Nintendo Music expanded its Mario Kart World catalog today with 18 new Free Roam tracks, completing the rollout that Nintendo flagged when the main soundtrack dropped last week.
The key here is that these tracks were never missing by accident. When the original Mario Kart World soundtrack landed on Nintendo Music with 130 tracks, Nintendo confirmed the Free Roam songs were coming separately. Today's update delivers on that promise.
Where these 18 tracks actually come from
The new additions split cleanly across two classic soundtracks. Eight tracks come from Super Mario Galaxy, including fan favorites like Gusty Garden, Rosalina in the Observatory, and Purple Comet. The remaining ten pull from Super Mario Galaxy 2, covering everything from Sky Station Galaxy to Bowser's Galaxy Generator.
Here's the full breakdown:
Super Mario Galaxy tracks:
- Egg Planet
- Space Junk Road
- Enter Bowser Jr.!
- Buoy Base
- Gusty Garden
- Rosalina in the Observatory
- Final Battle with Bowser
- Purple Comet
Super Mario Galaxy 2 tracks:
- Sky Station
- Yoshi Star Galaxy
- Starship Mario 1
- The Starship's Journey
- Digga-Leg
- Puzzle Plank
- Wild Glide
- Cloudy Court
- Melty Monster
- Bowser's Galaxy Generator
The choice to use Galaxy music for Free Roam makes sense when you consider the mode itself. Cruising between destinations without a race timer running calls for something more atmospheric than the high-tempo circuit tracks, and the Galaxy series has always delivered on that front.
What the full Mario Kart World library looks like now
Last week's initial drop was substantial. 130 tracks covered race circuits, battle courses, menu themes, and a deep archive of Super Mario Kart originals spanning multiple arrangements of tracks like Choco Island and Rainbow Road. The library also includes every variant of DK Spaceport across its five laps and final lap, which tells you how seriously Nintendo treated the soundtrack documentation.
Access to Nintendo Music requires an active Nintendo Switch Online membership. The app also received web browser support, iPad compatibility, CarPlay integration, and Siri search in last week's update.
With today's 18 Free Roam additions, the Mario Kart World soundtrack on Nintendo Music now covers the full game experience rather than just the competitive racing side. That matters for players who have spent meaningful time in Free Roam, which uses the Galaxy music as its ambient backdrop while you explore the open world between cups.
What this means for Switch Online subscribers
The practical upside here is straightforward. If you have been playing Mario Kart World and found yourself wanting to replay Gusty Garden outside the game, you now can, without hunting down the original Galaxy soundtracks separately.
What most players miss is how much of the Galaxy catalog has effectively been recontextualized through this update. These tracks were composed for platforming games, then rearranged for open-world driving segments, and now sit in a dedicated music app alongside 130 purpose-built racing tracks. That is a genuinely unusual way for classic Nintendo music to resurface.
Nintendo has not announced whether additional Free Roam tracks or any other Mario Kart World content is planned for future Nintendo Music updates. Given the pattern of staged rollouts here, though, it would not be a surprise if more additions follow. For now, check out the Mario Kart World guides collection if you want to get more out of the game itself while the soundtrack keeps you company.
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