VS Race lets players choose traditional three-lap races in Mario Kart World.
This option preserves the classic Mario Kart structure: competitors select a single course and complete three laps rather than travelling between separate areas. It is available outside the game’s redesigned Grand Prix format.
Grand Prix works differently in World. Its races are linked by roads, so racers drive from one course to the next instead of treating every event as an isolated circuit. That connected-road design is one of the game’s major departures from earlier entries.
Knockout Tour is also different because it is a long elimination race with checkpoints. Free Roam is for exploration, missions and photography rather than conventional competitive laps. VS Race is therefore the mode associated with the familiar three-lap setup.