Mario Kart World - Unlockable Characters and Outfits

A total of 50 drivers are playable in Mario Kart World, and our guide breaks down how to unlock all secret characters and hidden outfits.

Mario Kart World features the largest roster of playable characters in the series to date! The total of Mario Kart World characters hits the 50-mark, beating the previous record held by Mario Kart 8 Deluxe and its Booster Course Pack where the amount of total playable characters topped out at 48. Additionally, outfits are back from Mario Kart Tour with a mix of returning costumes and all new fits.

Instead of just explaining how to unlock hidden secrets, we’re also using this guide to list all characters and every outfit in Mario Kart World. There’s a lot of content in this one! See our Mario Kart World guide for other unlockables and secrets.

How to Unlock Characters
List of Characters
How to Unlock Outfits
List of Outfits

Latest Updates

December 9: Redid the NPC Driver section to add the much easier unlock method made possible with the recent update. Also added clear images of Peepa, Fish Bone, and Rocky Wrench because I finally unlocked them!

June 11: Updated information on Kamek NPC spawns and their locations. New links to Kamek workarounds.

June 7: Images of all 103 outfits added.

How to Unlock Characters

50 characters total and you have to unlock 18 of them! This does not include alternate outfits.

Unlocking Main Drivers

There are 24 main racers in Mario Kart World, but seven of them are not playable until certain criteria is met. Unlocking main drivers involves completing cups in the Grand Prix mode. These unlockable characters include:

Mushroom Cup – Donkey Kong
Flower Cup – Daisy
Star Cup – Rosalina
Shell Cup – Lakitu
Banana Cup – Birdo
Leaf Cup – King Boo
Lightning Cup – Bowser Jr.

Unlocking NPC Drivers (Fastest Method)

There are 11 NPC drivers that need to be unlocked. These include Cataquack, Chargin’ Chuck, Coin Coffer, Conkdor, Dolphin, Fish Bone, Peepa, Pianta, Rocky Wrench, Spike, and Swoop. NPC drivers unlocked from the start include Nabbit, Goomba, Dry Bones, Piranha Plant, Wiggler, Hammer Bro., Sidestepper, Monty Mole, Cheep Cheep, Pokey, Stingby, Cow, Snowman, and Para-Biddybud.

Unlocking the remaining 11 characters used to be a frustrating experience, but no longer! Although you are still relying on luck, a new method dramatically increases your chances of unlocking these characters, so much so that you can snag all 11 characters in about seven to eight races.

So how is it done? If one of your opponents uses the new Kamek item and you’re in front of them, you’ll transform into an NPC driver. That character will then be added to your playable roster. The character you transform into is often based on the non-playable characters in your surrounding area or track. For example, if you’re in a haunted area with Peepas around, that’s probably who you’ll turn into. This item is one of the rarest in the game, and you’ll often go a race without encountering Kamek.

With the version 1.40 update of the game, that doesn’t have to be the case! A new option in the VS mode allows you to select custom items, meaning you can choose which items appear and which are left behind. See where we’re going with this? For your item selection, disable all items except for the Kamek item. Get racing and you’ll see that it’s pretty chaotic — but you’re also changing characters every few seconds.

Some characters will only unlock in certain biomes and tracks, so you’ll have to select a few specific courses to collect everyone. Other characters can appear in just about every track, so those will unlock on their own as you hunt down the more specific characters. Here’s where you’ll want to race:

Cataquack – Peach Beach
Conkdor – Faraway Oasis
Dolphin – Koopa Troopa Beach
Fish Bone – Dry Bones Burnout
Peepa – Boo Cinema
Rocky Wrench – Airship Fortress
Swoop – Dandelion Depths
Chargin’ Chuck – Various
Coin Coffer – Various
Pianta – Various
Spike – Various

The original method to unlock these characters when the game first launched was… rough. Just for fun, I’ll leave that history on this page so you can see what players before you had to go through. Honor their sacrifice!

Unlocking NPC Drivers (Old Method)
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Unlocking the remaining 11 characters can be a frustrating experience. While there are ways to increase your chances of unlocking these hidden characters, you’ll be heavily relying on luck to make it happen. You’ll eventually get them all if you play normally over a longer period of time, but if you’re trying to complete your roster as soon as you get the game, you’ll be in for a rough time.

