I now know that I am not alone in holding out hope that Diddy Kong will join Mario Kart World’s broad character roster on Nintendo Switch 2.
Despite receiving a wonderful new character render in recent weeks, Donkey Kong’s best friend and sidekick is not among the 50 playable characters who have been revealed will star in the upcoming kart racer.
Those characters include favourites such as Mario, Luigi, Peach and Bowser as well as new NPC Drivers like Conkdor, Goomba and Cow, with the four-legged cattle having already become an unexpected viral sensation.
When IGN asked whether Diddy Kong was part of the game’s roster, Mario Kart World producer Kosuke Yabuki simply responded: “I’m afraid I can’t say anything at this time.” Strange. Maybe we’ll see some cross-promotion with Donkey Kong Bananza?
The fan-favourite monkey was a late addition to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, the character arriving through the game’s surprisingly extensive Booster Course Pass downloadable content in Wave 6. Rejoining with Funky Kong, Pauline and Peachette, it marked the first time that he had appeared in a home console game since Mario Kart Wii.
For our thoughts on what awaits you in Mario Kart World in just a few days time, be sure to give our hands-on preview a read.
Mario Kart World will be released at retail and digitally on the Nintendo eShop exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2 worldwide on 5 June 2025.
