How to Unlock Costumes in Mario Kart World
Written by Andrew Hammel
To unlock costumes in Mario Kart World, you just need to collect Dash Food while racing or exploring. These glowing orange food pickups give speed boosts and, in many cases, new outfits tied to specific characters.
It’s simple once you know which foods work with who.
What Dash Food Looks Like
Dash Food looks like a glowing orange item box, but instead of shells or bananas, you get snacks.
You’ll usually find them near Yoshi-themed food stands along tracks, in Free Roam areas, or during Knockout Tours.
Each food is region-based and sometimes themed after a location. Bigger foods give bigger boosts, and some unlock character outfits if it matches.
How Costume Unlocks Actually Work
Each racer has their own list of outfits, and each outfit is tied to specific foods.
For example, giving Mario a Tire Donut might unlock his All-Terrain suit, while the same food might do nothing for Toad.
If the food unlocks a costume, the game will show you the new look right after you pick it up. After that, the outfit stays unlocked and can be changed anytime from the character menu.
None of the costumes change your stats... just your style.
Best Way to Farm Outfits Fast
In Free Roam, you can switch characters instantly using the Change Character option.
So if you find a food cart that drops something useful, you can eat it with one racer, switch to the next, and eat it again without restarting.
This lets you unlock several outfits using the same food location, back to back, without loading screens or redoing a track.
Turning Off Costume Transformations
If you just want the speed without the fashion show, head into Settings.
There’s an option to turn off Dash Food transformations, which stops the game from changing your character’s outfit when picking up food.
The speed boost still works either way.
Which Characters Can Unlock Costumes
Most main racers can unlock outfits, including Mario, Peach, Bowser, and Yoshi.
Some have more than others, with Mario having the most by far. NPCs like Goombas or creatures like Dolphins can still pick up food, but they only get the speed boost.
They don’t get to dress up, sadly.
Final Blurb
If you want to collect every costume in Mario Kart World, the secret isn’t skill... it’s snacks. Just pick the right food, the right racer, and a little patience. And maybe avoid thinking too hard about how Tire Donuts give people clothes.
FAQ
Q: Do I need to win races to unlock outfits?
No, you just need to grab the right food during a race or Free Roam.
Q: Can I unlock every costume without racing?
Yes, Free Roam works great if you know where the right food is.
Q: Does each food unlock something for every character?
No, each food only works with certain characters. Others just get a boost.
Q: Are there any missable outfits?
Nope. You can always go back and unlock ones you missed.
Q: Do non-racers like Goombas get outfits too?
No. They can eat food, but it only gives them a speed boost, not a costume.
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