Why Mario Kart World Could Never Win Game of the Year
▼ Summary
– Grand Theft Auto 6’s delay to 2026 makes Nintendo Switch 2’s launch and Mario Kart World the standout gaming event of 2025.
– Despite its popularity and critical acclaim, Mario Kart World is unlikely to be nominated for Game of the Year due to The Game Awards’ bias against racing games.
– The Game Awards historically favors action-adventure and RPGs with strong narratives, excluding sports, sim, strategy, fighting, and racing games from GOTY contention.
– Past examples like Mario Kart 8 and Forza Horizon 5, despite high scores and sales, were not nominated for GOTY, reinforcing the genre bias.
– Nintendo’s hopes for a 2025 GOTY nomination now rest on Donkey Kong Bananza or Metroid Prime 4, as Mario Kart World’s chances were always negligible.
The gaming world eagerly anticipates Nintendo Switch 2’s 2025 launch, with Mario Kart World positioned as its flagship title. Despite the franchise’s legendary status and commercial success, this ambitious sequel faces an insurmountable hurdle in the race for Game of the Year honors.
Even with glowing reviews and record-breaking sales, Mario Kart World stands virtually no chance of securing a GOTY nomination at The Game Awards. Historical trends reveal a clear bias toward narrative-driven action-adventure and RPG titles, while racing, sports, and fighting games consistently get overlooked. This pattern holds true regardless of critical acclaim or player enthusiasm.
Consider Mario Kart 8, a near-perfect entry in the series that dominated 2014 with an 88 Metascore. While it swept Best Family and Best Racing categories, it never entered the GOTY conversation, despite outperforming that year’s winner, Dragon Age: Inquisition. Similarly, Forza Horizon 5 (2021) earned universal praise as one of the highest-rated games of its release year, yet didn’t even make the shortlist. Instead, the award went to It Takes Two, a co-op adventure with significantly lower aggregate scores.
Early reviews suggest Mario Kart World won’t surpass its predecessors, currently sitting at an 87 Metascore. Critics praise its open-world innovation but note it doesn’t redefine the genre. Meanwhile, Nintendo’s hopes for GOTY recognition may hinge on upcoming titles like Donkey Kong Bananza or Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. Last year’s Astro Bot victory proved platformers can break through, and Metroid Dread’s 2021 nomination shows the franchise has awards appeal.
Yet for racing games, the ceiling remains frustratingly low. The Game Awards’ jury consistently sidelines the genre, whether due to perceived niche appeal or preference for cinematic storytelling. Arguments about accessibility fall flat when considering Mario Kart 8 Deluxe’s 68 million copies sold—proof that these games resonate with mainstream audiences. Until voting criteria evolve, even Nintendo’s most polished racers will remain stuck in the starting grid.
(Source: Polygon)
