mario kart tour google play

• Mario Kart Tour

Mario Kart Tour is a mobile game in the Mario Kart series . Unlike Super Mario Run , it is free-to-play from the App Store and Google Play. The game reuses many assets from Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8 , though its art style is more simple and cartoony. Gameplay mechanics such as gliding, underwater driving , and character-specific special items return from past entries. In addition, the game introduces some features new to the Mario Kart franchise, such as reverse courses, trick courses, a combo system that grants points based on actions, and the Frenzy mechanic, which allows racers with three item slots to deploy a large amount of any item during a race, including Spiny Shells and Bullet Bills , at random should said item be in all three slots.

The game was first announced during a financial briefing on January 31, 2018. [6] On April 23, 2019, Nintendo opened applications for participating in a closed beta test of the game to Android users in North America and Japan, which began on May 22, 2019, and ended on June 4, 2019. [7] The game officially launched for iOS, iPadOS, and Android devices on September 25, 2019, in 163 territories, which covers nearly the same roster of availability as Super Mario Run , with the exceptions of Belgium and Vietnam, the former of which banned games with loot boxes in 2019 for violating gambling laws. [8] Users who pre-registered acquired the game a day early. Unlike the previous Super Mario mobile games, a Nintendo Account is required for it to be playable.

On October 31, 2019, Nintendo announced the first multiplayer beta test exclusive to Gold Pass members, [9] which began on December 18, 2019, 11:00 p.m. (PT) and ended on December 26, 2019, 9:59 p.m. (PT). On January 21, 2020, Nintendo announced a second multiplayer beta test for all players, regardless of whether they have a Gold Pass subscription or not, [10] which began on January 22, 2020, 11:00 p.m. (PT) and ended on January 28, 2020, 9:59 p.m. (PT). The second multiplayer beta test allowed players to play with each other in their immediate vicinity based on their device's location data. Finally, on March 2, 2020, Nintendo announced that multiplayer would officially be implemented into the game on March 8, 2020, at 8:00 p.m. (PT). [11]

On September 1, 2022, Nintendo announced that Battle Mode would be added to the game on October 5, 2022. [12] It was released in the eponymous Battle Tour .

The tour occurring in the game changes every two weeks, changing the selection of courses available. For four years after the game's release, new content was added at the start of each tour, such as new courses, drivers, karts , and gliders . On September 11, 2023, it was announced that the 2023 Anniversary Tour would be the final tour to introduce new content, with later tours being identical to previous tours from the Battle Tour onwards.

• 1.1 Ranked cup
• 1.2.1 Base points
• 1.2.2 Bonus points
• 1.2.3 Position points
• 1.2.4 Additional internal data (RaceScoreParam)
• 1.3.1 Filters
• 1.4.1 Grand Stars
• 1.4.2 Rubies
• 1.4.3 Coins
• 1.4.4 Tokens
• 1.4.5 Pipes
• 1.5.1 Banners
• 1.5.2 Multiplayer
• 1.5.3.1 Daily challenges
• 1.5.3.2 Premium Challenges
• 1.5.3.3 Total Points Challenge
• 1.5.4 Tour Gifts
• 1.5.5.1 Spotlight Shop
• 1.5.5.2 Mii Racing Suit Shop
• 1.5.5.3 Token Shop
• 1.5.5.4 Daily Selects
• 1.5.5.5 Tier Shop
• 1.5.5.6 Ruby purchase
• 1.5.6.1 Badges
• 1.5.7 Friends
• 1.5.10 Gifts
• 1.6 Skill level point and points cap raising requirements
• 2.1.1.1 City courses
• 2.1.1.2 Other courses
• 2.1.2 Remix
• 2.1.3.1 Super Mario Kart (SNES)
• 2.1.3.2 Mario Kart 64 (N64)
• 2.1.3.3 Mario Kart: Super Circuit (GBA)
• 2.1.3.4 Mario Kart: Double Dash!! (GCN)
• 2.1.3.5 Mario Kart DS (DS)
• 2.1.3.6 Mario Kart Wii (Wii)
• 2.1.3.7 Mario Kart 7 (3DS)
• 2.2 Battle courses
• 5 Karts, gliders, and tires
• 6.2 Item Box items
• 6.3 Inventory items
• 7.1 Interactable course elements
• 7.2 Other course elements
• 8 Bonus challenges
• 9 Apple Store demo
• 10 Differences in power-saving mode
• 11.1 Version 3.4.1
• 12 Differences from previous Mario Kart games
• 13.1 Opponents' drivers get stuck in multiplayer battles
• 14.1 Producer
• 14.2 Creative Director
• 14.3 Game Directors
• 14.4 Composer
• 14.5 Characters Voices
• 15.1 Critical reception
• 15.2 Awards and acknowledgements
• 16 Mobile app store description
• 17 Pre-release and unused content
• 18 MKT Report
• 21 References to other games
• 22 References in other games
• 23 Names in other languages
• 24 References
• 25 External links

The goal of the game is to be in first place at the end of each race and get a high score, using items obtained by driving through Item Boxes . The game is played in a portrait or landscape position, while the phone's touch controls are used to play the game, such as dragging the finger across the screen to steer the kart. There are three ways the player can make turns. For the phones supporting it, the gyroscope can be used to steer. The player can choose what action is started when tapping and sliding the fingers on the main area of the screen, with the other action being performed by tapping a small circular button at the bottom and then sliding the fingers if needed. The main setting has the driver jumping every time the screen is tapped, allowing the kart to drift by sliding the fingers. In the other configuration, the kart does not jump when tapping the screen, which results in it steering when sliding the fingers on the screen. After steering for a while, the kart starts auto-drifting and charging Mini-Turbos and Super Mini-Turbos, but not Ultra Mini-Turbos that are only charged when drifting. Similarly to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe with auto-accelerate and smart-steering enabled, karts accelerate automatically and can steer players away from walls. The intensity of smart-steering can be changed in the game's settings. If smart-steering is turned off, the player will be able to access most shortcuts without using Mushrooms , albeit slower.

The game's mechanics are based on Mario Kart 7 , and many of its courses (both new and retro) return in Mario Kart Tour . A few features from Mario Kart 8 that required substantial changes to the game, such as Bikes , ATVs , anti-gravity , and 12-player races, are missing, while the 200cc class is present. Other features from Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , such as auto-accelerate, smart-steering, and Ultra Mini-Turbos return. Unlike previous games, the player cannot customize their tires.

When a race is completed, the player will be awarded with Grand Stars , experience points for the used driver, kart, and glider whose base points are not maxed out, and coins . If the player finishes in the top three places, the gauge to level up will be filled, while if the placement is 5th or lower, the gauge will be dropped. When the gauge is already empty, however, the player will not level down. Only the points gained in the specific course will be lost, meaning that the first race on each course won't make the player lose experience points even if they arrive in 8th place; similarly, each course has an experience points cap. The more experience points have already been gained on a specific course, the fewer experience points will be awarded by arriving in the first three places until the cap is reached. At that point, only the experience points lost due to arriving in 5th place or lower will be regained when arriving in the first three places. The total amount of experience points gained in a course is never reset and is carried to the following tours, forcing the player to drive in new courses to still keep gaining experience points and leveling up.

Grand Stars are awarded depending on whether a certain point threshold has been reached. Experience points for the driver, kart, and glider are awarded depending on the placement. The coins obtained are those collected during the race, plus one additional coin for every 1,000 points obtained during the race. Each day, it is possible to obtain up to 450 experience points for the drivers, karts, and gliders and up to 300 coins by racing (900 experience points and 600 coins when the player is subscribed to the Gold Pass starting with version 2.4.0). When those limits are reached the player cannot obtain experience points or coins by racing until the next day. In order to continue gaining experience points or collecting coins, the player can use point-boost tickets for the former and can play Coin Rush or get rewards from challenges for the latter. Filling up the gauge to level up gives a reward to the player, increases the points earned when reaching a specific placement in the race and, when level 7 or level 12 are reached, allows the player to buy more items in the shop. Currently, the maximum level the player can reach is 400.

Another premium item, bought with real-life currency according to a monthly subscription model, is the Gold Pass, which grants access to the 200cc engine class, Gold Races (and multiplayer ranks S to S+6), additional items from Tour Gifts, and Gold Challenges. Players can gain rewards by renewing their Gold Pass subscription, such as ten rubies every month and a regular high end from a gold pipe for every three months of continuous subscription.

Every driver, kart, and glider has favorite courses, on which they offer advantages if they are used. Each course has three tiers for each driver, kart, and glider. Third-tier drivers receive one item from every Item Box, second-tier drivers receive two items and first-tier drivers receive three items. Second-tier karts give a bonus points multiplier of 1.5 and first-tier karts give a bonus points multiplier of 2. Second-tier gliders increase the time between two point-gaining actions to count as a combo and give a combo bonus multiplier of 2 and first-tier gliders increase the combo-time even longer and give a combo bonus multiplier of 3. The player can enter a Frenzy by obtaining three of the same item at the same time, which allows the player to temporarily use that item an infinite amount of times in addition to granting them invincibility. Super and High-End drivers, karts, and gliders have a higher number of points gained when choosing them and more preferred courses. In addition, drivers have their own special items, similar to Mario Kart: Double Dash!! 's item system. Karts have their own driving-related bonus such as increasing the effectiveness of drifting, while gliders increase the likelihood of obtaining a certain item and the points gained when using said item. All drivers, karts, and gliders can be leveled up, and they all come with upgrades once this occurs. Since the 2.6.0 update, drivers, karts, and gliders are able to upgrade a favored course to a favorite course from being leveled up, with Normal items gaining one after reaching level 6, Super items gaining two after reaching levels 3 and 6, and High-End items gaining four after reaching levels 3 and 6.

The courses the player can play depends on the tour, which changes every two weeks. Since the Battle Tour , each tour has fifteen cups, and adds new drivers, karts, gliders, and courses. Starting with the Baby Rosalina Tour until the 2022 Anniversary Tour , each tour had twelve cups. Starting with the 2019 Paris Tour until the Mario Bros. Tour , each tour had eighteen cups. Starting from the New York Tour until the 2019 Halloween Tour , each tour had sixteen cups. During certain tours, mainly ones themed around real-world locations, the game includes one course that is new to the series. Each cup contains three races and one bonus challenge. Bonus challenges require the player to beat a certain goal with a certain character, kart, and glider. Once each of the courses and the bonus challenge are all played and enough Grand Stars are obtained, the player can move on to the next cup. In later tours, cups are automatically unlocked without any requirements. In Mario Kart Tour , cups are named after the playable characters.

Every week, one of the tour's cups is a ranked cup. In a ranked cup, the player is placed on a leaderboard based on their overall score in the game against nineteen other players. The player gains a reward for finishing in the top 10 and will increase in tier at the end of the week if their end position is near the top, while they will lose one or two tiers if finishing poorly enough above tier 20. Since the Cooking Tour , tier 25 and up rewards points-cap tickets for the top few positions. These tickets, along with the corresponding point-boost tickets, rotate between driver, kart, and glider tickets on a weekly basis. In some tours, drivers replaced coins in the rewards for moving to a higher tier. Currently, the highest tier the player can reach is 99.

Points are collected during standard races and are used to gain Grand Stars and to rank players, both overall and in ranked cups. There are three ways of obtaining points in races: base points, bonus points, and position points.

Base points

Base points are given at the beginning of the race and are the sum of the base points of the character, kart and glider selected. They range from 800 to 3020 points (3320 points for Mii Racing Suits ). The base points can be increased through experience points obtained at the end of the races or through point-boost tickets that provide 50 experience points each. The experience points are used to fill a gauge that when filled will increase the base points until the maximum amount has been reached. The amount of experience points needed to fill the gauge increases every time the gauge is filled. Since the Cooking Tour, points-cap tickets are added to the game, making it possible to raise the maximum amount of base points of a driver, kart, or glider.

Bonus points

Bonus points are points awarded every time a special event happens during the race. Said event might be a Jump Boost , gliding for a certain amount of time, finishing the lap in a certain position, hitting opponents or hazards, or various other cases. If a further event happens before about two seconds have passed from the previous one, the combo indicator goes up and the points obtained are increased. The actual time that can pass between one event and the next can be increased by choosing a glider of a higher tier in the course, by choosing a glider of higher rarity, or by leveling up the glider. The number of points given is calculated as follows:

• Points : (base points of the event × multiplier due to kart tiering in the course × multiplier due to kart rarity and skill level) + combo bonus + bonus point boosts + eventual increase from kart's special skill + eventual increase from glider's special skill

The combo bonus is calculated as follows:

• Combo bonus : multiplier from glider's tiering in the course × Min{combo count - 1 ; (cc of the engine class) / 10}

For the purpose of the calculation, 200cc is considered the same as 150cc.

The bonus point boost is calculated separately for the driver, kart, and glider chosen that are in the first tier of the course, as follows:

• Bonus point boost : base points × (skill level - 1) × [(cc of the engine class) / 30000]

In this case as well, 200cc is considered the same as 150cc. If more than 200 events happen, the bonus point boost is not applied from the 201st event onward.

Position points

Position points are awarded to the player depending on their placement at the end of the race. They are calculated as follows:

• Position points : [(position points due to the level of the player + engine class bonus) × position multiplier] + bonus point boosts for position

The bonus point boost for position is calculated separately for the driver, kart, and glider chosen that are in the first tier of the course, as follows:

• Bonus point boost for position : base points × (skill level - 1) × number of events that occurred in the race × position multiplier × [(cc of the engine class) / 30000]

As in the other cases, 200cc is considered the same as 150cc.

