Mario Kart World items are one of the most important parts of any race. Whether you’re looking for a little boost to help you zoom into first place or a devastating weapon to send your fellow drivers spinning off the edge of the track, they can truly make or break a match. So let’s take a look at all the MKW items, what they do, and how to use them.
If you’re wondering who to main as you make your way around the Mario Kart World tracks, we also have guides to all the Mario Kart World unlockables, Mario Kart World characters, and the best Mario Kart World karts. Who knows, if you arm yourself with all this knowledge, you might just make it around the Mario Kart World Rainbow Road track.
Here’s everything you need to know about the Mario Kart World items:
How many Mario Kart World items are there?
There are a total of 28 items in Mario Kart World. Each item offers its own unique buff or ability, from giving you a speed boost to allowing you to sabotage other drivers, so be sure to try them all out whenever you get the chance.
All Mario Kart World items
Here are all the MKW items:
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Banana |
A slippery obstacle that sends a driver’s vehicle spinning out of control when they hit it. |
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Triple Bananas |
A set of three bananas that orbit your vehicle. Press the L button to place one banana at a time. |
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Dash Mushroom |
A tasty item that gives you a brief burst of speed when you eat it. |
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Triple Dash Mushrooms |
A set of three mushrooms that orbit your vehicle. Press L to use one mushroom at a time. |
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Golden Dash Mushroom |
A shiny mushroom that you can use multiple times for a brief period to give you multiple boosts of speed. Press the L button repeatedly to activate it. |
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Mega Mushroom |
A large mushroom that enlarges you and your vehicle when you use it, giving you a boost of speed and allowing you to flatten other racers. |
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Green Shell |
A dangerous item that travels in a straight line. When it hits a driver, it sends them to a crashing stop. |
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Triple Green Shells |
A set of three green shells that orbit your vehicle. Press the L button to throw one green shell at a time. |
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Red Shell |
A vehicle-seeking shell that targets whoever is in front of the driver who throws it. |
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Triple Red Shells |
A set of three red shells that orbit your vehicle. Press the L button to throw one red shell at a time. |
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Spiny Shell |
A shell that homes in on and slams into the driver that’s currently in the lead. It keeps going even if it hits other racers on the way to the driver in first place. |
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Coin Shell |
A shiny shell that drops coins and crashes into drivers as it moves along the course. |
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Fire Flower |
A powerful item that lets you throw fireballs when you press the L button. When you hit a driver with a fireball, their kart spins out of control. |
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Ice Flower |
A powerful item that lets you throw ice balls when you press the L button. When you hit a driver with an ice ball, their kart spins out of control. |
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Boomerang Flower |
An item that allows you to throw a boomerang by pressing the L button. When you hit a driver with a boomerang, their kart spins out of control. |
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Bullet Bill |
An item that transforms you into Bullet Bill for a short time when you use it. As Bullet Bill, you rocket along the course and send any other drivers that you hit flying. |
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Bob-omb |
A walking bomb that detonates after a short time or when a driver runs into it. Other nearby drivers can also lose control in the explosion. |
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Hammer |
A set of hammers that you can throw by pressing the L button repeatedly. Anyone that you hit will crash their kart. |
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Super Horn |
An extremely powerful horn that knocks back nearby drivers and items when you activate it. |
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? Block |
A ? Block that produces coins every time you press the L button. It also gives you a slight speed boost. |
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Coin |
An item that gives you two coins. Having more coins increases your speed. |
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Boo |
An item that turns you transparent for a short time, allowing you to safely pass through dangerous items like bananas and shells. It also steals items from rival drivers. |
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Blooper |
A disruptive item that sprays ink all over rival drivers, making it difficult for them to see for a while. |
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Kamek |
An item that summons Kamek, whose magic causes strange things to occur. |
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Feather |
An item that sends you high into the air, allowing you to avoid dangerous items like bananas and shells. In Battle Mode, you can also steal balloons or coins by using this item to fly over rivals. |
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Super Star |
An item that makes you faster and invincible for a while. It also sends other drivers spinning when you run into them. |
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Lightning |
An item that allows you to call down lightning strikes on other drivers, destroying any items they’re carrying while also slowing them down and shrinking them for a while. |
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Dash Food |
A delicious snack that gives you a speed boost. It may also change you into a different outfit. |
How do I get Mario Kart World items?
You can pick up Mario Kart World items by driving through them while going around the track. They mostly appear in the form of iridescent blocks with a question mark on them. When you drive through one of these blocks, an item roulette begins to spin, then you get whatever item it lands on.
While what item you get is random, there are certain items that you’ll generally only get while in certain positions in a race. So if you’re always in first place, you may find yourself running into the same items over and over!
How many Mario Kart World items can I have?
You can hold a maximum of two items at a time. If you drive through an item when you already have two, you won’t pick up another. So be sure to use your items quickly to make the most of all those useful boosts and abilities.
How do I use Mario Kart World items?
To use a Mario Kart World item, you simply need to press either the L or ZL button – either works. However, learning the right time to use your item isn’t quite as simple and may take a little bit of practice if you’re new to Mario Kart games
For more help in this area, be sure to check out our full Mario Kart World controls guide.
Are there Mario Kart items in free roam?
Yes, there are some Mario Kart items that show up in free roam mode, but you don’t see them as often as you do during races. Generally, you may find some Dash Food sitting around to give you a little speed boost while you’re out exploring, or you may stumble across a challenge that drops a few items for you, but they’re pretty rare, so it’s not a great place to practice your shell tossing techniques.
That’s everything we’ve got on Mario Kart World items. If you’re looking for something else to play while you wait for the next new Mario game on the Nintendo Switch 2 (or while you recover from taking one too many shells to the head), be sure to check out our top picks for the best Switch games.
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