Mario Kart Live Home Circuit Will Let Players Race Around Their Own Living Room

Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit is a brand new game coming to Nintendo Switch that combines virtual racing with real RC cars.

This month marks Mario’s 35th anniversary and fans of the world’s most famous plumber have been waiting for official news on how Nintendo intends to celebrate. That news surprise-dropped today in the form of a half-expected Mario-centric Nintendo Direct. The reveal included a lot of new games, including the much anticipated 3D collection and Mario’s first official foray into the busy world of battle royales.

However, one of the more exciting reveals, and one that really leans into Nintendo’s innovative side was a first look at Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit. Home Circuit is coming to Nintendo Switch on October 16, 2020, but this is far from your average Mario Kart game. The new title will combine the virtual world of Mario Kart with the real one via the inclusion of RC cars.

Players will need to buy the whole bundle in order to play the game, which includes an RC car fitted with a camera. It will also include gates that players will need to place around wherever they want the track to be. “Players place gates to create a custom course layout in their home, where the only limit is their imagination,” reads Nintendo’s description.

When a player is hit by an item, their kart will stop briefly. When they use a boost, it will speed up. Up to four people will be able to play in local multiplayer, but each racer will need their own Switch console, copy of Home Circuit, and RC car, for obvious reasons. Otherwise, players will be able to race against Koopalings in Grand Prix mode.

The full Home Circuit package including game, RC kart, and gates will cost $99.99 when it’s released next month. Anyone who wants to give it a whirl will have either Mario or Luigi to choose from for now, although there has been no word just yet on whether more characters will come to Home Circuit in the future. That may well depend on the success of the innovative new addition to the established franchise over the coming holiday season.