The engine class bonus is the following:

The position multiplier depends on the placement at the end of the race and works as follows:

Additional internal data (RaceScoreParam)

The following internal data stems from the Peach Tour . [13]

The engine class affects the obtained points in various other ways, as shown by the internal data:

The InterimRankBonus multiplied by the InterimRankBonusRate is the amount of points obtained at the end of the first lap or the first two sections of three-sectioned tracks. The InterimRankBonus has the following values:

Finally, the maximum time between events in a combo depends on the base points given by the last action of the combo, with no effect of the combo count, as shown by this combo-related data:

The combo time is calculated as follows:

Combo time = Max{Remaining combo time; Combo time of the last action}

where the combo time of the last action is calculated as follows:

Combo time of the last action = Time × multiplier from glider's tiering in the course × multiplier due to glider rarity and skill level

where the multiplier from the tiering is around 1.45 if the course is one of the favorites of the glider and around 1.225 if the course is favored by the glider, being equal to 1 otherwise, and Time is based on the value reported in the table using intermediate values for intermediate scores (i.e. 1.95 seconds for 15 points and 2.25 seconds for 25 points) and either 1.4 seconds or 2.4 seconds for scores smaller than 5 points and greater than 30 points, respectively.

Introduced in version 2.6.0, Auto mode is a new option in single-player races that allows the player to spectate in a race fully controlled by the AI. The driver, kart and glider chosen by the player will participate in said race and will be the default AI player followed. The player is able to choose the racer followed by the camera and has control on the relative positioning and zoom of the camera. A button at the bottom allows to take screenshots at the rendering resolution of the game rather than the display resolution of the device. Starting with version 2.8.0, seven additional filters can be applied to the camera. When the race ends, the Coins and event tokens (but not team tokens) collected by the chosen driver are given to the player, along with the obtained experience points of the driver, kart and glider. The experience points of the player will instead remain unaffected, regardless of the outcome of the race. One additional filter, the Pop Art filter, has been added at the start of the Princess Tour .

Black and White

Fish-Eye Lens

Collectibles and currencies

Grand stars.

Grand Stars are the main collectibles related to individual tours. Up to five of them can be earned by reaching certain point thresholds in each standard race and up to three of them can be earned by clearing specific goals in each bonus challenge. Furthermore, clearing Tour Challenges and Gold Challenges will reward the players with Grand Stars as well. Finally, using a star ticket will reward a Grand Star per ticket used. Up until the Peach vs. Daisy Tour , clearing the daily challenge each day did also warrant a Grand Star.

They are used to unlock gifts. In the past, they were also used to unlock cups. When the last gift is obtained, coins are rewarded in place of Grand Stars, and when a new tour starts, the Grand Stars obtained are reset to zero.

Rubies are the main premium currency of Mario Kart Tour . They can be purchased with real-life currency at the Shop, but can also be obtained as daily login bonuses, as a player level up bonus, as part of tour gifts, as a reward for the ranked cup, or as a reward for Standard Challenges, Premium Challenges, or special challenges.

Rubies can be used in three different ways: to buy Spotlight items, to buy Mii Racing Suits, or to play Coin Rush mode.

Coins are collected during a race and rewarded for the number of points obtained during said race, up to 300 per day (600 if the player has the Gold Pass). In a single race, the amount of coins earned is

Coins earned = coins obtained during the race + floor((total points earned in the race)/1000)

The coins obtained during the race are capped at 99, while no cap on the coins obtained through points is known.

Besides the main way of obtaining coins, they can also be obtained in Coin Rush and in several rewards, such as obtaining three challenges on a challenge card in a row, column or diagonal line, in gifts, as daily login bonuses, as player level up bonuses, as a replacement for Grand Stars or items at the maximum level, while waiting for Multiplayer races, as rewards for ranked cup placements and friend ranking. Also, friends can send five greeting coins to each other every day.

In Coin Rush , the player can spend rubies to obtain a great number of coins. Over 300 coins are found in the course. For each tour, another course is available in Coin Rush. Gold Mario is the regular driver, and the Gold Standard is the regular kart driven. The coins obtained from Coin Rush are multiplied by a certain number, depending on how many rubies a player has spent.

During the Cooking Tour , the Coins Aplenty Event was added to the game. This event gives the player twenty-four hours to obtain a large number of coins from a certain cup, which varies between players. 300 coins are awarded at the end of the first race on each course in the cup during the duration of the event, for a total of 900 guaranteed extra coins from the event; these coins do not count towards the daily cap of 300 coins from races. In addition, the daily cap is ignored on each of these three races, providing three extra opportunities to score coins beyond the cap if it has already been reached. These events are held every Saturday and Tuesdays (the latter day has been added since the Super Mario Kart Tour ). Starting from the 2021 Autumn Tour , the number of coins is raised to 500 and held every Saturday, though in the Toad vs. Toadette Tour , the coin amount returned to 300 and the schedule reverted to every Saturday and Tuesday.

Coins are mainly used in the Daily Selects section of the shop.

Introduced in the Wild West Tour , event tokens are a special type of coins that can be collected during events. The way to collect event tokens differs from event to event. The different ways to collect event tokens are:

• Collecting from courses.
• Landing hits with shells.
• Landing hits with Bob-ombs.
• Landing hits with bananas.
• Causing opponents to crash.
• Performing Mini-Turbos.
• Keeping combo bonuses.

Some tours feature a Team Rally event, in which the player can collect team tokens. Team tokens can always be collected from courses, when the player races with a driver that is part of the chosen team. At the end of a race with a driver from the player's team, the player will be rewarded with additional team tokens for every 1,000 points they collected during the race. If the player's team has won the race, the player will get even more additional team tokens as a reward.

Since the 2021 Autumn Tour , the Token Aplenty Event is held every Monday (formerly every Tuesday in the 2021 Autumn Tour and the 2021 Halloween Tour ). This event is similar to the Coins Aplenty Event, but instead of being rewarded with a fixed amount of coins at the end of the race the player will get a random amount of event tokens (or team tokens, when the event takes place during a Team Rally), ranging from 50 to 300.

Event tokens and team tokens are used in the Token section of the Shop.

Pipes can shoot out a driver, kart, or glider, all of which have their own rarities. A pipe contains a determined probability distribution of Normal, Super, and High-End items, all of which are chosen randomly within their class and rarity. It is possible that a player obtains an item from a pipe that already has been obtained; when this happens, the level gauge of that item will be increased by one unit. Usually, if the pipe is about to shoot out a High-End item, it will be golden instead of green (sometimes, however, it might occur that a green pipe shoots out a High-End item).

As of the Wild West Tour , the player can shoot out one random regular High-End item from an All-Clear Pipe once in a tour, as soon as they have finished every cup from the tour. The list below shows all of the available items from the All-Clear Pipe as of the Battle Tour .

As of the Wedding Tour , regular login bonuses are replaced with Today's Challenge in which the player must complete a race on a pre-selected course with a pre-selected driver, kart, and glider. After completing this daily race, the player can shoot out a free pipe launch (except on day 14) which can contain regular items, as well as rubies, coins, and item tickets. The player receives a special blue-colored badge on day 14 as a reward for playing on every day of the given tour. Until the Anniversary Tour (2022) , the player received 5 rubies on days 5 and 10, in stead of a free pipe pull.

Since the Samurai Tour , the player can buy pipe launches in the Token Shop. In some tours, also golden pipes can be bought in the Token Shop.

Since the Battle Tour , pipes appear as Tour gifts and Gold Gifts. Some of the pipes that appear as Gold Gifts are golden.

On the top of the menu, players can spend rubies to fire one of the tour's pipes, purchase special offers , or subscribe to the Gold Pass.

Multiplayer

Multiplayer mode was added to Mario Kart Tour on March 8, 2020, where up to eight human players can play against each other. Players race against each other in three courses in a chosen cup of the current tour, with the cup changing every 13 minutes, allowing the player to race in cups that have not yet been unlocked. There are four sets of rules that interchange daily: 100cc with default item slots, 100cc with two item slots, 150cc with default item slots, and 150cc with two item slots. Matches are also periodically set to be Team Games [14] (not to be confused with Team Rallies ), wherein players are randomly divided into two teams and their combined standings at the end of a match decide the winning team. In the "With Friends or Others Nearby" mode, the player can set the rules themselves, including the engine class (50cc, 100cc, or 150cc), number of item slots (1, 2, or default), number of teams (none, 2, 3 or 4), number of races (3, 6, or 12), enabling teams, enabling Friendly-Fire Mode for teams, and inclusion of COM racers. The player can also create a Room and invite players to join it with a code.

Introduced in version 3.0.0, Battle Mode is a mode in multiplayer where players must eliminate each other by popping their balloons. A battle ends if there is only one player remaining, or if the time limit is reached. In the "With Friends or Others Nearby" mode, the rules that the player can set include the number of item slots (1, 2, or default), the option to play with Bob-ombs only or Shells only, number of battles (3, 6, or 12), and inclusion of COM racers.

Multiplayer features a grading system ranging from F to A for regular users, and onward from S to S+9 for Gold Pass subscribers. There are separate grading systems for races and battles. Prior to the version 3.0.0 update in September 2022, the maximum grade was S+6. Until version 3.0.0, multiplayer races were split between Gold Races (exclusive Gold Pass subscribers) and standard races. Gold Races featured additional rule variations (150cc with default item slots, 150cc with two item slots, 200cc with default item slots, and 200cc with one item slot). The player's grade is split up with a green grade for races and a purple grade for battles.

When the player is waiting for a multiplayer match to be found, they will earn coins. Up to 100 coins can be earned per day with this method. As of version 3.0.0, the Multiplayer Pipe is available, which the player can fire after having saved up enough points from playing races or battles in Multiplayer mode.

Once every few tours the Kart Pro event will take place (with its first appearance in the Snow Tour ), in which the player can earn rewards like badges and rubies by completing challenges on a Kart Pro challenge card, including maintaining a streak of three wins in Standard Races or Gold Races. The amount of rubies the player will get as rewards for completing this challenge card depends on their grade. Grades F to A will receive 5 to 10 rubies, and grades S to S+9 will receive 15 to 21 rubies. As of version 2.9.0, players can maintain their streak if they win 2nd or 3rd place.

Some tours have a 2-Player Challenge event taking place, where the player could team up with another player in the "With Friends or Others Nearby" mode to race against a team of set opponents (such as Rosalina and the five babies in Vs. Rosalina Team) and collect event tokens in a set of three courses.

Challenges are objectives the player can complete to earn various badges and rewards depending on the type, of which there are eight: Standard Challenges, long-term challenges the player accomplishes throughout the course of the game; Tier Challenges (added in the Mii Tour (2022) ) long-term challenges associated with Ranked Cups; Multiplayer Challenges (added in the Baby Rosalina Tour ), which are long-term challenges for multiplayer mode; Multiplayer Battle Challenges (added in the Battle Tour ), which are long-term challenges for multiplayer battle mode; Tour, Tour Multiplayer (added in the Summer Tour (2021) as part of the Summertime Challenges , later permanent in the Frost Tour ), and Gold Challenges, challenges that last for the duration of the tour, the lattermost of which are exclusive to Gold Pass members; and Expert Challenges (added in the Cooking Tour ), which contain challenges that are harder to succeed than Tour, Gold, and Standard Challenges, and last for twelve weeks. The first set of Tour Challenges unlocks from the tour's beginning, while the second set unlocks after the first week. Some special event challenges are one-offs, such as the their Anniversary Challenges in the 1st Anniversary Tour , while other challenges last for three tours, such as the Summertime Challenges. Completing Standard and Multiplayer Challenges award the player with rubies, while Tour and Gold Challenges award extra Grand Stars and Expert Challenges reward the player only with badges. Completing special event challenges award the player with high amount of rubies or a High-End driver. Each challenge card holds nine challenges aligned in a 3×3 grid, and for every bingo the player acquires (i.e. any horizontal, vertical, or diagonal match), they earn a certain amount of coins. The player also receives a reward upon completing an entire challenge card.

Daily challenges

Each daily challenge rewarded a Grand Star. The player could have up to three daily challenges available at a time, and upon completing one, a new one would not appear until the following day. Upon entering a new tour, players would receive three daily challenges right away, resulting in a maximum of sixteen daily challenges per two-week tour. The daily challenges were selected at random from the following options:

• Do a Rocket Start.
• Get 1st place in a race.
• Perform a Slipstream.
• Activate Frenzy mode.
• Use a Mushroom.
• Land a hit with a Banana.
• Land a hit with a Red Shell.
• Land a hit with a Green Shell.
• Land a hit with a Bob-omb.
• Land a hit with a Super Horn.
• Join a multiplayer race.

From the Snow Tour onwards, daily challenges are no longer featured.

Premium Challenges

As of the Snow Tour , players can purchase a card for $4.99 USD with additional challenges every tour, with the reward for completing all challenges being a High-End driver, kart or glider. Progress on the challenges is shown whether the player has purchased or not, and all completed challenges can be claimed immediately on purchase. Uncompleted challenge cards can be carried over to the next tour, with up to fifteen able to be held at once.

