Mario Kart World has a hidden multiplayer gem tucked away in its menu—LAN Play. You can unlock it from your very first gameplay session, but unless you’re deep into the competitive scene or setting up a tournament, you probably won’t stumble across it naturally.
What Is LAN Play in Mario Kart World?
LAN Play lets you connect multiple consoles via a local area network, either wired or wirelessly through a router.
It’s a more stable alternative to ad-hoc Wireless Play, especially useful in settings like tournaments.
The feature previously appeared in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and it’s made a quiet return in Mario Kart World—emphasis on “quiet.”
How To Unlock LAN Play
Here’s the button combo to activate it:
- Go to the main menu.
- Select Wireless Play (don’t confirm it).
- While holding L + R, press the left analog stick.
This will change the selection to LAN Play. Want to switch back? Just press the same combo again.
LAN Play vs Wireless Play: What’s the Difference?
- LAN Play supports up to 24 consoles, each with up to 2 players.
- Wireless Play caps out at 8 consoles, but allows 4 players per console.
So LAN is better for large groups, but it cuts the per-console player count in half.
That said, LAN Play also offers a bonus: it’s currently the only way to start a local co-op session in Free Roam mode using flexible controller setups.
Unlike Wireless Play, which locks two players into using single Joy-Cons, LAN Play lets you mix and match—two full Joy-Con pairs, Pro Controllers, you name it.
Why Hide It?
LAN Play is mostly for niche scenarios, like tournaments where you’ve got way more than eight consoles in one room.
For the average player, Wireless Play does the trick. So to keep the menu clean and user-friendly, Nintendo tucked this feature away behind a button combo—just like they did in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Whether you’re organizing a big in-person match or just want a smoother connection, LAN Play in Mario Kart World is worth unlocking—now you know how.
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