Mario Kart World’s rewind feature is quietly one of the racing game’s most useful features for learning how its new tricks, jumps, and grinds work. The Nintendo Switch 2 launch game sets you loose to discover rewind on your own, though, with no tutorial or anything explaining how the tool works or when you might want to use it.
Below, we explain how to rewind in Mario Kart World, which modes let you do it, and when you’re better off just taking a mistake on the chin.
How to rewind in Mario Kart World
Press “down” on the direction pad to rewind the previous five seconds and start again. Rewind is useful if you’re trying to learn how to time a jump correctly so you can drive along the wall, if you miss a shortcut, or if you just make a big mistake and would rather not lose eight places after crashing into a wall. It’s handy for evading an incoming obstacle in Battle Mode, too.
GiantBomb’s Jeff Grubb discovered you can even use rewind to escape a blue shell. If you rewind right before the shell makes contact, it’ll explode even without you there to suffer from it.
Bear in mind that rewind doesn’t affect the timer if you’re completing a Free Roam challenge or mode or activity with a timer, such as Time Trials. You’ll start in your previous position, but the timer won’t rewind, and you’ll probably fail the challenge. The better option for fixing a mistake in Free Roam mission scenarios is opening the pause menu and choosing the “retry” option.
Rewind also has no effect on computer-controlled characters, whose positions won’t rewind to match yours. Still, for learning tough courses such as Rainbow Road, it’s worth rewinding and coming in last if only to get the hang of difficult curves without having to start an entire cup over again.
What modes can you use rewind in?
Rewind is only usable in single-player modes and Free Roam, though you can use it in a multiplayer lobby as well – just not in a multiplayer race. The list of modes that let you use rewind is:
Did you just get a Nintendo Switch 2? Are you trying to unlock every character and outfit in Mario Kart World? Or maybe you’re trying out The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker for the first time and you need a walkthrough for those pesky stoplights in the Forsaken Fortress? Either way, we have your back when it comes to helping you sort stuff out.
We have guides explaining how to set up your console (moving data from your original Switch to your Switch 2) as well as guides for things like getting external storage sorted out.
Belkin is best known for high-quality smartphone accessories, but just like everyone else, it appears it has a case of Nintendo Switch 2 fever. The company has announced that it will be selling several Switch 2 accessories in time for the console’s launch, including screen protectors and a charging case that comes with a power bank.
The Charging Case for Nintendo Switch 2 is the thicker of Belkin’s two case options, primarily because it has a designated spot for an included 10K external battery. The case also includes a flap for storing Switch 2 game cartridges, a hidden pocket for slotting an AirTag so you can track the case if it’s lost and slots on either side of the battery for cables and other accessories. When you need to prop up your Switch 2 with its kickstand while it’s charging, there’s also a groove in the case that’s specifically designed to hold it.
Belkin
If you’re looking for something more compact and portable, the Travel Case for Nintendo Switch 2 is only moderately thicker than the console itself. Like the charging case, the travel case includes a built-in sleeve for Switch 2 game cartridges and a spot to hide an AirTag. It also has a built-in handle and a wrist strap so you have multiple ways to carry it when you’re out and about.
For an extra layer of protection, Belkin is also selling two different screen protector options: a Tempered Glass Anti-Reflective Screen Protector and a Tempered Glass Blue Light Screen Protector. Both will shield your Switch 2’s screen from major scratches and can be applied in a few steps. In the case of the blue light screen protector, Belkin is also claiming that it’ll help reduce eye strain if you use your console for an extended period of time. Whichever you pick, just don’t remove the Switch 2’s pre-installed protective film before you apply.
All of Belkin’s new accessories are available to order today from Belkin’s website and Amazon. You can get either the Charging Case or Travel Case in gray, tan or green, and the cases cost $70 or $30, respectively. The Tempered Glass Anti-Reflective Screen Protector costs $25 and the Tempered Glass Blue Light Screen Protector costs $30.
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The Switch 2’s Joy-Con “mouse” has some competition. At least one launch game for Nintendo’s new console includes USB mouse support. Nobunga’s Ambition: Awakening CE lets you plug in a traditional pointing device and get down to business. According to developer Koei Tecmo, the mouse will “work seamlessly.”
Nobunga’s Ambition will let you switch between controller and USB mouse on the fly. “Once you connect the USB mouse, a message will appear in the top left indicating that the mouse is connected,” Michi Ryu said in a video (translated from Japanese). “When the USB mouse is connected, it takes priority over the Joy-Con 2. As you can see, you can switch instantly. It’s very smooth.”