Total Points Challenge

As of the Snow Tour, the player's total points across all cups can be redeemed for rewards, up to 600,000 points. Among the top rewards are points-cap tickets of increasing levels. Starting from the Singapore Tour , the Total Points Challenge features two challenge cards and goes up to 900,000 points, with more rewards. The Battle Tour later increased the final goal to 999,999 points, which was likely done due to the number of cups being changed from twelve to fifteen.

Tour Gifts give the player items if enough Grand Stars are obtained, with the top rewards often being level-boost tickets of increasing levels. Part of the rewards can only be claimed by Gold Pass subscribers.

Since the Baby Rosalina Tour , the player could also unlock free pipe launches from the regular pipes of the current tour, if enough Grand Stars were obtained. Since the Battle Tour , these are no longer available, due to the pipes being replaced by the Spotlight Shop.

As of version 2.10.0, players who started the game for the first time can unlock these characters in the currently-played tour.

This was revised in version 3.4.1 to include additional characters and items as listed below.

The shop consists of six different sections.

Spotlight Shop

Introduced in the Battle Tour , the Spotlight section consists of selected drivers, karts, and gliders that are in the Spotlight. Spotlight items are available for one week, after which they are replaced. There is also a Daily Spotlight shop, which contains six High-End drivers, six High-End karts, and six High-End gliders, and is renewed each day. Once a day, the player can use a Quick Ticket to change the items in the Daily Spotlight. The player can buy each item up to three times for the cost of 150 rubies for drivers, and 100 rubies for karts and gliders.

Until the Anniversary Tour (2022) , the pipe section was available in the shop. A pipe contained a determined amount of Normal, Super, and High-End items, plus featured items. The items were not ordered, so each item, including the featured ones, could be potentially found in any placement within the pipe. The player could reset the pipe at any moment. A new pipe was introduced each week and, since the 2019 Halloween Tour , the pipes lasted until the end of the tour.

Usually, a pipe contained the following items, with the spotlight items frequently taking the spot of a High-End item, though Super items could also appear in the spotlight.

Until the 2020 New Year's Tour , the pipe typically contained the following items:

Another common variant was the special pipe holding 50 items, used in special events and frequently not featuring any spotlight item, but rather a slightly different distribution of items to take into account the peculiar items that could be obtained in it.

The probability of obtaining a certain type of item from the pipe is (number of items of that type remaining in the pipe)/(total number of items remaining in the pipe) while the probability of obtaining a specific item is (probability of getting an item of the type of the desired item)/(number of available items of the same type of the desired item).

Mii Racing Suit Shop

Introduced in the Mii Tour (2022) , the Mii Racing Suit section consists of 10 different Mii Racing Suits. The player can buy each Mii Racing Suit up to three times for the cost of 100 rubies. However, the first purchase of some selected Mii Racing Suits costs only 70 rubies.

As of the Wild West Tour , the Token Shop (formerly known as the Event Shop) appears during events or Team Rallies. The player can buy items in this shop with event tokens or team tokens. In several tours, the Token Shop is upgraded to feature various High-End items, tickets, and other items. Since the Samurai Tour , pipe launches can be bought as well.

a - In the Token Shop of the Summer Festival Tour , most of the items had lower prices. b - The cost for the first pipe is 50 event tokens, increasing with 10 tokens for every subsequent pipe until the sixteenth, then with 50 tokens between the seventeenth and the twenty-first pipes. From the twenty-second pipe onwards, the cost is 500 tokens. As of the Battle Tour , the Token Shop no longer has a regular composition.

c - In the Battle Tour , the Token Shop included three different balloons, two of which costed 50 tokens and one 150 tokens.

Daily Selects

The Daily Selects section is renewed each day. It consists of four rows, of which the first three each contain three items. The items in the left column are drivers or driver-related tickets, the items in the center column are karts or kart-related tickets, the items in the right column are gliders or glider-related tickets. The last row allows the player to play Coin Rush . The first row is available to all players and contains only Normal items and point-boost tickets , the second row is available to players level 7 and above and contains Normal and Super items along with item tickets and quick tickets , and the third row is available to players of level 12 and above and contains only Super and High-End items. The first time an item's skill level is maxed out, it is replaced with other items of the same rarity, type and shop rarity until all the items of the corresponding rarity, type and shop rarity have their skill level maxed out, at which point a level-boost ticket or, since the 2022 Mii Tour , a points-cap ticket is sold in place of these items. If the maxed out category has Normal rarity, only Normal tickets will be sold, once a Super item sold in the Daily Selects is maxed out, the tickets will either be Normal or Super, as soon as a High-End item sold in the Daily Selects is maxed out, tickets of all the rarities will be sold. Starting from the 2022 Mii Tour, High-End level-boost tickets can appear on the third row without having to max out items.

Since the 2019 Paris Tour , in addition to tickets, only a subset of non-tour-exclusive items can be found as Daily Selects in all of the Tours, here referred to as "Base set". The listed items are most Normal items from the Tokyo Tour and most items from the New York Tour . The Quick Ticket was removed and more items were added in the Cooking Tour at an increased cost and shop rarity, appearing less frequently in the Daily Selects and being unable to replace the items of the same rarity and type when the skill levels of those were all maxed out. They are marked with an asterisk (*) and referred to here as "Additional". Since the Berlin Tour , "Additional" prices were reduced to the "Base set" price, but their shop rarity appears unchanged, with them still not being able to replace items of the same rarity and price when the skill levels of the latter are maxed out. In the Mii Tour (2022) , more items were added in the Daily Selects again; they are marked with two asterisks (**). In the Battle Tour , more items were added in the Daily Selects again; they are marked with three asterisks (***).

Since the 2020 Halloween Tour , players can buy items in the Tier Shop. The items available in it are replaced every week, and the higher the player's tier, the more items are available for purchase. Until the Anniversary Tour (2022) , the top row featured drivers, karts, and gliders that were favorites of at least one course in that week's ranked cup, and often included at least one High-End part. The items unlock based on the player's all-time highest tier and remain unlocked even if their tier drops. Some items can be bought multiple times, though the price increases after the first or second purchase. Previosly, after unlocking super level-boost tickets, there was a chance that High-End level-boost tickets of the same type will appear in place of them. Since the Mii Tour (2022) , High-End level-boost tickets will appear separately if the player's all-time highest tier is at least 50.

1 - Not available anymore since the Battle Tour .

Ruby purchase

The player can purchase different amounts of rubies with real-life currency.

Players can visit profile pages of themselves and their friends. On a profile page, the player can display a badge, choose their eight favorite drivers out of the drivers they own and can see their records, which include the amounts of collected drivers, karts, and gliders, their highest score they earned on a single course in the current tour, their number of Standard Race, Gold Race and Kart Pro wins, their highest multiplayer grade and their highest tier. Additionally, their current level, tier, and multiplayer grade are shown for the player and their friends.

The player can collect badges by completing challenges, by ending in the top 1,000 in the All-Cup ranking, or through other case-specific means (such as a Twitter retweet campaign or winning a team rally). Sometimes badges will also be given in the Gift Box. Out of all their collected badges, the player can choose one that will be visible to other players on their profile, though players can view other players' full badge lists. Standard badges have four different types: common badges, gold badges (obtained by completing Gold Challenges and requires a Gold Pass subscription), expert badges (obtained by completing Expert Challenges), and blue badges (obtained by completing Today's Challenge all fourteen days of a given tour). Gold, expert (red), and blue badges are all recolored versions of common badges in their respective colors.

Other kinds of badges are grouped separately and obtained by other means. These include badges earned from completing entire Expert Challenge cards, ranking badges, multiplayer badges such as winning a Kart Pro event, top-placement badges, and Team Rally badges.

The player can become in-game friends with other players, see the points of their friends on the different cups, and invite them to join a multiplayer room.

Since the Baby Rosalina Tour , a cumulative reward is given to the player if the combined total cup points of the week's ranked cup of the player and all of their friends reach certain amounts. In the Flower Tour only, the reward was rubies instead of coins. Since the second week of the Wild West Tour , the coin amounts have changed.

Every time that an announcement is being made, a new part of a tour starts, an update of the game is released, a new special offer or pipe is available or something else has been changed, the player receives a message with detailed information about what is new. Messages regarding known issues also appear here.

The player can upload Mii characters from their Nintendo Account or create new ones. Mii characters can also be shared with other players.

The player can collect different Mii Racing Suits for their Miis to wear. Every time the player gets a new Mii Racing Suit, all of their Mii Racing Suits will get ten additional base points. Each Mii Racing Suit that the player owns has to be assigned to a specific Mii of the player's choice.

Sometimes the player receives additional gifts, which can be rubies, coins, or badges. Mainly, these gifts are given at celebration occasions such as celebration days, the start of a new tour, or the launch of Multiplayer mode. Sometimes it happens that the player does not receive a reward due to a technical problem in the game. These rewards can appear as gifts at a later time. Gifts remain available for fourteen days.

Skill level point and points cap raising requirements

The following table lists the amount of skill level points needed to bring an acquired driver, kart, or glider to a certain skill level. Raising the skill level of a driver, kart or glider requires obtaining duplicates of them as Tour Gifts, from the Pipe or the Shop, or from using level-boost tickets that match the type and rarity.

The following table lists the amount of points-cap tickets needed to raise the maximum amount of base points of a driver, kart or glider to a higher cap.

Race courses

Mario Kart Tour features 103 different race courses (136 if each route is counted for courses with multiple re-routes), the most out of all Mario Kart games. Until the Anniversary Tour (2023) , at least one additional course was added at the start of almost every tour. Notably, Mario Kart Tour introduces course variants, note with courses having up to three variants in addition to the normal one:

• Courses marked with "R" (Reverse), labeled "SI" (Sens inverse) in French, are driven in reverse orientation, and mostly just have alterations to make this possible if necessary or to add in some course elements. Every race course in the game has an R variant.
• Courses marked with "T" (Trick), [15] [16] labeled "A" (Acrobatique) in French and "X" (Extreme) in all other languages, feature many additional ramps, Kanaami Roads , and obstacles with which to perform Jump Boosts , but are usually otherwise the same. Some specific T variants feature other alterations, such as adding Kanaami Roads to replace glider sections (like in DS Airship Fortress T ), changing the order the course is traversed in (like in N64 Kalimari Desert 2T ), or even changing the starting location (like in 3DS Rock Rock Mountain T ). Every race course in the game except GBA Bowser's Castle 4 has a T variant.
• Courses marked with "R/T" (Reverse/Trick), labeled "SI/A" (Sens inverse/Acrobatique) in French and "RX" (Reverse Extreme) in all other languages, feature the elements of both R and T courses. As such, they go through the course backwards while adding more ramps, Kanaami Roads, and other obstacles with which to perform Jump Boosts and combos. Unlike with R and T variants, many courses were introduced without R/T variants and gained them later on. Originally, R/T variants only appeared for city courses, with them introduced in the same tour as the city course's other variants, but classic courses would start having them as well beginning with the 2019 Winter Tour , after which every tour has had three to five R/T variants (of any course type). From then to the 2020 Trick Tour , each tour saw one to three new ones added. Every race course in the game except GBA Bowser's Castle 4 and 3DS Rock Rock Mountain has an R/T variant.

When counting R, T, and R/T variants separately from their normal counterparts, the total number of courses in the game is 541.

Prior to the Battle Tour , with some exceptions, city courses were added with all four variants in the same tour, while all other courses were first added without the R/T variant, which would then release in a subsequent tour whose exclusive additions were R/T variants. From the Battle Tour onwards, all courses added to the game would debut all four variants at once upon introduction, much like the city courses (with the exception of GBA Bowser's Castle 4, which debuted with only its normal and R variants).

Almost every tour features classic courses and remix courses, while every new course appears exclusively in specific tours. note - "Variant" is the official term used for both the courses designated R, T, or R/T and the numbered, re-routed versions of a particular course. [17] [18] [19]

There are seventeen original courses in Mario Kart Tour , referred to as " new courses ". If each individual route is counted separately, the total increases to forty-seven.

City courses

44 of the 53 new courses are based on real cities. There are fourteen cities represented in the game, namely New York City , Tokyo , Paris , London , Vancouver , Los Angeles , Berlin , Sydney , Singapore , Amsterdam , Bangkok , Athens , Rome , and Madrid . These courses each have three unique routes that have the racers going through different areas of the city; additionally, New York Minute and Tokyo Blur each have an additional fourth route that brings together all of the paths from the other three routes into one long lap.

Other courses

In addition to the city courses are seven original courses that are not based on a real location, one of which has three different routes akin to the game's city courses. Despite the fact that Sky-High Sundae, Yoshi's Island, and Squeaky Clean Sprint officially debuted in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass , they are labeled and marketed as new courses for Mario Kart Tour as well, including in internal data. [20]

Mario Kart Tour introduces a new category of course called remix courses , which have the "RMX" prefix prepended to their names. These courses have their designs taken from the Super Mario Kart course environments (with the exception of RMX Bowser's Castle 1, which is instead based on GBA Bowser's Castle 1 ), but feature a completely new layout, with each one centering around a particular obstacle (namely the blocks in RMX Mario Circuit 1, the ramps in the RMX Choco Island courses, the Star Rings in RMX Rainbow Road 1, the Mushroom Trampolines in RMX Rainbow Road 2, the Water Geysers in RMX Vanilla Lake 1, the igloos in RMX Vanilla Lake 2, the stairs in RMX Ghost Valley 1, the conveyor belts in RMX Bowser's Castle 1, and the lily pads in RMX Donut Plains 1). There are ten remix courses in the game.

