The Biggest Gaming Trends of 2025

There was a time when just about every company had their own kart racing series. Popularized by Nintendo with the Mario Kart franchise in the Nineties (and improved by Diddy Kong Racing), the subgenre exploded for a while as everyone from Lego to Disney trotted out their own take on mascot-friendly vehicular action. PlayStation themselves took multiple swings, releasing Crash Team Racing (1999), Jak X: Combat Racing (2005), ModNation Racers (2010), and LittleBigPlanet Karting (2012) in a cross-generational effort to step on the podium owned by Mario.

Eventually, the fad ended, leaving 2014’s Mario Kart 8 and its later deluxe Switch version to thrive as the default racer of its kind while companies like Nickelodeon filled out the bargain bins with its own middling efforts. But that changed in 2025 with an unexpectedly high volume of contenders vying for the crown of best modern kart racer.

The obvious leader of the pack would be Nintendo’s own Mario Kart World, released as a launch title for Switch 2 in March. After years of coasting on Mario Kart 8’s knack for printing money, Nintendo kicked off its new generation with the biggest entry the franchise has ever seen, with an explorable open map filled with challenges and secrets, on top of chaotic 24-person multiplayer across its competitive modes. Some would argue that the developers played it safe, but the casual appeal of Mario Kart World is undeniable. For naysayers, 2025 ended up being a year where there were actual alternatives to the norm.

Sonic Racing: CrossWorlds was an unexpected treat when it was released in September; the follow-up to 2019’s mediocre Team Sonic Racing is more than just competent — it’s pretty fantastic. Running on higher-end hardware like PS5 and Xbox Series X, the game is faster and better looking than Mario Kart World, and has an insane roster of paid DLC characters from franchises like Minecraft, Pac-Man, and Spongebob, with Mega Man, TMNT, and more on the horizon.

The true dark horse of the genre in 2025 is Kirby Air Riders, which is so wildly different from the rest, Nintendo needed to release a series of videos warning players that the game isn’t just another flavor of Mario Kart. It’s basically Smash Bros. on wheels, and a wonderful throwback to an older era of game design.

Also, there was Garfield Kart 2 – All You Can Drift, which has Garfield.