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So, what does that mean for other mouse-friendly Switch 2 games? Civilization VII, another launch title, comes to mind. We emailed 2K Games to ask and will update this story if we hear back.
To be fair, the Switch 2’s Joy-Con mouse support is solid. Engadget’s Sam Rutherford was pleasantly surprised with it in his hands-on. Still, it’s nice to have options. (And let’s be honest, a real mouse will be hard to beat.)
Although it wasn’t a well-known fact, the original Switch also supported USB mice. For example, Nintendo’s visual programming tool Game Builder Garage worked with them. But the number of games supporting the Joy-Con mouse makes it a bigger deal on the Switch 2.
Nintendo hired Samsung to build the main chips for the Switch 2, including an 8-nanometer processor custom designed by NVIDIA, Bloomberg reported. That would mark a move by Nintendo away from TSMC, which manufactured the chipset for the original 2017 Switch. Nintendo had no comment, saying it doesn’t disclose its suppliers. Samsung and NVIDIA also declined to discuss the matter.
Samsung has previously supplied Nintendo with flash memory and displays, but building the Switch 2’s processor would be a rare win for the company’s contract chip division. Samsung can reportedly build enough chips to allow Nintendo to ship 20 million or more Switch 2s by March of 2026.
NVIDIA’s new chipset was reportedly optimized for Samsung’s, rather than TSMC’s manufacturing process. Using Samsung also means that Nintendo won’t be competing with Apple and others for TSMC’s resources. During Nintendo’s latest earnings call, President Shuntaro Furukawa’s said that the company didn’t expect any component shortages with its new console — an issue that plagued the original Switch.
Nintendo said in the same earnings report that it was caught by surprise with 2.2 million applications for Switch 2 pre-orders in Japan alone. Despite that, the company projected sales of 15 million Switch 2 units in its first year on sale to March 2026, fewer than analyst predictions of 16.8 million — likely due to the impact of Trump‘s tariffs.
When Rockstar Games delayedGrand Theft Auto 6 into 2026, it likely came as a big relief to publishers who had anything on their slate for the back half of 2025. But 2026 is already shaping up to be an exciting, crowded year of big game releases, even without GTA 6.
Beyond sequels, there are plenty of promising original games on the horizon, like role-playing game SacriFire, Warren Spector’s stealth-action PvPvE game Thick As Thieves, and Animal Crossing-but-make-it-vampires indie Moonlight Peaks.
Game release dates are always in flux, though, so Polygon’s guide to the new video games coming out in 2026 will be regularly updated with new titles, release dates, and (inevitable) delays.
If you’re a gamer who has been on Facebook or YouTube in the past week, there’s probably a good chance you’ve seen people arguing about the Nintendo Switch 2’s pricing. My Facebook algorithm has interpreted my interest in the system as a sign that I want to see a constant stream of angry memes about how much it costs. While I’ve seen concerns over the hardware itself dying down, the one complaint that’s stuck is the price of its games. My feeds are filled with engagement memes daring commenters to justify Mario Kart World‘s $90 price tag.
There’s just one problem: Mario Kart World does not cost $90, at least based on what we know right now. No currently announced Nintendo Switch 2 game appears to either, but it hasn’t stopped that detail from spreading on a fundamentally broken internet.
If you’re confused about that claim because you’ve heard the price repeated as fact 100 times by now, I can’t blame you. In the immediate chaos following the Switch 2’s reveal, players were left to dig up information themselves. Last week’s Switch 2 Direct didn’t even state the console’s price; I only found out about it through an email after the stream ended. That was confusing enough, but Nintendo’s lack of transparency caused even more confusion around games. It didn’t take long for players to discover that Mario Kart World and some Nintendo Switch 2 Editions of original Switch games will retail for $80. Variable pricing for games only made matters harder to understand, as heavy hitters like Donkey Kong Bananza will cost $70 instead.
Somewhere in that rapid learning process, word began to spread that the physical editions of some Switch 2 games would cost 90 Euros. That fact quickly mutated into a different one entirely: That physical Switch 2 games cost $90. It’s hard to pinpoint where exactly that jump originated from, but it’s easy to see how someone could have misinterpreted it. Maybe they assumed the Euro symbol was a dollar sign. Maybe they mistakenly assumed that those two things are 1:1. Whatever happened, it should have been a detail that was debunked within a day.
Instead, it spread like wildfire. And it has yet to stop.