If one of your opponents use the new Kamek item and you’re in front of them, you’ll transform into an NPC driver. That character will then be added to your playable roster. The character you transform into is often based on the non-playable characters in your surrounding area or track. For example, if you’re in a haunted area with Peepas around, that’s probably who you’ll turn into.

It gets worse. If you’re the one to use the Kamek item, you don’t turn into anything. No unlockable character for you. The Kamek item is also very rare. You’ll go many races without seeing it used even once. Once it’s used, you better hope you’re in an area that has the NPC you need to unlock. It’s possible that playing the VS Race mode with Frantic items on can help it spawn more… but we’re not convinced just yet. And yes, unlocking NPC drivers works online too.

An example of unlocking an NPC driver via Kamek. You can see how it works through the second player and how the user of the item is not affected. Yes, I got Kamek near the front and hit the brakes to get the second player in front of me. Do not pass up the opportunity!

So. The best thing you can do is race on courses and areas that you know the NPC driver you need to unlock will appear as an obstacle or enemy. And stay in first place! The Kamek item only works on the players in front of the user, and a good distance ahead might be something that gets it to spawn more often. Maybe! Although, the real best thing to do is save yourself the headache and let them naturally unlock as you play. But alas, many of us are completionists and can’t sit idly by.

If you’re looking to beat the system and set yourself up with the best chance to get these characters, there are some workarounds that involve two players and spamming items in specific areas. More on that here and here.

Here’s a list of spots and tracks where the NPC characters hang out and spawn via Kamek. It’s also possible for some (or all?) of these characters to spawn in random areas of the map, but we’d suggest staying close to the tracks we list here:

Cataquack – Peach Beach, Wario Shipyard
Chargin’ Chuck – Choco Mountain, Mario Bros. Circuit, Airship Fortress, Wario Shipyard, Koopa Troopa Beach
Coin Coffer – Crown City, Dino Dino Jungle, Peach Stadium, Mario Bros. Circuit, Toad’s Factory, Cheep Cheep Falls
Conkdor – Faraway Oasis
Dolphin – Koopa Troopa Beach
Fish Bone – Toad’s Factory, Dry Bones Burnout, path from Airship Fortress to Dry Bones Burnout
Peepa – Boo Cinema, all intermissions leading to Boo Cinema
Pianta – Koopa Troopa Beach, Shy Guy Bazaar, Crown City, DK Spaceport, Dandelion Depths, Dino Dino Jungle, Peach Stadium, Faraway Oasis
Rocky Wrench – Airship Fortress, Toad’s Factory
Spike – Whistlestop Summit, Choco Mountain, Dino Dino Jungle, Acorn Heights, Peach Beach, Peach Stadium, Starview Peak
Swoop – Dandelion Depths, boardwalk area before Boo Cinema,

See our outfits section for how to unlock alternate costumes.

List of Characters

A total of 50 playable characters have been spotted in Mario Kart World. There are 24 main drivers that each recieve a set of alternate outfits. The other 26 drivers do not get alternate outfits.

Main Drivers

Mario

Luigi

Peach

Daisy

Yoshi

Donkey Kong

Bowser

Bowser Jr.

Koopa Troopa

Toad

Toadette

Lakitu

King Boo

Shy Guy

Wario

Waluigi

Birdo

Pauline

Rosalina

Baby Mario

Baby Luigi

Baby Peach

Baby Daisy

Baby Rosalina

Other Drivers

Nabbit

Goomba

Dry Bones

Piranha Plant

Spike

Wiggler

Hammer Bro.

Sidestepper

Cataquack

Monty Mole

Cheep Cheep

Pianta

Rocky Wrench

Conkdor

Swoop

Pokey

Peepa

Stingby

Fish Bone

Coin Coffer

Cow

Snowman

Penguin

Dolphin

Para-Biddybud

Chargin’ Chuck

How to Unlock Outfits

Outfits are unlocked by collecting and using Dash Food to transform into alternative costumes. Most outfits are tied to the type of food you get, and some are influenced by the surrounding area.

