Mario Kart World’s Costumes Turn Every Race Into a Fashion Show

Summary

Dash Food system in Mario Kart World unlocks costumes, incentivizing exploration across all game modes.
Searching for Dash Food items during races adds visual flair and boosts, making the game more immersive.
Mid-race costume transformations make races personal, dynamic, and stylish, enhancing player experience.

Mario Kart World represents a major evolution of one of Nintendo’s oldest series, with a refreshing take on the familiar formula that should resonate more with modern gamers who crave the scale and freedom that only open-world games can offer. While it isn’t technically an open-world game itself, Mario Kart World nonetheless offers players a more expansive and liberating way to experience the world of Mario Kart, with plenty of activities to complete and collectibles to boot. Among those collectibles are a wide variety of different costumes players can unlock for the game’s playable racers, even further solidifying Mario Kart World as a game that values player agency over its own prerogative.

Mario Kart World doesn’t just give players these costumes after they hit a certain milestone or hand over piles of hard-earned coins. Instead, these costumes are unlocked via its new Dash Food system, which is an entirely new mechanic for the series. Ultimately, what makes the Dash Food system so unique is how layered it is as opposed to straightforward, and how the system overall invites players to experience all that Mario Kart World has to offer, both on the track and off.

mario kart world change peach voice actor

Mario Kart World Marks the End of an Era for Princess Peach

The release of Mario Kart World on the Nintendo Switch 2 marks the surprise end of an era for Princess Peach.

Mario Kart World Blends Style With Speed in a Clever New Way

Dash Food Unlocks Incentivize Exploration Across All Game Modes

At its core, Dash Food does more than merely unlock different costumes for Mario Kart World‘s playable characters to wear during their next race. Rather, it incentivizes exploration across all of Mario Kart World‘s game modes, whether players are in Grand Prix, Knockout Tour, or Free Roam.

In order to unlock new costumes in Mario Kart World, players are encouraged to look for Dash Food items on the side of the road. In appearance, these items resemble gold takeout bags and can be collected near Yoshi food trucks found throughout the world. After collecting Dash Food and then using it, the racer will take on a different appearance and permanently unlock that outfit for players to choose from in the character select menu — unless, of course, they’ve already collected that particular costume.

What makes the Dash Food system so unique is how layered it is as opposed to straightforward, and how the system overall invites players to experience all that Mario Kart World has to offer, both on the track and off.

Effectively, this encourages players to keep an eye on the side of the road during races, but especially to go out of their way to search for these items in Mario Kart World‘s Free Roam mode. Sure, this does leave which costumes players unlock up to a bit of RNG, but it’s a lot more fun and immersive than simply cashing in after obtaining enough coins or winning a certain race.

Mid-Race Transformations Add Visual Flair to the Competition

While the permanent unlocks offered by Mario Kart World‘s Dash Food are among their most desirable aspects, the fact that players can change their appearance in the middle of a race by using the item adds some visual flair to the competition. Add to that the fact that using Dash Food gives players a small boost, and the whole system feels like a multi-layered way to earn some optional cosmetics.

By tying unlocks to in-race pickups and exploration, Mario Kart World‘s Dash Food mechanic weaves fashion into gameplay in a way that feels both spontaneous and rewarding. Whether players are chasing new looks or just wanting that sudden mid-race transformation, there’s always a reason to veer off the main road and engage with the world differently. It’s a subtle but effective way to make every race feel more personal, more dynamic, and far more stylish.