How does something like this happen on the internet, a repository of readily available information? After all, it’s not hard to find Mario Kart World‘s official price. Its website has listed an $80 MSRP since day one. That question leads to an unfortunate answer: The internet is becoming more harmful than helpful by the day. Social media platforms built to drive engagement through outrage and an increasing reliance on inaccurate AI tools to source our news are making us dumber, and the Switch 2 pricing rumor is only one small example of that.
Reddit
Let’s break down the misinformation pipeline here. A quick Google search along the lines of “Switch 2 games $90” will inevitably bring up a Reddit thread from /Games titled “Nintendo Switch 2 Games Will Cost $80 For Digital, $90 For Physical.” The post includes a link to an article from Insider Gaming, a website known as a source for video game leaks. Insider Gaming was among a small handful of sites to run with the story that physical Switch 2 games cost $90 early on. Websites like Forbes reported the same information on April 2 in an article that includes no source for the claim and even mentions the 90 Euro detail. The article has not been corrected in the week following its publication.
Insider Gaming, on the other hand, did change its article. If you go into that Reddit thread and click the linked story, you’ll instead land on “Nintendo Switch 2 Games Will Cost Up To $98 For Physical Games When Converted From Euros.” There’s a correction midway down the article now, but that change isn’t reflected in the Reddit thread that now dominates search results on the topic.
That telephone game only gets worse. Exacerbating the confusion is Google’s own AI overview, a tool that dominates the top of the page when it populates. If you were to Google “how much are Switch 2 games?” right now, there’s a good chance you will get an AI overview that tells you that physical games either could or do cost $90. In my current search results, Google says “Nintendo Switch 2 games are expected to be priced higher than previous Nintendo Switch titles, with many games potentially costing $79.99 or even $89.99.” Other results I’ve seen cut the “potentially entirely” and say they “will” cost that much.
That information comes with a few links, citing where the news came from. A link on a blurb about the $90 price point goes to an article from Indy100, which says outright that Mario Kart World costs $90 with no source to back it up. Other cited links point to articles from Mashable and CNET. The latter actually debunks the $90 claim, but that hasn’t stopped Google’s AI for using it as a source to back up its faulty information.
Google
In sleuthing around to find who else misreported the price, I searched “Digital Trends Switch 2 $90” to see if we had mistakenly published it. The results turn up an AI overview that says “Yes, there are reports that some Nintendo Switch 2 games will be priced at $90 for physical copies and $80 for digital.” It does not link to Digital Trends, but rather a video from YouTuber DreamCast guy complaining about the made up price. The second source? The Reddit thread linking a now corrected Insider Gaming story. Scroll down past the overview and you’ll find that Reddit thread surfaced first before a Digital Trends article explaining the hardware price. It is followed by the false Forbes article, one from Game Rant, and a NeoGaf forum post — all of which state the unconfirmed information as fact.
This is the world we’re currently living in. The internet has always been loaded with misinformation, but it used to be that sites like Google would weed out the bad information and surface reputable sources first. That last line of defense has gone away in the wake of constant algorithm changes that prioritize sites like Reddit and AI tools that then regurgitate what’s on those sites and spits them back out as facts. That then bleeds back out into angry social media posts and YouTube videos that are designed to rack up views and engagement, and then fed back into Google’s AI tools to complete the cycle. There’s no putting the genie back in the bottle once information like that becomes accepted. I’ve had conversations with people offline where I’ve been asked what I think about the $90 games. It’s just something people believe now and it will continue to be reinforced by the tools that we rely on to inform us. We’re all left a little angrier for it.
The Nintendo Switch 2’s pricing woes are very real. The console’s $450 price tag is a big leap over its predecessor, $80 for Mario Kart World is still steep, and even the system’s digital instruction manual costs $10. You might even end up spending $90 if you buy The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild — Switch 2 Edition and then throw in its additional DLC. And who knows, physical games could end up costing $90 once launch day actually comes. President Donald Trump’s current tariff roulette means that everything is in flux. We will update this article if the game pricing does in fact change.
But as of right now, there’s no hard information indicating that Switch 2 games actually do cost $90, no matter how many Facebook memes tell you it does. Be vigilant about where you get your information. Do your research when you come across something that sounds wrong. Knowledge isn’t just power in today’s world; it’s your only defense.
Research firm DFC Intelligence said Monday that it was “modeling a 20% price increase over the next two years” for Switch 2. But in updated guidance sent to Polygon from the firm’s CEO David Cole, “the reference to a 20% hardware price increase over the next two years applied to the hardware side in general and not just the Switch.”
