Mario Kart World provides more freedom than ever when it comes to finding your way through any given track, but no matter which route you take, you’ll want to drive fast. Here are all the main ways to get speed boosts in Mario Kart World.

How to get speed boosts

There are several ways to gain speed with boosts in Mario Kart World, including drifts, tricks, rail grinds, and more. We’ve listed them all below, along with details on how to perform each type of boost. Make use of them all to stay in first place all the way to the finish line.

Boost at the start of a race

The quickest way to get a head start on the competition is by gaining a boost as a race begins. Hold down the gas when the number “2” fully appears on screen during the countdown, like in the image above. If you hold the gas too late, you’ll have a normal start to the race. However, if you hold the gas too early, your vehicle will stall, and you’ll be forced into a slower start than usual.

Boost with drifts

Boosting with drifts is one of the most common ways to gain speed in Mario Kart World. Hold down R or ZR to drift at any point in a race. You can drift whenever you want, but obviously, it’s most often used to round corners. Drifting causes sparks to appear near your wheels, and the longer you hold the drift, the better the boost will be once the drift ends. The sparks turn from blue to orange if you hold the drift long enough. Let go of R/ZR when the sparks are orange to get the best boost coming out of a drift.

Boost with tricks

Mario Kart World provides plenty of opportunities for players to perform tricks on each track. Tap R/ZR at the top of ramps, on rails, or in mid-air to do tricks. The word “ramp” is used loosely here because you can tap R/ZR to do tricks on bumps in the road, sand dunes, waves of water, and more. Basically, you can do a trick on any incline that looks like it’ll lift you into the air. And a colorful little circle surrounds your character whenever you perform a trick, like in the image above.

Boost with rails

Grinding on rails is a new feature introduced to the Mario Kart franchise, and it can be utilized as an additional way to generate a boost. Some tracks contain rails or railings that you can jump onto to increase your speed. First, you might want to turn off Smart Steering so that you can venture off the main road without resistance. Many rails are found off to the side of main roads and pathways.

Get close to a rail and hold R/ZR without moving left or right to charge a jump. Release the button when you see air under your wheels–similar to drifts–to get on the rail. The feather item also lets you instantly jump high enough to reach most rails. You can then press R/ZR while on the rail to perform tricks and receive a speed boost.

Boost with a wallride

Wallriding is another new boost method in Mario Kart World, and it’s similar to grinding on a rail. Get close to a wall and prepare a jump by holding R/ZR–just as you would before a grind. Release the jump when you see air gather under your wheels to automatically stick to the nearby wall and gain a bit of speed.

Boost by drafting

Drafting can often give you the quick boost you need to pass a racer that’s directly in front of you. Drive behind another racer until you see wind surround the front of your vehicle, then move left or right to gain a boost. Drafting doesn’t require any button inputs, but you do need to be able to position your vehicle properly for a few seconds.

These are the main ways to get speed boosts in Mario Kart World. There are also other classic options like items (mushrooms, stars, etc.) and boost pads that you can drive over, but those require less manual timing or input. Master every boost option in the game and combine those with track knowledge to take your skills to another level.

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