There are multiple outfits that fall under a named category, and nearly all of the costumes within the same category can be obtained by through the same type of food. For example, all Touring outfits can be obtained by snagging a hamburger. Our outfits locations list sorts them by costume type, and almost of them can be obtained in the same location. We tried to find the best locations to get multiple costumes at once!

Touring, Burger Bud

Go to Mario Bros. Circuit and find the hamburger shop. Touring set includes Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Rosalina, Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, and Baby Rosalina. Burger Bud set includes Toad.

Pro Racer

Go to Crown City and find a cake shop. Pro Racer set includes Mario, Luigi, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Bowser, Bowser Jr., Koopa Troopa, Toad, Toadette, King Boo, Wario, Waluigi, Birdo, Rosalina, Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, and Baby Rosalina.

Mechanic, Work Crew

Go to Crown City and find a chips, chocolate, and soda shop. Mechanic set includes Mario and Luigi, although you may also trigger a different outfit. Work Crew set includes Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Wario, and Koopa Troopa. Wario and Koopa Troopa also may trigger a different outfit.

Sightseeing, Gondolier

Go to Salty Salty Speedway and find a pizza shop. Sightseeing set includes Mario and Peach. Gondolier set includes Luigi.

Aviator, Pit Crew, Road Ruffian, Supercharged, Yoshi (Biker)

Go to Wario Stadium and find the spicy curry shop. Aviator set includes Mario and Peach. Pit Crew set includes Lakitu and Shy Guy. Road Ruffian set includes Wario and Waluigi. Supercharged set includes Bowser. For some reason, we were only able to get the Biker version of Yoshi here.

Happi, Yukata, Matsuri, Fisherman

Go to Cheep Cheep Falls and find the candy apple shop. Happi set includes Mario and Luigi. Yukata set includes Peach. Matsuri set includes Yoshi. Fisherman set includes Lakitu.

Aero, All-Terrain

Go to Mario Circuit and find the donut shop. Aero set includes Peach, Daisy, Pauline, and Rosalina. All-Terrain set includes Mario, Luigi, Donkey Kong, Bowser, and Koopa Troopa.

Oasis, Dune Rider

Go to Desert Hills and find the flatbread shop. Oasis set includes Luigi, Daisy, and Wario. Dune Rider set includes Mario.

Farmer

Go to Moo Moo Meadows and find a milk shop. Farmer set includes Luigi and Peach.

Vacation, Engineer, Conductor

Go to Whistlestop Summit and find the chips, chocolate, and coffee shop. Vacation set includes Peach, Daisy, and Birdo. Engineer set includes Toad. Conductor includes Toadette.

Swimwear

Go to Peach Beach and find a fish shop. Swimwear set includes Daisy, Yoshi, and Baby Mario.

Sailor, Food Slinger

Go to Peach Beach and find the kebab shop. Sailor set includes Koopa Troopa, Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, and Baby Rosalina. Food Slinger set includes Yoshi.

Aristocrat, Cowboy, Wampire

Go to Boo Cinema and find the popcorn shop. Aristocrat set includes Yoshi and King Boo. Cowboy set includes Mario. Wampire set includes Waluigi.

Soft Server, Slope Styler, Aurora

Go to Starview Peak and find the ice cream shop. Soft Server set includes Yoshi and Toadette. Slope Styler set includes Shy Guy. Aurora set includes Rosalina.

Biker, Biker Jr., Runner

Go to Salty Salty Speedway and find the fish shop. Biker set includes Wario, Waluigi, and Bowser. For whatever reason, the Biker version of Yoshi is found via spicy curry in Wario Stadium. Biker Jr. set includes Bowser Jr. Runner set includes Koopa Troopa.

Explorer

Go to Dino Dino Jungle and find the meat shop. Explorer set includes Bowser Jr., Toad, Toadette, Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, and Baby Rosalina.

Pirate

Go to Wario Shipyard and find the kebab shop. Pirate set includes Wario and King Boo.

Wicked Wasp

Go to Acorn Heights and find the pancake shop. Wicked Wasp set includes Wario.

Mariachi

Go to Dry Bones Burnout and find the chips, chocolate, and coffee shop. Mariachi set includes Waluigi.

List of Outfits

Each of the 24 main racers have a set of alternative outfits totaling 103 outfits in the game. Some characters, like Mario, get a whopping nine outfits, while other characters, like Pauline, get a single alternate costume.