There are 72 classic courses in Mario Kart Tour (73 if counting N64 Kalimari Desert 2 separately from N64 Kalimari Desert). There are no classic courses from Mario Kart 8 , making this the first mainline Mario Kart game since Mario Kart: Double Dash!! to not have at least one classic course from every previous mainline Mario Kart game. Despite this, several classic courses that appeared in Mario Kart 8 retain much of their design and layout from that game's version of the course, though others do not. Mario Kart Tour features three fifths of all courses featured in the mainline series prior to Mario Kart 8 .

Like in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , the finish line banners for certain classic courses use the classic Mario Kart logo. The courses from SNES to GCN, as well as remix courses, use an updated version of the classic logo, while the courses from DS to 3DS, as well as the second section of N64 Kalimari Desert 2 and the second banner in the R/T variant of GCN Baby Park , use the current logo. DK Mountain is an exception to this, as despite it being a GCN course, the banner uses the current logo instead of the updated classic logo.

Super Mario Kart ( SNES )

Fifteen courses return from Super Mario Kart , with the only absent courses from this game being Bowser Castle 1 , Bowser Castle 2 , Koopa Beach 1 , Mario Circuit 4 , and Ghost Valley 3 .

Mario Circuit 1, Choco Island 2, Donut Plains 1, and Koopa Troopa Beach 2 return as classic courses from Mario Kart DS , Ghost Valley 2 and Mario Circuit 3 return from Mario Kart Wii , Mario Circuit 2 and Rainbow Road return from Mario Kart 7 (with Rainbow Road also returning from Mario Kart 8 ), Donut Plains 3 returns from Mario Kart 8 , and Ghost Valley 1, Choco Island 1, Donut Plains 2, Vanilla Lake 1, Bowser Castle 3, and Vanilla Lake 2 make their 3D debut as classic courses.

Mario Kart 64 ( N64 )

Eight courses return from Mario Kart 64 , with Frappe Snowland and Choco Mountain returning as classic courses from Mario Kart DS , Mario Raceway returning from Mario Kart Wii , Luigi Raceway, Koopa Troopa Beach, and Kalimari Desert returning from Mario Kart 7 , and Royal Raceway and Yoshi Valley returning from Mario Kart 8 . This game also notably introduces a second variation of Kalimari Desert known as Kalimari Desert 2, which, despite being a reroute of the original Kalimari Desert new to Mario Kart Tour , is categorized as an N64 course in-game.

Mario Kart: Super Circuit ( GBA )

Fourteen courses return from Mario Kart: Super Circuit , with the only absent courses from this game being Shy Guy Beach , Mario Circuit , Cheese Land , Ribbon Road , Broken Pier , and Rainbow Road .

Peach Circuit, Bowser's Castle 2, Luigi Circuit, and Sky Garden return as classic courses from Mario Kart DS , Bowser's Castle 3 returns from Mario Kart Wii , Bowser's Castle 1 returns from Mario Kart 7 , Snow Land returns from the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass , and Riverside Park, Boo Lake, Cheep-Cheep Island, Sunset Wilds, Yoshi Desert, Lakeside Park, and Bowser's Castle 4 make their debut as classic courses.

Mario Kart: Double Dash!! ( GCN )

Seven courses return from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! , with Mushroom Bridge returning as a classic course from Mario Kart DS , Waluigi Stadium and DK Mountain returning from Mario Kart Wii (with Waluigi Stadium also returning from the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass ), Daisy Cruiser and Dino Dino Jungle returning from Mario Kart 7 , and Baby Park and Yoshi Circuit returning from both Mario Kart DS and Mario Kart 8 .

Mario Kart DS ( DS )

Seven courses return from Mario Kart DS , with Peach Gardens returning as a classic course from Mario Kart Wii , Luigi's Mansion, Waluigi Pinball, DK Pass, and Airship Fortress returning from Mario Kart 7 , Shroom Ridge returning from the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass , and Mario Circuit making its debut as a classic course.

Mario Kart Wii ( Wii )

Nine courses return from Mario Kart Wii . Mushroom Gorge, Coconut Mall, Koopa Cape, and Maple Treeway return as classic courses from Mario Kart 7 (with Coconut Mall also returning from the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass ), while DK Summit, Daisy Circuit, Dry Dry Ruins, Moonview Highway, and Rainbow Road make their debut as classic courses.

Mario Kart 7 ( 3DS )

Twelve courses return from Mario Kart 7 , with the only absent courses from this game being Wuhu Loop , Music Park , Maka Wuhu , and DK Jungle .

Piranha Plant Slide and Neo Bowser City return as classic courses from Mario Kart 8 , while the remaining courses make their debut as classic courses.

Battle courses

There are five battle courses in the game, consisting of two new courses and three returning from previous installments, including one each from Mario Kart: Super Circuit , Mario Kart: Double Dash!! , and Mario Kart DS . Similar to the battle courses in Mario Kart 8 , the new battle courses are repurposed from their corresponding city courses, albeit with more restricted pathways that can be taken. Among the returning courses, Cookie Land and Twilight House return as classic battle courses from Mario Kart Wii while Battle Course 1 returns from Mario Kart 7 . Rather than each battle course having unique background music, they all use Mario Kart 8 Deluxe 's arrangement of SNES Battle Course 1 's music.

Each tour consists of a series of cups, with each cup containing three courses and a bonus challenge. The featured character of the cup has the preference for every course in it increased by one tier. There are also special Team Rally tours that happen once every six or seven tours, during which all drivers are divided into two teams. Each team has a team captain, which is the driver the team is named after. At the start of a Team Rally tour, the player must choose one of the two teams to join. During a Team Rally, players can collect team tokens on courses, with the winning team being whichever collects the most total team tokens by the end of the tour.

Counting each Mii Racing Suit separately, there are 265 playable characters in Mario Kart Tour , the largest number of playable characters in a Super Mario game. Notable new playable characters to the Mario Kart series include Peachette , Pauline , Hammer Bro , Boomerang Bro , Fire Bro , Ice Bro , Monty Mole , Dixie Kong , Captain Toad , Nabbit , King Bob-omb , Kamek , Chargin' Chuck , and Poochy , with Ice Bro and King Bob-omb also making their first appearances overall as playable characters. Some characters return as playable to the series after being absent from multiple installments: Donkey Kong Jr. is playable for the first time since Super Mario Kart , Petey Piranha is playable for the first time since Mario Kart: Double Dash!! , and Diddy Kong , Birdo , and Funky Kong are playable for the first time since Mario Kart Wii . Excluding characters not from the Super Mario franchise, only two playable characters from previous mainline Mario Kart games do not return in Mario Kart Tour , namely Koopa Paratroopa from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Honey Queen from Mario Kart 7 .

Miis also return from previous Mario Kart games, debuting in the 2022 Mii Tour . Like in Mario Kart 8 , they have a multitude of different racing suits they can wear; however, each suit now has its own special skill . There are 65 suits, with at least one new suit being added in each tour from the 2022 Mii Tour until the 2023 Anniversary Tour .

Upon launching the game for the first time, players will be given either Toad or Toadette . After the tutorial, they are granted a free pipe launch which grants Peachette, Metal Mario , or Dry Bowser . [21] [22] The Red Mii Racing Suit is also given as a free gift for players. Gold Mario is the only playable character in Coin Rush mode, which was the only mode in which he was playable until the 2023 Anniversary Tour; he has the unique ability to draw in nearby coins to himself, with this having a larger radius in Coin Rush than otherwise.

Unlike in other Mario Kart games, characters are sorted by the rarity of unlocking them. There are three tiers of rarity: Normal, Super, and High-End. While the Normal characters are easier to unlock, rarer characters have a greater number of starting points and have more favored and favorite courses .

The only differences between drivers in the main statistics affect acceleration and weight, and depend on the driver's size class. [23]

Karts, gliders, and tires

There are a total of 336 karts and 225 gliders in Mario Kart Tour , the most of any Mario Kart game. Several karts and gliders return from previous installments, though new ones also appear alongside variants of existing ones; these variants share their in-game model, differing by textures, and are grouped together within the internal files. Like drivers, karts and gliders are organized by three tiers of rarity: Normal, Super, and High-End. Each kart and glider has its own special skill that provides specific benefits during a race; karts give bonus points for performing a particular technique while gliders increase the chance of obtaining a particular item from Item Boxes as well as the points gained from using that item. Each kart and glider also has its own favored and favorite courses, and using a kart or glider on such courses increases their bonus points multiplier, or combo bonus and combo-time, respectively.

Unlike in Mario Kart 7 , Mario Kart 8 , and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , tires are not customizable, being set to a specific kart, and have no effect on stats.

In battle mode, a new feature allows the player to customize their balloons that appear during the match. However, unlike karts and gliders, these balloon designs are purely aesthetic. There are 34 balloon designs in Mario Kart Tour .

Depending on the selected driver and course they are used on, players can get one to three items at once. In the case that a character gets three of the same item, they will activate the new Frenzy Mode, in which they immediately activate Super Star power, and can charge all the Mini-Turbo stages much more quickly and can use unlimited supplies of the respective item until the invincibility runs out. Any item can appear in Frenzy Mode, except for the Star, which is exclusive to certain bonus challenges.

The probability of obtaining a Frenzy depends on the current position and lap and on the driver chosen. In particular, the current position and lap define a base probability that is then summed to a bonus depending on the rarity and skill level of the driver chosen. The resulting probability is capped at 50%, even if the sum exceeds said value.

The following is the base probability of a Frenzy in single player races used in the 2020 Halloween Tour : [24]

Multiplayer races use different Frenzy probabilities: [25]

c - On 3DS Rainbow Road and its variants, the second lap probabilities are applied from the second segment onward.

Item Box items

Items function mostly the same as in previous installments in the series. As in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! , every character has their own special item that most other characters cannot obtain. By upgrading drivers to certain levels, they can obtain improved special items: Normal drivers to level 7, Super drivers to level 5 or higher, and High-End drivers to level 4 or higher.

The game introduces eleven new items to the series: the Double Bob-ombs , the Ice Flower , the Bubble , the Banana Barrels , the Mushroom Cannon , the Coin Box , the Dash Ring , the Bob-omb Cannon , the Giga Bob-omb , the Super Bell , and the Capsule , all of which are character-exclusive items. Several items also return in this game after a long absence from the series, including Bowser's Shell , Yoshi's Egg / Birdo's Egg , the Giant Banana , the Heart , and the Mega Mushroom from Mario Kart Wii ; the former four (from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! ) are all special items, while the lattermost is a regular item. Additionally, the Hammer item from the Mario Kart Arcade GP series appears in this game for the first time in a non-arcade Mario Kart game as a special item, though its functions are different. The Lucky Seven and Super Leaf , which were both absent in Mario Kart 8 and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe , also return in this game as special items.

The probabilities used in single player mode outside of Frenzies are reported. It is possible that the first item boxes of the races use different probabilities. The probability of common items can be increased by using gliders with the respective item skill. The actual probability is calculated as (item probability + glider bonus)/(sum of the probabilities of the eligible items); when no item can be obtained, a Coin is obtained instead. For the detailed probabilities of obtaining an item when an Item Box is opened, see Mario Kart Tour item probability distributions .

Inventory items

These items are collected throughout the course of the game through various means, such as challenges, log-in bonuses, and Tour Gifts.

Course elements

It has been requested that this section be rewritten and expanded to include more information. Reason: include more course, bonus challenges and Coin Rush appearances

Interactable course elements

The following table lists elements that slow racers down, crash them, offer them a Jump Boost and/or simply give them bonus points when interacted with in a certain way. For ways to interact with these elements for bonus points, see Mario Kart Tour race points system § Object interactions .

Note: Statements that an obstacle causes drivers to crash, spin out, or otherwise slow down on contact typically hold only when said drivers are in a default state. In most cases, drivers are unaffected by obstacles if they are undergoing invincibility frames or are under the effects of a Frenzy , Mega Mushroom , Bullet Bill , or Super Star . The only obstacles that can still slow drivers down regardless of their state are those that are solid objects and cannot be taken out by any means ( bumpers , flippers , Walking Trees , windmills etc.).

Other course elements

The following are only seen as background or intangible elements.

Bonus challenges

Bonus challenges are similar to the Missions mode from Mario Kart DS and the tournaments from Mario Kart Wii , and are found at the end of each cup. In contrast to races, these challenges offer 3 Grand Stars instead of 5 when completed with the highest score needed. The game will set the character for the challenge, even if the player has not obtained them yet, and give them the Pipe Frame and the Super Glider , though this rule does not apply for all Big Reverse Races and Vs. Mega (opponent) challenges. The numbers in the table indicate the number of times that bonus challenge appears in each tour.

1 - Formerly " Clear (number) rings. " 2 - Formerly " Do (number) Jump Boosts. " 3 - Formerly " Hit (number) Goombas. " 4 - Formerly " Glide at least (distance) . " 5 - Formerly " Hit (number) Item Boxes. " 6 - Formerly " Smash (number) opponents. "

Apple Store demo

A special demo of Mario Kart Tour was made playable at Apple Store outlets and kiosks. [27] Unlike in the full consumer version, the menu and Coin Rush mode are inaccessible, and points cannot be saved when the player quits the app. Additionally, there are only three cups available:

There are only 10 drivers, 7 karts, and 6 gliders available in the demo:

Differences in power-saving mode

There are some minor and major differences in the game's menus and race courses when it is set to "power-saving" mode, to maintain device performance (in older supported phone models) and decrease battery usage.