“In the case of the Switch 2, we believe much of the 20% increase was already baked into the $450 price,” Cole said. “It is not likely Nintendo will raise the price, and if they do, we don’t expect it to be 20%. Also much of that increase is in the form of NOT discounting prices. So not necessarily a price increase but where we model a 20% price decrease in the next year or so we have the prices holding steady.”
Nintendo announced the launch price of Switch 2 at $449.99 last Wednesday, but that was before Trump outlined “reciprocal tariffs” on dozens of countries, including territories where Nintendo manufactures its hardware. Trump hit China with an additional 34% duty on Wednesday, and Vietnam, where Nintendo has moved some of its production, with a 46% tariff. Trump also hit Japan, where Nintendo is headquartered, with a 24% tariff on Japanese goods.
Trump’s move pushed Nintendo pause Switch 2 pre-orders in the U.S., which were planned to open on April 9, while it “assess[ed] the potential impact of tariffs and evolving market conditions.”
DFC Intelligence’s report did not specifically say that the launch price of Switch 2 could creep beyond the previously announced $449.99 asking price, but that hardware prices could go up depending on costs associated with tariffs. While game consoles have traditionally gone down in price, the most recent console generation bucked that trend; Nintendo still sells the Switch at its original launch price of $299.99. Rivals Sony and Microsoft have both raised prices on their current-gen consoles in certain territories.
“Additional clarity is expected when Nintendo releases its earnings in May,” analysts said in the report.
According to DFC Intelligence’s report, tariffs and uncertain pricing may push Nintendo to scale back its manufacturing, and the research firm lowered its sales forecast for the Switch 2, from 17 million to 15 million units in 2025. But DFC Intelligence still expects Switch 2 to be “the fastest-selling console system ever.”
Even with a possible price increase in the U.S., the firm is bullish on Nintendo’s prospects. Switch 2, DFC Intelligence says, “will continue to grow Nintendo’s growth among PC gamers and the core adult market,” and “has the potential to reshape the video game market.”
Update: DFC Intelligence clarified to Polygon its modeling for this report, stating that it concluded that Switch 2 will not rise in price as a result of tariffs. This story has been updated to reflect this clarification.
Game Freak held a Pokémon Presents livestream today and we finally got a . The new trailer for the follow-up to the reveals the massive Lumiose City, which first appeared in Pokémon X and Y all the way back in 2013. It’s a bustling metropolis filled with skyscrapers, and a far cry from the serene countryside of Arceus.
The trailer spotlighted the three starter Pokémon players will be able to choose from. They include the gen 2 starters Chikorita and Totodile and the gen 5 starter Tepig. We also got a better look at the gameplay elements, and they seem like something of a hybrid between the real-time capture mechanics of Arceus and the old-school turn-based gameplay of traditional Pokémon titles.
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Pokémon Legends: Z-A will also bring back Mega Evolutions, which turn regular pocket monsters into superpowered monstrosities with temporary stat boosts. This mechanic, just like Z-A’s location, was first introduced in Pokémon X and Y.
We have a bit longer to wait for this one. The game doesn’t come out until the end of the year. It’s also being released for the original Switch, despite the fact that the by that point. However, long-time readers may remember that the Switch 2 is backwards compatible, so it’ll run on both machines.
Game Freak also showed off a new game called Pokémon Champions, which is a cross-platform battle sim. Today’s Pokémon Presents livestream celebrated the 29th birthday of the franchise. Happy birthday, cute pets we force to live inside of tiny balls and fight to the death!
There is a lot going on during every turn of Civilization 7. Each time you hit “next turn,” the computer is calculating the moves of other civilizations, factoring in your difficulty setting, proposing new wars, collecting new resources, selecting new items off the tech tree, and so on. Basically, math is always happening in Civilization 7. Why else did you think the turns take so damn long to calculate?
All of that behind-the-scenes complex machinery is what makes Civilization Civilization, and it’s what veterans come to the series for — a way to build out what actually feels like an empire from scratch. But all of those moving pieces can make for a very stressful first-time experience. Worse, it can make you feel like you don’t understand the game. It could even make you feel like you shouldn’t play it.
That feeling of a lack of understanding propelled me away from past Civilization games, even though I enjoyed the few matches I spent with them. But I’ve learned something after bouncing off more than one Civilization game before Civilization 7: You’re supposed to be confused.
