Cow Charge Jump
Image: Nintendo Life

Drifting is the Mario Kart World standard that often makes the difference between winning and losing. It's vital for getting around corners and getting a smooth boost of speed while making tight turns.

But, alongside drifting is a new trick that can be used just as effectively — Charge Jump. This is more often used on straight roads, but can leave you a little vulnerable. In this guide, we'll be going over how to Drift and Charge Jump, the differences, and when to use both techniques.

How to Drift in Mario Kart World

Drifting is, of course, back, and nothing's really changed on exactly how you do it. You'll want to drift around corners in order to be competitive in most races — particularly online — so you'll need to make sure you're good at navigating those bends.

All you have to do is, tilt the left joystick the way you want to turn and press and hold the R/ZR to start drifting. You'll know you've started because the front of your car will angle itself to the left or right and the front wheels will slam into the ground. While drifting, you can tilt the stick more to increase your turns' sharpness.

You'll notice your wheels have coloured effects coming out of them too, and there are three different levels giving you a Mini-Turbo boost. Blue is a Mini-Turbo, orange/yellow is a Super Mini-Turbo, and Purple/Multicoloured is an Ultra Mini-Turbo.

How to Charge Jump in Mario Kart World

Now here's the shiny new trick you're interested in, right? A Charge Jump is essentially identical to a drift, but can effectively be used on straighter roads for quick little boosts. It's also done the exact same way as a drift, except you'll want to keep your hands off the left joystick as much as possible.

To Charge Jump, press and hold the R/ZR button when you're driving straight. Your kart will hop and dig into the ground slightly, and you'll see the friction of the tires hitting the road clearly.

Again, like with drifting, you can get three different Mini Turbos — blue is a Mini, orange/yellow is a Super Mini, and multicoloured is a Ultra Mini.

This can be pretty tricky to pull off while racing with others as you won't be able to turn as much, meaning swerving past items and other cars is a little tough. But, if you become a master of this, you'll be able to keep ahead of the pack.

You can also use this to Wall Ride, another new, tricky skill that really takes some mastery. If you're struggling to Wall Ride, we have a guide on how you can pull off this impressive trick.

That's it for those turbo boosts! If you need more racing tips, then check out our full Mario Kart World guides for the secrets and unlockables you need help finding.