• Opponents do not have any animations nor do they emit voices.
• The minimap does not appear in races.
• The models for the drivers have low quality textures.
• Course textures are less detailed.
• The sound effect of passing through Dash Rings is present only if they were activated by the player.
• The Shy Guys, Yoshis, and Toads that are normally found along the sidelines of several courses are absent, though they can still be heard.
• The screen has a lower resolution, resulting in slightly pixelated graphics.
• Trees are swapped out for lower-detail models.
• In some courses, models adding extra detail get removed. This is particularly noticeable in Tokyo Blur right after passing the National Diet Building , where every building in the background except for one is removed.
• In SNES Ghost Valley 1 , SNES Ghost Valley 2 , DS Luigi's Mansion , and RMX Ghost Valley 1 , the decorative Boos in the sky are absent.
• In SNES Choco Island 1 , SNES Choco Island 2 , GBA Sunset Wilds , DS Luigi's Mansion, RMX Choco Island 1 , and RMX Choco Island 2 , the brightness of the mud is absent.
• In N64 Kalimari Desert and N64 Kalimari Desert 2, the sandy wind that normally blows across the desert is absent.
• In DS DK Pass , N64 Frappe Snowland , SNES Vanilla Lake 1 , Merry Mountain , RMX Vanilla Lake 1 , SNES Vanilla Lake 2 , and RMX Vanilla Lake 2 , the falling snow is absent.
• In 3DS Neo Bowser City and GBA Luigi Circuit , the rain is absent, including its ground and screen effects.
• In Wii Maple Treeway , the petals on the water and the falling leaves are absent.
• In 3DS Bowser's Castle , the volcanic eruption in the background is absent.
• In Wii Mushroom Gorge , the small glowing particles in the cave are absent.
• In GCN Daisy Cruiser , the wind and water visual effects intended to make the ship appear as if it is moving are absent.
• In GCN DK Mountain , both volcanoes are dormant instead of erupting.
• In Amsterdam Drift 3 , the tulips in the flower field are completely absent.
• In Wii Rainbow Road , the pinpricks of light streaming along the course's route are absent.
• In Wii Dry Dry Ruins , every instance of falling sand except for those tied to the rising sand piles is absent.
• In Piranha Plant Pipeline , the interior of the Clear Pipe section is opaque; however, it remains transparent from the outside.

Version 3.4.1

Release date: September 28, 2023

Addressed known issues.

Differences from previous Mario Kart games

• Mario Kart Tour is the only Mario Kart game where every character must technically be unlocked, and where there is no set starting roster.
• It is also the only game to not have a Grand Prix mode, with every fortnightly Tour containing a reshuffled selection of Cups , and Cups containing three courses and one bonus challenge to be played in any order.
• The number of players in each race has reverted back to eight, like in all mainline games up to Mario Kart DS and in Mario Kart 7 .
• Apart from GCN Baby Park and 3DS Rainbow Road , all races consist of two laps/sections, as opposed to the usual three.
• Drivers, karts and gliders can be leveled up.
• The only exception to this is 3DS Rainbow Road, which reuses its final lap music from Mario Kart 7 and always begins at the start of the song.
• On the final lap, for most courses the music's pitch is increased by four semitones rather than one as in the other games since Mario Kart: Double Dash!! . The exceptions are Merry Mountain and Bangkok Rush , which are pitched up by one, Rome Avanti , which is pitched up by three, and Piranha Plant Pipeline , which is pitched up by two.
• Percussion is not heard in the music when the player is in 1st place like in Mario Kart 7 and Mario Kart 8 .
• Starting from the New Year's 2021 Tour , the Lakitu referee in his festive attire appears as a playable driver known as "Lakitu (Party Time)". [28]
• Stars are not obtainable from regular item boxes in single player mode, with item Frenzies having similar effects instead. However, in multiplayer mode, stars appear from item boxes in rulesets with fewer than three item slots (as Frenzies are not obtainable).
• For the first time since Super Mario Kart , Triple Red Shells are absent. This is likely due to how using multi-items (such as the Triple Mushrooms or the Lucky Seven ) sends out all of their items at once, which would be useless for items that always lock onto the next racer.
• The remix courses feature numbers in their names as well, though in that case when the number changes the map layout changes as well.
• For the first time since Mario Kart: Super Circuit , the Golden Mushroom is absent, as it is functionally replaced by the Mushroom Frenzy.
• Multiple items can be received from a single item box.
• This is the first Mario Kart game to lack losing themes and animations after races; the same theme and animations play for any placement below 1st. However, losing voice lines for most of the characters can be found in the game's files.
• Courses, karts, and gliders that had different names between American and British English in previous games instead only use their American English names, with the exception of the B Dasher Mk. 2 , which only uses its British English name.
• Karts that originally had moving parts (not counting tires), such as the tentacles on the Super Blooper and the blower on the Flame Flyer, no longer have them move.
• Likewise if a player hits the opponent, the side of the screen will display the word "Hit!" with the icon of the opponent's driver and the item they got hit by.
• The item warning sound effects differs between certain items. The warning sound effect from Mario Kart 8 is used when targeted by a homing item (Red Shell, Yoshi's Egg, or Birdo Egg) and when an opponent behind the player is under the effects of a Star, Mega Mushroom, or Bullet Bill. The homing item warning sound effect from Mario Kart Wii is used when targeted by a Spiny Shell .
• Various sound effects, such as the item roulette, Jump Boosts , and when the player's current placement changes, are taken from Mario Kart DS (for the former), Mario Kart Wii , and Mario Kart 7 rather than from Mario Kart 8 .

Opponents' drivers get stuck in multiplayer battles

Certain connection errors in multiplayer battles cause opponents to dissociate from their players and drive straight into the first wall they encounter, where they remain stuck until the time runs out or the player who experiences this bug strikes them out. [29]

• Hideki Konno [1]

Creative Director

• Kosuke Yabuki [1]

Game Directors

• Yugo Hayashi [1]
• Shinya Fujiwara [1]
• Kenta Nagata [30]

Characters Voices

• Charles Martinet as Mario *, Luigi *, Wario *, Waluigi *, Baby Mario *, Baby Luigi , and Metal Mario *
• Samantha Kelly as Peach *, Toad *, Toadette *, Baby Peach *, Pink Gold Peach , Captain Toad , and Peachette
• Kazumi Totaka as Yoshi * and Birdo
• Deanna Mustard as Daisy * and Baby Daisy
• Laura Faye Smith as Rosalina * and Baby Rosalina *
• Kenny James as Bowser * and Dry Bowser *
• Takashi Nagasako as Donkey Kong *
• Katsumi Suzuki as Diddy Kong
• Tadd Morgan as Lakitu *
• Caety Sagoian as Bowser Jr. *
• Motoki Takagi as Hammer Bro , Boomerang Bro , Fire Bro , and Ice Bro
• Nate Bihldorff as Shy Guy *
• Ryan Higgins as Iggy
• Michelle Hippe as Larry *
• Carlee McManus as Lemmy
• David Goldfarb as Ludwig
• David Cooke as Morton
• Dan Falcone as Roy
• Ashley Flannegan as Wendy
• Kate Higgins as Pauline *
• Toshihide Tsuchiya as Funky Kong
• Kahoru Sasajima as Dixie Kong
• Natsuko Yokoyama as Nabbit
• Dolores Rogers as Wiggler *

*-Applies to all variants of that character.

Critical reception

Initial impressions of the beta were mixed. Journalists praised the gameplay and graphics, but criticized the free-to-play gacha elements of the game. Sam Machkovech of Ars Technica compared the game's in-app purchases to Spiny Shells, blowing up the classic Mario Kart experience. He suggested that "the developers pick a side: attach an annoying economy to a deeper control scheme and more legitimate online options, or make it cheaper and less obnoxious to watch Mario drive himself". [31] Ethan Gach of Kotaku also stated that the game is "a mostly faithful but stripped-down recreation of Mario Kart decked out with all the microtransactions and lottery mechanics mobile games are infamous for" and also lamented the lack of a multiplayer mode. [32] Steven Asarch of Newsweek complained about the game's "freemium greed" and that it is "ruined by microtransactions". [33]

The game's reception on release was mixed to negative. Andrew Webster of The Verge praised how intuitive using items is, while criticizing the controls, calling them imprecise, and the game's monetization, stating that "The problem is so much of the game feels designed around monetization, as opposed to just being a fun game". [34] Chris Scullion of Nintendo Life gave a positive review, praising the lack of an energy system, the points system, and the amount of cups, while criticizing the time required to get used to the controls, the gyro controls, and listing the game's monetization as a con, stating that opinions on the game's monetization will vary for each person, while arguing that "It's rubbish to an extent, absolutely, but despite the outrage you may be seeing in some circles, it's no different to any other game with a loot box system; it's always nearly impossible to guarantee you'll get the exact thing you want" when talking about the game's gacha mechanics, and that "More than the gacha system, the Gold Pass is gaining a lot more controversy than it really should be, with some misunderstanding what it does and assuming this subscription service is necessary in some way. To be clear, it really isn't, and absolutely won't be of interest to 99% of the player base." when talking about the game's Gold Pass subscription. [35] Michael McWhertor of Polygon gave a negative review, stating that the game "lacks the joy of its fully-featured counterparts", criticizing that the steering feels inconsequential, stating that "the game can feel as if it's playing itself", the lack of difficulty when playing against computers, the lack of motivation to continue playing, and the game's microtransactions. [36] CJ Andriessen of Destructoid gave a negative review, criticizing the game's microtransactions and how the game rarely gives the player Rubies, stating " [Mario Kart] Tour 's fatal flaw is it's continually pushing players into ham-fisted situations where they have to spend money rather than creating a game so exceptional they'll want to spend money", the limitations on unlocking, collecting, or upgrading certain things, and the game's controls, while praising the variations to courses, though noting that "there is still a bit of disappointment when you wait a day to unlock a new cup only to find it's Daisy Hills again ", the New York Minute track, and that Nintendo at the time of the article's publication planned to add more new tracks to the game, though noting that "One of the great joys of any Mario Kart title is seeing what types of new courses the developers have designed and that joy just isn't present in [Mario Kart] Tour ." [37] Kyle Hilliard of IGN, in a mixed review, praised the series's transition from consoles to mobile phones, stating that "during those moments where I was speeding down the track expertly launching turtle shells at my opponents I felt like I was playing a real Mario Kart game", though stating that Mario Kart Tour is an "undeniable downgrade from Mario Kart 8 ", praise was given to how items are used, the game's bonus challenges, and the brevity of the races, cups, and bonus challenges, while criticism was directed at the game launching without multiplayer, the game's microtransactions and their cost, having to wait for later cups to unlock, and the quantity of Grand Stars unlocked being affected by the kart or character the player unlocked. [38] Jon Cartwright of GameXplain, in a negative review, stated that " Mario Kart is better than this", stating "Because it's so similar to the core games, it becomes comparable to them, amplifying its faults even further", criticizing the controls, calling them "extremely unintuitive", and "a huge, restrained, letdown" after stating that the controls felt "extremely simplistic"; the game's monetization, stating that "This may be a free game compared to a full sixty dollar release, but money has never felt so intrusive in Mario Kart "; and the track New York Minute, stating that "this track is not good enough for Mario Kart ", while praising the game's bonus challenges and the game's Reverse tracks, calling them "really cool ideas", while also praising the game's roster of playable characters and its graphics. [39]

As of August 26, 2020, Mario Kart Tour received a mixed Metacritic Metascore of 58, and a negative User Score of 3.8. [40] Despite receiving mixed reviews from critics, as of August 26, 2020, Mario Kart Tour received an average of 4.1 out of 5 stars on Google Play [41] and an average of 4.7 out of 5 stars on the App Store. [42]

Awards and acknowledgements

Mario Kart Tour was nominated for the "User's Choice Game of 2019" from Google Play, losing to Call of Duty: Mobile . [43] The game won the "Racing Game of the Year" award at the 23rd annual D.I.C.E Awards. [44]

Mobile app store description

Race around the world! ■ Challenge players worldwide in multiplayer! You can race against up to seven other players, whether they're registered as in-game friends, nearby, or scattered around the world. Multiplayer races can be customized with a variety of rules, such as individual or team races, kart speed, and number of item slots. You can play however you want! ■ Mario Kart takes a world tour! Mario and friends go global in this new Mario Kart as they race around courses inspired by real-world cities in addition to classic Mario Kart courses! These destinations will be featured in tours that rotate every two weeks! In addition to courses based on iconic locales, some of your favorite Mario Kart characters will get variations that incorporate the local flavor of cities featured in the game! ■ Endless Mario Kart fun at your fingertips! The Mario Kart series known and loved by many is ready to take the world by storm – one smart device at a time! With just one finger, you can steer and drift with ease and sling devastating items as you go for the gold in cups filled with new and classic Mario Kart courses. ■ Nab 1st place with items and Frenzy mode! In Mario Kart Tour you have access to an arsenal of powerful items that can mix things up on the racetrack! Turn up the heat by activating the new Frenzy mode, which gives an unlimited supply of a certain item and makes you invincible! Make the most of the ensuing chaos, as Frenzy mode only lasts a short time! ■ Collect drivers, karts, badges, and more! Earn Grand Stars by racing or fire off the featured pipe to receive more drivers, karts, and gliders! You can also proudly display badges, earned by completing certain challenges, next to your in-game name! ■ Bonus challenge courses put a twist on traditional races! In certain races, 1st place isn't always the goal. With names like "Vs. Mega Bowser" and "Goomba Takedown," these bonus challenge courses demand a different approach to gameplay and strategy! ■ Race to increase your online rank! Boost with the best of 'em! Your high scores will determine how you compare to other players all over the world. Keep practicing and trying out different combinations of drivers, karts, and gliders to increase your score and rise to the top! Note: A Nintendo Account is required to play Mario Kart Tour. * Free-to-start; optional in-game purchases available. Persistent Internet, compatible smartphone, and Nintendo Account required. Data charges may apply. * For information about our ads, please see the "How we use your information" section of the Nintendo Privacy Policy. * May include advertising.

