Mario Kart World: Smart Steering - How To Turn Auto Steering On And Off

Smart Steering makes a welcome return in Mario Kart World — perfect as an aid for the kids and anyone struggling with the twists and turns of the Mushroom Kingdom's finest race courses. Mario Kart World is a game for everyone, after all.

When you boot up the game for the first time, you might notice — as you teeter on the edge of a course — that something is pushing you away from imminent danger. If you want to take some risks in your karting career, or just need to know how to change the settings, we'll be covering all aspects of Smart Steering in this guide for you.

Mario Kart World Smart Steering Guide

What is Smart Steering?

Smart Steering — sometimes called Auto Steering — is a function that keeps your kart from falling off the edge of a track or steer you away from the grass or mud at the sides.

It's one of a handful of assist features that can help you or anyone else get to grips with all the other controls. Essentially. it'll keep you on the road. It's not an automatic pilot, but think of it as a guiding hand.

How do I know if Smart Steering is activated?

You can tell Smart Steering is on two different ways. The easiest is by checking the back of your chosen vehicle to find a little black antenna sticking out of the back of the kart, bike, or buggy. Just like with Mario's kart in the shot above.

The other way is to try getting close to the edge of a track and seeing if you're gently pushed away from going over the edge.

How do I turn Smart Steering off?

Smart Steering is on by default in Mario Kart World. You might not notice at first — we didn't — but you may want to turn it off.

To do that, all you need to do is press the 'X' button when selecting your character's vehicle. Then, at the top, you'll see an option to turn Smart Steering on or off. Either choose Off or On, and then leave the menu, and you'll now be able to drive your preferred way.

You can also turn it on or off during Free Roam mode or any race. Simply hit the + button and then press 'X' to bring up those same options, and make your choice there.

That's all you need to know about Smart Steering. In the meantime, check out our other Mario Kart World guides as we uncover this huge karting game's secrets.