Which racing feature lets Mario Kart World drivers race on water?

Boat racing lets Mario Kart World drivers race on water.

Mario Kart World broadens kart movement beyond ordinary road circuits by allowing races and travel across water. The game's interconnected world includes land, ocean and multiple environmental regions, so water is part of the driving space rather than merely scenery beside a track.

This feature sits alongside other new movement systems, including off-roading, rail grinding, wall jumping and wall riding. Those mechanics can look similar in promotional footage because karts may leave conventional roads or travel through unusual spaces, but boat racing specifically refers to water-based driving.

The water sections also support the game's larger open-world design. Instead of treating every course as an isolated arena, Mario Kart World links different environments through routes that players can traverse. Boat racing is therefore both a racing feature and part of the broader world-navigation concept introduced by the game.