Pre-release and unused content

The beta version of the game saw multiple changes in the final game. Among them, the stamina element was removed, and the timers restricting access to certain cups can be sped up using quick tickets . Additionally, rubies were originally emeralds.

Several of the game's drivers, karts, gliders, and courses had data strings and other files relating to them present in the game's data before they were released, though some of these correspond to content that was never released. The game's data also contains unused versions of some of the course icons that depict the courses less accurately.

MKT Report is a yearly series of reports published by Nintendo, meant to offer insights into the statistics and achievements of Mario Kart Tour 's playerbase throughout a given year. For example, one such report showed that, from January through November 2021, the most popular driver used in multiplayer races was Metal Mario ; [46] another stated that approximately 51.7 billion coins were collected in races during the same time frame (excluding "events such as the Coins Aplenty event"). [47]

References to other games

• Donkey Kong : Portions of this game can be seen in Times Square's screens in New York Minute and its variants. The clothing colors of Mario (Classic) reference Mario's original design from this game.
• Super Mario Bros. : The 8-Bit Jumping Mario and the 8-Bit Jumping Luigi gliders use Mario and Luigi's jumping sprites from this game, the 8-Bit Star uses the Super Star sprite from this game, the 8-Bit Fire Flower uses the Fire Flower sprite from this game, the 8-Bit Bullet Bill uses the Bullet Bill sprite from this game, the 8-Bit Super Mushroom uses the Super Mushroom sprite from this game, the 8-Bit Block Glider uses the Brick Block and ? Block sprites from this game, and the 8-Bit Goomba uses the Goomba sprite from this game. The game's Japanese logo appears on the Super 1 kart.
• Super Mario Bros.: The Lost Levels : The clothing colors of Luigi (Classic) reference Luigi's artwork from this game.
• Super Mario Bros. 2 : Birdo (Green)'s special item is the Fire Flower, in reference to the fact that the green-colored Birdo in this game shot fireballs instead of eggs.
• Famicom Grand Prix: F1 Race : The artwork of Mario in a Formula One car from this game is reused as a badge.
• Dr. Mario : One of Dr. Mario's Jump Boost animations mimics his victory animation at the end of a multiplayer match in this game, complete with the same limited number of frames.
• NES Open Tournament Golf : Mario and Luigi's outfits in this game return as playable variants.
• Super Mario Kart : Mario Circuit 1 , Donut Plains 1 , Ghost Valley 1 , Mario Circuit 2 , Choco Island 1 , Ghost Valley 2 , Donut Plains 2 , Mario Circuit 3 , Choco Island 2 , Vanilla Lake 1 , Bowser Castle 3 , Donut Plains 3 , Koopa Beach 2 , Vanilla Lake 2 , and Rainbow Road appear as returning race courses. The tires resembling the tires from this game return as the Pipe Frame's assigned tires, as well as other certain karts with these tires. Much of the artwork from Super Mario Kart , such as Yoshi spinning out, is reused in badges from this game, in addition to the cover art of the game being used for the Super Mario Kart Glider . Additionally, one of the game's commemorative badges says "Since '92", which references the Mario Kart series having debuted upon this game's release in 1992. Mario and Donkey Kong Jr. 's sprites are reused from this game as separate playable variants. The sound effects used for the pre-race jingle, item roulette, and post-race jingle are reused from this game exclusively for the two aforementioned characters. The Super Mario Kart Tour is themed after this game.
• Super Mario World 2: Yoshi's Island : The Yoshi's Island course is based on this game. The Smiley Flower Glider is based on the Smiley Flower , with a similar animation to this game.
• Donkey Kong Country : An official video promoting the Rambi Rider as a commemorative kart for the Jungle Tour was released, using clips from the opening and gameplay of this game.
• Mario Kart 64 : Luigi Raceway , Koopa Troopa Beach , Kalimari Desert , Frappe Snowland , Choco Mountain , Mario Raceway , Royal Raceway , and Yoshi Valley appear as returning race courses. The results theme is an arrangement of the winning results theme from this game. The new Kalimari Desert 2 course allows racers to race inside the train tunnel, similar to how players could go inside Kalimari Desert's train tunnel in Mario Kart 64 .
• Yoshi's Story : Poochy 's voice clips are taken from this game.
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit : Peach Circuit , Riverside Park , Bowser Castle 1 , Boo Lake , Bowser Castle 2 , Luigi Circuit , Sky Garden , Cheep-Cheep Island , Sunset Wilds , Snow Land , Yoshi Desert , Bowser Castle 3 , and Bowser Castle 4 appear as returning race courses. Battle Course 1 appears as a returning battle course.
• Super Mario Sunshine : Mario (Sunshine) wears the Shine Sprite shirt and sunglasses originating from this game.
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!! : Special Items such as the Giant Banana , Bowser's Shell and the Heart return. Baby Park , Mushroom Bridge , Daisy Cruiser , Waluigi Stadium , Yoshi Circuit , DK Mountain , and Dino Dino Jungle appear as returning race courses. Cookie Land appears as a returning battle course. The Turbo Yoshi , Turbo Birdo , Goo-Goo Buggy , Koopa Dasher , Para-Wing , DK Jumbo , Barrel Train , Koopa King , Bullet Blaster , Piranha Pipes , and Boo Pipes return as karts. Birdo's voice clips are reused from this game.
• Mario Party 6 : The artwork for Mario (Classic) and Luigi (Classic) is based on Mario and Luigi's profile artwork from this game.
• Mario Kart DS : Luigi's Mansion , Waluigi Pinball , Shroom Ridge , DK Pass , Mario Circuit , Airship Fortress , and Peach Gardens appear as returning race courses. Twilight House appears as a returning battle course. The B Dasher , Poltergust 4000 , Streamliner , Royale , Egg 1 , Cucumber , Mushmellow , Rambi Rider , and Dragonfly return as karts. Challenges with unique objectives, similar to the missions from this game, appear as the fourth and final race in every cup. Also, the Item Box pickup and roulette sound effects return.
• Super Mario Strikers : Some of Hammer Bro's voice clips are reused from this game.
• New Super Mario Bros. : Koopa Troopa's artwork is reused from this game.
• Mario Party 8 : Dry Bones and Hammer Bro reuse their artwork from this game, and some of the latter's voice clips are also reused from this game.
• Super Mario Galaxy : Ice Mario appears as a playable character and reuses his artwork from this game. Bowser Jr. also reuses his artwork from this game.
• Mario Party DS : Diddy Kong's artwork is reused from this game.
• Mario Kart Wii : Mushroom Gorge , Coconut Mall , DK Summit , Daisy Circuit , Koopa Cape , Maple Treeway , Dry Dry Ruins , Moonview Highway , and Rainbow Road appear as returning race courses. The Cheep Charger , Wild Wing , Super Blooper , Daytripper , B Dasher Mk. 2 , Offroader , and Flame Flyer return as karts. The jingle that plays when obtaining a High-End kart, racer, or glider from the shop, challenge, tour gift, or paid banner, and when obtaining a High-End level-boost ticket or point-cap ticket, is an arrangement of a song from this game. The sound effect used for Jump Boosts is reused from this game. Diddy Kong and Funky Kong reuse their voice clips from this game. This game's music for GBA Shy Guy Beach is reused for GBA Cheep-Cheep Island . Moo Moo Meadows is mentioned on a badge available in-game.
• Mario Super Sluggers : Baby Mario, Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, Baby Luigi, Shy Guy, King Boo, Monty Mole, Petey Piranha, and Wiggler reuse their artwork from this game, and the artwork for Black Shy Guy, Pink Shy Guy, Green Shy Guy, Light-blue Shy Guy, Blue Shy Guy, White Shy Guy, Orange Shy Guy, and Yellow Shy Guy is based on Shy Guy's artwork from this game. Artwork of Mario and Bowser from this game appears on billboards in Los Angeles Laps 3 .
• Mario & Sonic at the Olympic Winter Games : Dry Bowser's artwork is reused from this game.
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii : Peach and all of the Koopalings reuse their artwork from this game, albeit with the magic coming from Iggy's magic wand in his artwork removed. Penguin Luigi, Penguin Yellow Toad (named simply Penguin Toad), and Penguin Mario appear as playable characters.
• Super Mario 3D Land : Tanooki Mario and Kitsune Luigi reuse their artwork from this game. White Tanooki Mario appears as a playable character.
• Mario Kart 7 : All of this game's race courses except Wuhu Loop , Music Park , Maka Wuhu , and DK Jungle return as classic courses. The artwork for Lakitu , Metal Mario , and Wiggler is reused from this game, and Daisy's artwork is an updated version of her artwork from this game. The Birthday Girl , Koopa Clown , Soda Jet , Cloud 9 , Bumble V , Zucchini , Bruiser , Blue Seven , Bolt Buggy , and Cact-X return as karts, and the Barrel Train retains its design from this game. The Swooper , Flower Glider , Peach Parasol , and Gold Glider return as gliders. Various kart tires return from this game. The Lucky Seven and Super Leaf items reappear. The rankings screen and multiplayer menu use the music from this game's Local Multiplayer and Online Multiplayer menus respectively. Metal Mario's voice clips are reused from this game. Honey Queen 's emblem from this game appears as part of the Racer's Soda Lemonade badge.
• Mario Party 9 : Birdo's artwork is reused from this game, and the artwork for Birdo (Light Blue), Birdo (Yellow), Birdo (Orange), Birdo (Blue), Birdo (Red), Birdo (Black), and Birdo (White) is based on Birdo's artwork from this game.
• New Super Mario Bros. 2 : Gold Mario appears as a playable character in the game's Coin Rush mode and was added later as a playable character in the final update.
• New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe : Peachette and Penguin Toadette appear as playable characters, with the former reusing her artwork from this game and her emblem being a Super Crown . Nabbit reuses his voice clips from this game.
• Super Mario 3D World : The artwork for the Double Cherry is reused from this game for the Tropical Grocery badge. Fire Rosalina , Cat Peach , Cat Toad , Cat Rosalina , Cat Mario , Cat Luigi , Meowser , and Tanooki Rosalina appear as playable characters; all cat characters except Cat Luigi use the Super Bell as their special item, and all of them except Cat Rosalina reuse their artwork from this game. Meowser and White Tanooki Mario also reuse their artwork from this game (though White Tanooki Mario's is modified to remove the sparkling effects). Innertube Goombas appear as obstacles in Singapore Speedway . Chargin' Chuck 's artwork is a 3D recreation of its stamp from this game.
• Mario Party: Island Tour : Luigi's artwork is reused from this game.
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe : The third-level Mini-Turbo boost, Ultra Mini-Turbo, returns. The Koopa Clown retains its design from this game. King Boo’s head icon is reused from this game. Sky-High Sundae , Yoshi's Island , and Squeaky Clean Sprint from the Booster Course Pass also appear.
• Captain Toad: Treasure Tracker : Captain Toad and Toadette (Explorer) appear and reuse their artwork from this game. The Clanky Kart , Clackety Kart , and Gold Clanky Kart are based on the Mine Carts from this game.
• Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze : Dixie Kong and Funky Kong reuse their artwork from this game. Dixie Kong's emblem is derived from the Dixie Kong Barrel 's design in this game.
• Mario Party 10 : Yoshi, Bowser, Toad, Waluigi, and Toadette reuse their artwork from this game, and the artwork for Red Yoshi, Blue Yoshi, Pink Yoshi, Orange Yoshi, Black Yoshi, White Yoshi, and Yellow Yoshi is based on Yoshi's artwork from this game.
• Dr. Mario: Miracle Cure : Dr. Mario 's artwork is reused from this game, albeit without the sparkles coming from the Miracle Cure.
• Super Mario Maker / Super Mario Maker 2 : Builder Mario , Builder Toad, Builder Luigi, and Builder Toadette appear as playable variants. Builder Mario's artwork is reused from the first game, while Builder Toad and Builder Luigi reuse their artwork from the second game.
• Mario Party: Star Rush : King Bob-omb and Kamek reuse their artwork from this game. Petey Piranha (Gold)'s artwork resembles Petey Piranha's artwork from this game, albeit mirrored and with his tongue sticking out.
• Super Mario Run : Event tokens resemble Bonus Medals from this game, emitting the same sound effect when collected.
• Super Mario Odyssey : Many of Mario and Peach 's outfits come from this game. The Yellow Taxi is based on the taxis from this game. Some of Pauline's voice clips reference her singing " Jump Up, Super Star! " from this game. All five Roving Racers appear as the playable characters Red Koopa (Freerunning), Blue Koopa (Freerunning), Purple Koopa (Freerunning), Koopa (Freerunning), and Gold Koopa (Freerunning). The artwork of Earth , which is used for promotional material and the title screen, resembles the Earth from this game; the Metro , Snow , Seaside , and Luncheon Kingdoms are visible in the artwork, as well as inaccurate representations of the Cap and Cascade Kingdoms .
• Mario Party: The Top 100 : Rosalina and Wario reuse their artwork from this game.
• Mario Tennis Aces : Some of Birdo's voice clips are reused from this game. Petey Piranha's emblem is taken from this game.
• Super Mario Party : Donkey Kong's artwork is reused from this game. Monty Mole's voice clips are also reused from this game. King Bob-omb (Gold)'s artwork is based on King Bob-omb's artwork from this game. Chargin' Chuck's emblem is taken from Gridiron Gauntlet in this game. Dry Bones (Gold) and Shy Guy (Gold) resemble how Dry Bones and Shy Guy appear when under the effect of a Golden Drink in this game.
• Dr. Mario World : Dr. Luigi , Dr. Peach , and Dr. Bowser reuse their artwork from this game. Artwork of the red, blue, and yellow viruses from this game appears on the Magniflying Glass and Pink Magniflying Glass .
• Luigi's Mansion 3 : King Boo (Luigi's Mansion) uses King Boo's design from this game.
• Mario Kart Live: Home Circuit : A commemorative badge appears of Mario and the Standard Kart , using the kart's design from this game. Luigi (Painter) and Luigi (Knight) are both based on outfits Luigi has in this game.
• Mario Golf: Super Rush : Chargin' Chuck's voice clips and emblem are taken from this game.