As I mentioned before, the Civilization series is complex, and there are a lot of moving pieces happening every single turn. Confusion is a completely natural feeling when faced with a thousand potentially important pieces of information in front of you. “What does Production do? How much Science do I need to research something? What does Happiness even do? Why can my unit move two spaces sometimes and one space other times? What do you mean they’re declaring war on me?!” I get it. But those questions are normal, and the way you feel is okay. You’re definitely doing a ton of stuff “wrong,” but I have excellent news for you: You can still win at Civ if you’re doing almost everything wrong, but doing one thing right.
Image: Firaxis/2K Games via Polygon
Civilization 7 is a video game in which you learn by doing. Guides are extremely helpful for answering your specific questions, especially when the Civilopedia in-game can be less than helpful. (And to that end, you don’t want to miss our Civilization 7 guides.) But nothing teaches Civilization better than actually playing Civilization.
When you’re first starting out, you want to pick a leader that means something to you, and a civilization that you have some affinity for. You’re going to be seeing a lot of your leader, and you’re going to be working on evolving your civ, so make sure if you pick Confucius, it’s because you’ve read one of his biographies or something like that. Connections and a desire to see Rome succeed (or wherever your extended family might be from) will pull you through when the deep confusion hits.
Once you’re in the game, pick an advisor and stick with them. This will basically determine what victory path you’re going to go on. Maybe you like the idea of ruling the world by conquering it and you want to go for a Military Victory. Or maybe you’re fascinated by some of the incredible wonders of our world, or are interested in religion. Then follow the culture advisor to reach a Culture Victory.
After you’ve selected a direction for your civilization, it really is as simple as boosting that one aspect as much as possible. If you’re looking to complete the Manhattan Project and win a Science Victory, get your Science up as high as it can go. Do whatever your Science advisor says. If you don’t understand why your units are moving weird or why you’re suddenly losing a battle you thought you would win, just know that you don’t need to understand that. You just need more Science.
Image: Firaxis/2K Games via Polygon
On the default difficulty, following your advisor is potentially enough to win the entire game, and you’ll walk out the other side understanding how to win that kind of victory in the future. Then, pick another civilization, another leader, and another victory condition for your next match. As the turns go by, you’ll begin to understand the things that confused you the last time around, and you can then compound that knowledge with what you now know about Science civilizations or whatever you did the first time.
Like the cities in Civilization 7, knowledge about the game is built up, paved over, and rebuilt over time. You cannot read the Civilopedia or even our guides to fully grasp the game. You must read and play, or otherwise risk overloading yourself with information. The best and biggest advice I can give for coming into Civilization 7 is to resist that urge to restart your game because it isn’t going well. There are lessons to be learned every turn in Civilization, even ones where you lose entire armies or even cities. And even if you feel like you’re not learning as you play, I promise you are. Every turn, every age, and every match will get you that much closer to that “I think I finally get it,” moment. With enough practice, you might even fully understand it in time for Civilization 8.
Fortnite OG Chapter 1 Season 2 allows you to go “full tilt” as Tilted Towers makes its return to Fortnite.
Tilted Towers isn’t the only returning point of interest as Junk Junction, Shifty Shafts, and more are coming back. Additionally, you’ll find familiar items back in the loot pool like the small shield potion and boogie bomb.
With there being a new OG season, there is a new OG Pass for you to complete — full of new takes on classic outfits.
Below, we explain the map and loot pool changes for Fortnite OG Chapter 1 Season 2 and some of the new skins you can get in the OG Pass.
Fortnite OG Season 2 map changes
The OG Chapter 1 Season 2 map is reintroducing five points of interest from the original Chapter 1 Season 2 — Haunted Hills, Junk Junction, Shifty Shafts, Snobby Shores, and Tilted Towers. Check out the map with the returning locations below:
Fortnite OG Season 2 weapon loot pool
In OG Chapter 1 Season 2, the loot pool will grow as the season progresses. Here are all of the weapons that’ll be added:
Fortnite OG Season 2 pass skins
The OG Pass for OG Chapter 1 Season 2 features 45 tiers of rewards with the major rewards being revamped versions of fan favorite skins from the past. Cuddle Team Leader, Black Knight, and Sparkle Specialist are receiving a new look and coming back as Cuddle Team Specialist, Knight Conqueror, and Sparkle Diva. Alongside the new outfits, each outfit has an alternate style that is available to unlock in the OG Pass.
The Chapter 1 Season 2 OG Pass is available until March 25 at 3:30 a.m. EST, which will lead to the Chapter 1 Season 3 OG Pass shortly after.
