Boo Houses. Giving a big boo a crown in Luigi's Mansion was just an easy win. He's been one of my mains since Double Dash, but in World, he's usually donning the Pirate outfit. A crown and some jewels? He's heavy (but not too heavy), and on the R.O.B. H.O.G., he's an unstoppable

Another Double Dash main I keep returning to is Toadette, but mostly because she's cute. The Soft Server outfit? Come on. Look at those sparkles and those glasses. But King Boo will always be number one.

There are our picks, but what about you? You can let us know your Mario Kart World main in the following poll — and no, we haven't listed all the outfits too, so if your main has a particular look, you'll have to select the character and then let us know their wardrobe of choice in the comments below!

Who's your Mario Kart World main?