References in other games

• Mario Golf: Super Rush : Pauline and King Bob-omb's voice clips are reused in this game.
• Mario Kart 8 Deluxe : The Booster Course Pass DLC features the return of Paris Promenade , Tokyo Blur , and Ninja Hideaway as part of the first wave, New York Minute and Sydney Sprint as part of the second wave, London Loop , Berlin Byways , and Merry Mountain as part of the third wave, Amsterdam Drift , Bangkok Rush , and Singapore Speedway as part of the fourth wave, Athens Dash , Los Angeles Laps , and Vancouver Velocity as part of the fifth wave, and Rome Avanti , Piranha Plant Cove , and Madrid Drive as part of the sixth and final wave. The DLC's other classic courses are also based on their designs from Mario Kart Tour , and N64 Kalimari Desert 's second and third laps are based on N64 Kalimari Desert 2. Kamek , Pauline , and Peachette reappear as playable characters, and eighteen Tour Mii Racing Suits were added as part of the sixth wave.
• Super Mario Bros. Wonder : Daisy's artwork Media:SMBW Daisy.png uses the same pointing pose as the launch artwork Media:MKT London Tour launch artwork.jpg from the London Tour .

Names in other languages

• ^ a b c d e Academy of Interactive Arts and Science’s entry about Mario Kart Tour . The directors and producer all work for Nintendo Co., Ltd..
• ^ Erika Abe’s post on her work for Mario Kart Tour .
• ^ Yoshiki Tate/(ishi's post on his work for Mario Kart Tour
• ^ PRODUCTS | Bandai Namco Studios Inc.
• ^ Operating results of DeNA for the second quarter of Fiscal Year 2019 . According to the corresponding Questions and Answers section , DeNA received a share of the revenue of the game, pointing at them being one of the development teams involved.
• ^ Nine Months Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ending March 2018 (2018). Nintendo . Retrieved May 24, 2019.
• ^ Romano, Sal (April 24, 2019). Mario Kart Tour Android closed beta test set for May 22 to June 4 . Gematsu . Retrieved May 22, 2019.
• ^ Gerken, T. (April 26, 2019). " Video game loot boxes declared illegal under Belgium gambling laws ". BBC News . Retrieved November 27, 2020.
• ^ @mariokarttourEN (October 31, 2019). Multiplayer beta test announcement . Twitter . Retrieved October 31, 2019.
• ^ @mariokarttourEN (January 21, 2020). Second multiplayer beta test announcement . Twitter . Retrieved January 21, 2020.
• ^ @mariokarttourEN (March 2, 2020). Multiplayer mode announcement . Twitter . Retrieved March 2, 2020.
• ^ @mariokarttourEN (September 1, 2022) Battle Mode announcement . Twitter . Retrieved September 15, 2022
• ^ A human readable transcription of the main content of the RaceScoreParam container .
• ^ How does the Team Game rule work in multiplayer? faq.mariokarttour.com . Retrieved December 31, 2022. ( Archived December 31, 2022, 15:41:10 UTC via archive.today)
• ^ mariokarttourEN (November 14, 2019). #MarioKartTour has grown significantly since launch…and it's not over yet! We're upping the variety with some nail-biting, high-flying Trick courses. Get your gliders ready and buckle in! Twitter . Retrieved December 12, 2020. ( Archived November 14, 2019, 00:08:00 UTC via Internet Archive: Wayback Machine.)
• ^ mariokarttourEN (April 17, 2020). The Yoshi Tour is ending soon. But don't worry, there's another terrific tour on the way. Starting Apr. 21, 11 PM PT, the Trick Tour kicks off in #MarioKartTour! Hope you're ready to rack up some points, because every course included will be the Trick variant! Twitter . Retrieved December 12, 2020. ( Archived April 18, 2020, 15:34:08 UTC via Internet Archive: Wayback Machine.)
• ^ June 15, 2022. Zoom across Paris, London, Amsterdam, and Berlin in the Metropolitan Tour . nintendo.com. Retrieved July 13, 2023. ( Archived July 9, 2023, 02:24:07 UTC via Wayback Machine.) " Take to the streets and take in the sights with new variants Berlin Byways, Amsterdam Drift 2, and their R and T variants [...]"
• ^ December 28, 2022. Happy New Year’s Tour! nintendo.com. Retrieved July 13, 2023. ( Archived July 8, 2023, 16:10:33 UTC via Wayback Machine.) " For this event, the cups are filled to the brim with R/T variants, including six newly added ones: 3DS Piranha Plant Slide R/T, GBA Bowser's Castle 3 R/T, GBA Cheep-Cheep Island R/T, GBA Sky Garden R/T, GCN Baby Park R/T, and Wii Koopa Cape R/T. "
• ^ April 19, 2023. Enjoy kart-racing antics through antiquity with all-new course, Athens Dash, in the Spring Tour . nintendo.com. Retrieved July 13, 2023. ( Archived July 13, 2023, 12:23:18 UTC via Wayback Machine.) " Tour a crop of Europe’s cultural capitals, including brand-new course Athens Dash and new course variants Paris Promenade B and Berlin Byways R/T . "
• ^ A number of internal text strings in Mario Kart Tour ( ArrowMobyi , ArrowSignMobyi , FlowerRingMobyi , HeyhoMobyi , RoadAppearMobyi , and RoadPartsMobyi ) refer to map objects that are seen in the Yoshi's Island course; they are referred to as belonging to Mobyi , indicating that the course has the Mob platform code , used for courses originating from Mario Kart Tour .
• ^ Hydra. (March 8, 2022). Mario Kart Tour Server . Discord . Retrieved March 8, 2022.
• ^ kaidragon77. (September 27, 2019). Mario Kart Tour - Dry Bowser Gameplay . YouTube . Retrieved August 17, 2020.
• ^ A human readable transcription of the main content of the KartParamVehicleMove container .
• ^ A human-readable transcription of the main content of the ItemSlotTable container .
• ^ A human-readable transcription of the main content of the ItemSlotTableP2P container .
• ^ HalfHydra (March 5, 2022). Ring Race with Combo Counter . YouTube . Retrieved August 25, 2022.
• ^ Ryuk3112 (December 2, 2019). Demo iPhones have a demo version of Mario Kart Tour . Reddit . Retrieved December 8, 2019.
• ^ Post about the drivers of the New Year's 2021 Tour from the official English Mario Kart Tour Twitter account
• ^ LeastGeneral9415 (November 6, 2022). weird multi-player glitch . Reddit (/r/MarioKartTour). Retrieved November 8, 2022.
• ^ Credited on the Canadian Copyright Database entry for the game
• ^ Machkovech, Sam (May 22, 2019). Mario Kart Tour beta hands-on: Microtransactions land like a nasty blue shell . Ars Technica . Retrieved May 23, 2019.
• ^ Gach, Ethan (May 22, 2019). Mario Kart Tour Is Pretty Good When It’s Not Nickel And Diming You. Kotaku . Retrieved May 23, 2019.
• ^ Asarch, Steven (May 23, 2019) ‘ Mario Kart Tour ’ Beta Potential Bogged Down By Microtransactions. Newsweek. Retrieved May 23, 2019.
• ^ Webster, Andrew (September 26, 2019). Mario Kart Tour is too cynical to be fun . The Verge . Retrieved March 31, 2020.
• ^ Scullion, Chris (September 26, 2019). Mario Kart Tour Review . Nintendo Life . Retrieved March 31, 2020.
• ^ McWhertor, Micheal (September 27, 2019). Mario Kart Tour review: Mario Kart just doesn’t feel right on a phone . Polygon . Retrieved March 31, 2019.
• ^ Andriessen, CJ (September 29, 2019). Review: Mario Kart Tour . Destructoid . Retrieved March 31, 2020.
• ^ Hilliard, Kyle (October 1, 2019). Mario Kart Tour Review . IGN . Retrieved March 31, 2020.
• ^ GameXplain (October 2, 2019). Mario Kart Tour REVIEW - Free to Play but Money Has Never Been More Intrusive . YouTube . Retrieved March 31, 2019.
• ^ Mario Kart Tour (iOS) . Metacritic . Retrieved August 26, 2020.
• ^ Mario Kart Tour . Google Play . Retrieved May 5, 2020.
• ^ Mario Kart Tour . App Store . Retrieved May 5, 2020.
• ^ Users’ Choice Game of 2019 . Google Play . Retrieved April 2, 2020.
• ^ Academy of Interactive Arts & Sciences (February 14, 2020). Congratulations to @mariokarttourEN for winning Racing Game of the Year! #DICEAwards . Twitter . Retrieved April 2,2020.
• ^ mariokarttourEN (January 17, 2024). The first topic for the MKT Report 2023 is here! It's the 20 most purchased drivers in the Spotlight Shop. Next we'll reveal the rankings for the karts! #MarioKartTour . X . Retrieved February 27, 2024. ( Archived February 10, 2024, 00:15:16 UTC via archive.today.)
• ^ mariokarttourEN (December 31, 2021). Look back on 2021 in #MarioKartTour with MKT Report 2021, part 3! Here are the most used drivers in multiplayer! #MKTReport . X . Retrieved February 27, 2024. ( Archived December 31, 2021, 09:03:19 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
• ^ mariokarttourEN (December 30, 2021). Look back on 2021 in #MarioKartTour with MKT Report 2021! Today's reports will be about races. First, here's "The total number of coins collected in races!" Excluding events such as the Coins Aplenty event, there were 51.7 billion coins collected just in races alone! #MKTReport . X . Retrieved February 27, 2024. ( Archived December 30, 2021, 08:01:48 UTC via Wayback Machine.)
• ^ mariokarttour.com (simplified Chinese). Retrieved September 2, 2019.
• ^ mariokarttour.com (traditional Chinese). Retrieved September 2, 2019.

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How to download and play Mario Kart Tour

The latest Nintendo mobile game starts its engines

Those of you looking for a quick fix of Nintendo magic have to look no further than Mario Kart Tour , which is now racing onto mobile.

Following the launches of Super Mario Run and Dr Mario - both simplified versions of the classic Nintendo franchises – Mario Kart Tour offers a way to race around classic Mario Kart tracks in those spare minutes on the bus, in the duller part of a meeting, or throughout all of your Tinder dates (we’ve seen you).

There have been countless Mario Kart titles across various Nintendo consoles, from the initial SNES title to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on the Nintendo Switch . But for how to download and play Mario Kart Tour on iOS and Android, here’s everything you need to know.

• How to download and play Super Mario Run

1. Check your phone (or tablet) can play it

Mario Kart Tour will run on iOS and Android smartphones or tablets, so the game won’t be exclusive to certain product ranges – as we saw with the timed exclusivity of Fortnite mobile on Samsung Galaxy phones .

The Mario Kart Tour website does however recommend “a device with 1.5 GB of RAM or more.”

2. Download the app

Pretty self-explanatory, but it will depend on your operating system and the device you’re playing on. For iPhones or iPads that run iOS, you’ll need to head to the App Store and search for the title. The full name is “Mario Kart Tour”, and it will be listed by “Nintendo Co., Ltd”, so make sure you don’t get caught out with any false apps or cackling malware . Android users will need to head to the Play Store instead – and all mobile users can pre-order / pre-register to get the game the moment it lands.

You’ll need some space on your phone for the actual app; Super Mario Run took up 205mb of data, so make sure you have enough to actually download the game in the first place.

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3. Link your Nintendo account, or create one

Once the app is downloaded, you’ll have to link up with your Nintendo account, which is something you’ll have if you’re already a Nintendo Switch owner, or had a Nintendo Wii or Wii U in your home. If this is your first foray into Nintendo – gasp – you’ll be taken through the steps, and will require a valid email address.

