Full list of unconfirmed veterans for Mario Kart World and how likely they are to return

With the release of the Nintendo Switch 2 and Mario Kart World fast approaching, it feels like we know a great deal about the new console and its upcoming launch title. However, what we’re most interested in is what we don’t know. Has Nintendo revealed the full roster for the game? Or are there a bunch of unlockable characters that won’t be acknowledged until release day? Whichever winds up being the case, we’re here today to look at all the unconfirmed veterans for Mario Kart World. We’ll also be ranking each one based on how likely they are to return.

• Our list begins with Donkey Kong Jr., who first appeared in the original Super Mario Kart. Decades later, Donkey Kong Jr. was included in Mario Kart Tour in his pixel form, which marked his first playable appearance since Mario Tennis on the Nintendo 64. We think Donkey Kong Jr. is an extremely unlikely character for Mario Kart World – he’s sort of faded into obscurity these days, and he’s essentially replaced with Diddy Kong.
• Speaking of Diddy Kong, he somehow still isn’t confirmed for Mario Kart World. Funky Kong appeared in Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, while Dixie Kong was playable in Mario Kart Tour. Of course, Dixie Kong and Funky Kong’s inclusion in Mario Kart World is kind of predicated on Diddy Kong’s appearance. Considering that Diddy Kong isn’t even confirmed for the game yet, it’s highly unlikely that we’ll wind up seeing Dixie Kong or Funky Kong. And if Diddy Kong is completely excluded from the final game, that’s a huge shame – we can play as a Fish Bone and a Coin Coffer, but not DK’s best buddy?
• Koopa Paratroopa isn’t confirmed for Mario Kart World either. He was playable in Mario Kart: Double Dash as Koopa’s partner, but he’s nowhere to be seen in the new game. That said, we don’t think Paratroopa is a particularly important exclusion – we do have Koopa Troopa as a playable character in Mario Kart World, which is probably good enough for most Paratroopa fans.
• Petey Piranha debuted in Mario Kart: Double Dash, but skipped Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7. He made it back via Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s DLC, but now it appears he’s absent again. A standard Piranha Plant in a pot is now playable, though. Hopefully that doesn’t mean Petey Piranha is being replaced!
• Honey Queen first appeared in Mario Kart 7. Fun fact: that game included her as a playable character, but not Waluigi. Regardless, she hasn’t been confirmed for Mario Kart World either. Interestingly enough, her signature kart, the Bumble V, has been confirmed for the game. But Stingby, a completely unrelated bee character, is also playable. So it seems like we won’t be seeing Honey Queen again anytime soon. It’s actually kind of sad – she’s such a ridiculous character pick that it loops around into being interesting.
• Dry Bowser is a particularly puzzling exclusion. He first appeared in Mario Kart Wii and was an incredibly popular character. He made it back in Mario Kart 8’s DLC, and was then included in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s base roster. That said, Dry Bowser hasn’t made too many game appearances recently. For that reason, we don’t think he’s very likely to be added to Mario Kart World, but he’d be a neat addition regardless!
• Metal Mario and Pink Gold Peach are missing from Mario Kart World, and frankly, we don’t think anyone’s complaining. You could make a case for Metal Mario – he was extremely popular online in Mario Kart 7, so he does offer a sense of nostalgia for those who played lots of the game online. That said, Metal Mario doesn’t hold a ton of value for anyone outside of that niche subgroup, and Pink Gold Peach is notoriously one of the most unpopular characters in Mario Kart 8.
• All seven Koopalings are playable in Mario Kart 8, but not Mario Kart World. If these guys were in the game, we feel like we would’ve been told by now. Mario Kart 8 will still be playable on Switch 2, so maybe Nintendo wants to differentiate the roster for Mario Kart World by leaving the Koopalings out? Bowser Jr. is playable in the game, though!
• Miis haven’t been confirmed for Mario Kart World yet, either. Given that the new Tomodachi Life uses Miis instead of Sportsmates from Nintendo Switch Sports, Nintendo definitely isn’t giving up on Miis. So it’s theoretically possible we’ll see them – but on the other hand, Nintendo might want to double down on the “Mario” part of Mario Kart and only include Mario characters. That may be why we haven’t seen Link, Villager, Isabelle, or the Inklings yet either.
• At the time of writing, King Bob-omb, Kamek, and Poochy from Mario Kart Tour haven’t yet been confirmed. Kamek in particular is probably not going to return – he’s been relegated to an item, and it wouldn’t make much sense for Kamek to use Kamek as an item. Maybe if we had a playable character called Magikoopa, it would make sense? King Bob-omb seems somewhat likely, but not so much Poochy.

Which veteran do you want to see return for Mario Kart World most? Do you think there are unrevealed characters for the game, or has Nintendo shown everything they’ve got? Let us know your thoughts in the comments down below. You can read more about the characters that are confirmed for Mario Kart World via our corresponding guide, and more about the game in general over at Nintendo’s official website.