--- title: "Mario Kart 9 Will Launch Alongside Nintendo Switch 2, Leaker Says" date: "2024-12-15" modified: "2024-12-15" authors: - name: "Beverly Braga" job_title: "Weekend Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/beverly-braga" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/leaker-says-mario-kart-9-will-launch-alongside-nintendo-switch-2" categories: - "Culture" - "News" - "Video Games" tags: - "Mario Kart" - "Nintendo" - "Video Games" --- # Mario Kart 9 Will Launch Alongside Nintendo Switch 2, Leaker Says ![Screenshot of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.]() *\Nintendo\* Would you believe it? The Nintendo Switch 2 seems just around the corner, at last, and rumor has it that the long-awaited handheld will also be bundled with a new [*Mario Kart*]()! So says a leaker apparently trusted by the moderators over at the [r/NintendoSwitch2 subreddit](), anyway. Since its unveiling in 2016, nearly [150 million Nintendo Switch]() consoles have been sold. That makes the handheld Nintendo's best-selling platform of all time. As popular as ever, the damn thing also hasn't been significantly updated (aside from the release of an OLED model in 2021), or been given a successor over that span, making it the longest-running Nintendo console of all time, too. However, rumors of the next-gen Switch have reached a deafening pitch over the last year, and that brings us back to Reddit. On Saturday, the leaker claimed to have a final retail version of the "Switch 2" and opened a thread for an Ask Me Anything session. Of course, there was a catch: You couldn't ask for proof-of-life photos. Usually, such declarations would be hard-pressed to pass the sniff test. Except this time around, because the post remains alive and well after the leaker [shared some "evidence" with one of the subreddit's moderators](). The moderator also noted that the OP could only answer questions regarding the hardware because they had not turned on the console. [One critical detail they were able to share]() was that their supposed retail unit is "a special edition of the Switch \[2\]" bundled with a game where "the number 9 is in the title." Naturally, many commenters read that as a tease of *Mario Kart 9*, a yet-unannounced sequel to 2017's *[Mario Kart 8 Deluxe]()*. When considering Nintendo first-party franchises likely to release alongside a new Switch, *Mario Kart* fits the bill; *MK8 Deluxe* came into existence just a month after the handheld launched and is by far the [best-selling game]() released for it, at more than 64 million copies sold. What new courses and characters might version 9 of the iconic kart [racing game]() hold? Nintendo will have a difficult time topping *MK8 Deluxe's* 96 tracks and 48 drivers, including all its DLC. Some other Switch 2 tidbits the leaker revealed include white and black colorways, as well as [a game-specific themed one](), which presumably refers to that *Mario Kart* special edition; a [cartridge slot]() similar in dimensions to the existing console's, likely to maintain backwards compatibility; [Steam Deck-like proportions](), only thinner and lighter; and [updated controllers]() with more reliable Hall effect analog sticks. The OP says they'll "post proof" on Christmas Day, but that they've heard the [official Nintendo reveal]() won't happen until January. I suppose we can hold our collective breath over the holidays to find out if the OP is pulling our Joy-Cons or not. What's another week when everyone's already been waiting nearly eight years, anyway? Compared to [*GTA VI*](), this Switch 2 news is actual progress. *Got tips? Send them to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Born and raised in Hawaii, Beverly has been a prolific and published creative writer since her teens. As a contributor to The Drive, Beverly covers the weekend shift, blogging about all things automotive, mobility, transportation, and topics in-between. Currently a digital nomad, Beverly's only constant is her car, a second-generation Mazdaspeed3. Even though she's never in one place for too long, her hot hatch always feels like home. ### Author social links [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()