New Mario Kart Successor Pops Up In The Most Unlikely Of Places

Nothing beats the rush of Mario Kart, bursting down Rainbow Road with a blue shell in your back pocket, knowing you're about to pull off the biggest underdog finish that your pals have ever seen.

It's no wonder that many developers have tried to copy the blueprint and launch racing titles cut straight from the same cloth - we're looking at you, Star Wars: Galactic Racer.

But with Mario and co still occupied in the tentpole Nintendo Switch 2 title Mario Kart: World Tour, the rest of the gaming world has been scouting out its next bumper-car thrill.

And one has just popped up in the most random of places: Overwatch.

Yes, you read that rightly, Overwatch, the online multiplayer hero shooter, now has a Mario Kart side quest thanks to its latest character drop.

New Overwatch Character Has Players Turning Game Into Mario Kart

Despite the sequel title getting off to a rocky start, Overwatch 2 has begun ageing like a fine wine, rising through the charts to rival FPS titles like ARC Raiders.

One of its latest updates ups the ante, though, with a new badass heroine with a liking for grease and engine oil.

Shion arrived as a flanker damage hero on June 16 and has made an immediate impact with her ability, Joyride.

Fitting a motorcycle into her back pocket, she can whip out a two-wheeler and set off on a quick detour around the side of the map to get behind enemy lines before hurtling the vehicle at enemies to deal big damage.

But that's not where the fun kicks in...

Naturally, the ability has players leaving the actual game modes behind and instead just racing around the map. Forget your objectives, there's only one goal, and that's the finish line.

Showcased on X, players have been loading into private lobbies to all control Shion and race from one side to the other, putting their steering to the test and getting a real need for speed.

The ability lasts for a maximum of 20 seconds, but on many maps, that is all you need to complete a level.

Inside the custom game feature, you can also extend the ability timer and even increase the bike's speed, putting the joy in joyride.

Unfortunately, there are no giant mushrooms or banana peels, but it's the closest to a true animated racing experience that we've had since Mario and Luigi took control of their pods.

There are in-game codes that players can use to unlock maps with pre-built finish lines, so you needn't worry about photo finishes at made-up checkpoints.

Although Overwatch is probably the last place we'd look to find a Mario Kart spin-off, it's quite typical for players to do anything but enjoy the hero shooter's core gameplay.

Yet, if this doesn't tickle your fancy and you want a truer Mario Kart experience, there's always this Steam alternative.

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