4. Beware of microtransactions

Like Super Mario Run, Mario Kart Tour is a free-to-play game, meaning there will be optional microtransactions for cosmetic or gameplay items available (characters, kart parts, etc). If you’re setting up an account for your child , or just don’t trust your own self-control, you can check out the iOS controls or Android controls for this.

5. Get a good internet connection

Nintendo usually ensures its mobile games require an internet connection to play – for security reasons – meaning you won’t be able to crack out a blue shell in the dark depths of the subway. Wi-Fi in a home, office, cafe, or similar will be best, though a decent 4G connection (or 5G !) out and about should do you just fine as well.

• 5G: everything you need to know

Henry is a freelance technology journalist, and former News & Features Editor for TechRadar, where he specialized in home entertainment gadgets such as TVs, projectors, soundbars, and smart speakers. Other bylines include Edge, T3, iMore, GamesRadar, NBC News, Healthline, and The Times.

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Mario Kart™ Tour

Challenge players worldwide in multiplayer!

You can race against up to seven other players, whether they're registered as in-game friends, nearby, or scattered around the world.

Multiplayer races can be customized with a variety of rules, such as individual or team races, kart speed, and number of item slots. You can play however you want!

Mario Kart takes a world tour!

Mario and friends go global in this new Mario Kart as they race around courses inspired by real-world cities in addition to classic Mario Kart courses! These destinations will be featured in tours that rotate every two weeks! In addition to courses based on iconic locales, some of your favorite Mario Kart characters will get variations that incorporate the local flavor of cities featured in the game!

Endless Mario Kart fun at your fingertips!

The Mario Kart series known and loved by many is ready to take the world by storm – one smart device at a time! With just one finger, you can steer and drift with ease and sling devastating items as you go for the gold in cups filled with new and classic Mario Kart courses.

Nab 1st place with items and Frenzy mode!

In Mario Kart Tour you have access to an arsenal of powerful items that can mix things up on the racetrack! Turn up the heat by activating the new Frenzy mode, which gives an unlimited supply of a certain item and makes you invincible! Make the most of the ensuing chaos, as Frenzy mode only lasts a short time!

Collect drivers, karts, badges, and more!

Earn Grand Stars by racing or fire off the featured pipe to receive more drivers, karts, and gliders! You can also proudly display badges, earned by completing certain challenges, next to your in-game name!

Bonus challenge courses put a twist on traditional races!

In certain races, 1st place isn't always the goal. With names like "Vs. Mega Bowser" and "Goomba Takedown," these bonus challenge courses demand a different approach to gameplay and strategy!

Race to increase your online rank!

Boost with the best of 'em! Your high scores will determine how you compare to other players all over the world. Keep practicing and trying out different combinations of drivers, karts, and gliders to increase your score and rise to the top!

Software description provided by the publisher.

ESRB rating

Product information, release date, supported languages.

WARNING: If you have epilepsy or have had seizures or other unusual reactions to flashing lights or patterns, consult a doctor before playing video games. All users should read the Health and Safety Information available in the system settings before using this software.

Free-to-start; optional in-game purchases available. Persistent Internet and compatible smartphone required. Data charges may apply.

Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.

Android, Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

© 2019 Nintendo Mario Kart is a trademark of Nintendo. Note: Screenshots show content in development.

Mario Kart Tour: The ultimate guide

Race against other players from your phone.

What is Mario Kart?

• Tilt controls
• Collectabes
• Level-up system

Number of items

• Frenzy mode
• Microtransactions

DeNA and Nintendo have worked together to create a lot of new mobile games from Nintendo's original IPs, and Mario Kart Tour is one of the most successful projects from this collaboration. Designed from the ground up with mobile gaming in mind, this Mario Kart has features that no other version has had before.

Mario Kart Tour

Designed from the ground up to be a mobile experience, Mario Kart Tour has all the best and worst features of a mobile game. Still, it's Mario Kart!

Download from: App Store | Google Play

For those of you who may have never played video games in your life, Mario Kart is a racing game from Nintendo that features characters from its game franchises — mainly from the Super Mario games, but sometimes other characters too — who race around tracks in go-karts or motorbikes. For instance, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Nintendo Switch also lets you play as Link from Zelda, Isabell from Animal Crossing, and Inklings from Splatoon. 

The goal of these games, of course, is to win the races. You can collect power-ups along the way that will help you succeed against the other racers; some will hurt them and some will boost you.

What's the mobile gameplay like?

As you can see above, the mobile gameplay follows much the same format as the original game's gameplay for Switch. You hop in a kart, pick your favorite character, and go! Along the track you will be able to pick up items that can help you take down other characters or speed past them. 

When Mario Kart Tour first launched as an iOS game and Android game, it only supported portrait mode, but an update has gone up since then that allows for horizontal screen viewing as well. The game visuals, while not mindblowing in any way are pleasant to look at and are clear enough to easily distinguish during races.  This means you can still see all of the action that's happening on the track with a frustrating camera view. 

The game uses the auto acceleration of the latest Mario Kart games, meaning even if you do nothing, your kart will make it to the end of the race. The control comes from sliding your finger from left to right to steer and tapping the screen to fire your items.

Unfortunately, the game also uses an automatic control system for moving left and right too. That means if you try and cut corners, you are likely to be pulled back into place. So you'll need to get the hang of the controls to race effectively. 

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Drifting in Mario Kart Tour is at least one thing you can control. By holding your finger down as you turn, you can build up a drift. When you let go, you can give yourself a little boost in speed. In a game that has a lot of automation, being able to give yourself a boost in speed is extremely helpful. The players that master drifting are often the ones that finish in the lead. 

Tilt Controls

Mario Kart Tour does have the ability to use your phone's gyroscope to control your direction, but it's a little strange. The action might feel awkward when your screen is at a tilted viewing angle, so you'll just need to decide the way to play that works best for you. 

What is there to collect?

In a word, lots. As you play you can collect coins to buy new racers , karts , and gliders . Each of them can also be randomly collected buy using the rubies you are awarded and that you can buy for real money. They are a lot of choices here but you don't have to spend real money to collect them if you are patient.

Most of the things you can collect can also be upgraded. As you play each race the driver, kart, and glider you use will level up very slowly using the XP awarded to you. You can get XP boost tickets as well. These are rewarded for completing challenges and can be purchased as well.

How do the items work?

Mario Kart Tour Items are as classic as the main gameplay itself. They allow you to help yourself and hinder others in a variety of ways. Some, like the Mushroom, help by increasing your speed, while others, like the Red Shell, will slow your enemies down to allow you to catch up.

Mario Kart Tour has some fun new ways to use Items as well including an exclusive Frenzy Mode to help maximize your bonuses.

Leveling up and getting more powerful

In order to level up, players must take advantage of level-boost tickets . Each kart, glider, and driver has a gauge that increases its skill level with the help of these tickets. You'll unlock more abilities and perks. Level-boost tickets are gained by racing or by paying for the Gold Pass. 

The amount of items you can carry depends on the player you are using and the track you are playing on. Most of the smaller players have only one item slot while the bigger characters, like Donkey Kong, have two. This changes, however, if they are on a preferred track.

Do you know how a lot of the tracks look like they are connected to your characters? Well, in Mario Kart Tour they are. One of the tracks in the game is the Toad circuit from the 3DS, and it is the preferred track of both Toad and Toadette. Both these characters get three items on these tracks and get the ability to enter Frenzy mode.

All of the characters have at least one preferred track, and the characters you can buy for more money will have more, making them more likely to frenzy on other tracks.

Frenzy Mode

If you collect three of the same item on your preferred track, then you can enter Frenzy mode . Frenzy makes your racer invincible for a short period, increasing their speed and drifting skill, while also giving you an unlimited supply of the item you picked up.

This adds an element of tactics to which racer you choose on which tracks. Having a favorite racer may not work as well on Mario Kart Tour as on other games.

Are there Microtransactions?

Yes, there are microtransactions as is usually the case with modern mobile games. All of the characters and karts you can buy with real money can also be earned in the game with the in-game currency or microtransactions . However, it might take you a lot longer to unlock them the old-fashioned way.

Like DeNA's Pokémon game Pokémon Masters the game offers you a shortcut to buying characters you may want, rather than offering specials that can only be purchased with real money. This is great because it means all you need to do is grind to grab the characters you want.

See you on the track

Mario Kart Tour has been one of Nintendo's most successful iPhone games since it launched in 2019. While you can spend money in-game if you'd like, you don't have to pay to win and there's still plenty of fun to be had without ever opening your wallet. 

The game not only offers more playable characters than any other Mario Kart game ever made but also provides several different outfits for each one. You can unlock these fun skins by racing or by paying for the Gold Pass. 

Have fun tearing up the track and proving to players from around the world that you are the best Mario Kart racer out there. Remember that every player has their own skills and preferred tracks. Make use of the items you gather, drift when there's time to do so, and make use of Frenzy mode to get ahead. 

James is a lover of all things new and shiny. From 3D printing to Nintendo he stays current with all the technology that will lead us into the future.

• Rebecca Spear Gaming Editor

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You can put the pedal to the metal in courses inspired by real-world locations—and Mario Kart series favorites, too—in the Mario Kart Tour game, available now as a free-to-start mobile game.

• All News & Tips
• Game Releases
• Tips & Tricks

Mario and friends go global in this new addition to the Mario Kart series! They’re racing around on courses inspired by real-world cities, as well as classic Mario Kart courses.

With just one finger, you can steer and drift with ease, and sling items as you go for the gold in cups filled with new and classic Mario Kart courses.

• Put powerful items to use as you tear up the track and go for a high score
• A variety of drivers, karts, and gliders can be collected and upgraded
• Bonus challenge courses put a twist on traditional races

Note: A Nintendo Account is required to play Mario Kart Tour . Parents and guardians, you can visit the Play Nintendo for Parents site to learn how to create Nintendo Accounts for kids .

The Mario Kart Tour game is now available for free download for iOS and Android users on the App Store and Google Play.

Free-to-start; optional in-game purchases available. Persistent Internet, compatible smartphone, and Nintendo Account required. Data charges may apply.

Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. iOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries and is used under license. Android, Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

ESRB Rating: Everyone / In-Game Purchases

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Mario Kart Tour

About this game

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Mario Kart Tour: Is my Android phone compatible?

Best Answer: If your Android phone is running KitKat 4.4 or later, then yes, it is compatible. You'll find this 4.4 requirement listed on the Google Play Store. This game is also compatible with tablets and Chromebooks that run 4.4 or later, though it isn't as good to play on the latter.

• I'm-a gonna win! Mario Kat Tour for Android (Free on the Google Play Store)

What is Mario Kart Tour?

It's a mobile version of the popular Mario Kart games previously found on Nintendo consoles. This app lets racers experience familiar tracks as well as new courses inspired by real-world cities like New York. One of the things that makes this game exciting is that the tracks rotate out every two weeks, which gives you plenty of new courses to try.

Those already familiar with Mario Kart games will see many returning characters in the mobile version. There are currently 35 characters in the game, including favorites from the series like Mario, Peach, Yoshi, and Luigi. Additionally, there are some new characters we haven't seen in previous Mario Kart games like Pauline from the Nintendo Switch game Super Mario Odyssey . Players start off in a tutorial mode with only one character, but can unlock additional characters as they continue playing.

Do you have to spend money to play?

Nope, Mario Kart Tour is a free-to-start game found in the Google Play Store. However, there is the option of making in-app purchases to collect karts, items, and drivers. Something we really like about this game is that you don't have to spend any money to enjoy it. There's no stamina wall nor a requirement for you to spend money in order to progress in the game.

If you can run KitKat 4.4 or later, you can play the game

Be an expert in 5 minutes

Get the latest news from Android Central, your trusted companion in the world of Android

Anyone who owns an Android device, whether it be a phone, tablet, or even a Chromebook, will be able to play Mario Kart Tour as long as the device is running KitKat 4.4 or later. We do recommend that you play on a phone or tablet rather than your Chromebook, since it isn't as good of an experience. Additionally, the Mario Kart Tour website suggests that you use a device with 1.5GB of RAM or more.

Let's-a go! Mario Kart Tour lets you play some of your favorite race tracks along with several new ones right from your phone. There are plenty of characters, karts, and items to unlock. Compete against others from around the world to see how well you match up!

Rebecca Spear is a staff writer for Android Central who loves following the latest tech, drawing with her Wacom, and playing video games. You can find her posting about her pets, art, and video game preferences on Twitter @rrspear .

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Mario Kart Tour 4+

Race around the world‪‬, nintendo co., ltd..

• #4 in Racing
• 4.7 • 1M Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

Screenshots

Description.

■Challenge players worldwide in multiplayer! You can race against up to seven other players, whether they're registered as in-game friends, nearby, or scattered around the world. Multiplayer races can be customized with a variety of rules, such as individual or team races, kart speed, and number of item slots. You can play however you want! ■ Mario Kart takes a world tour! Mario and friends go global in this new Mario Kart as they race around courses inspired by real-world cities in addition to classic Mario Kart courses! These destinations will be featured in tours that rotate every two weeks! In addition to courses based on iconic locales, some of your favorite Mario Kart characters will get variations that incorporate the local flavor of cities featured in the game! ■ Endless Mario Kart fun at your fingertips! The Mario Kart series known and loved by many is ready to take the world by storm – one smart device at a time! With just one finger, you can steer and drift with ease and sling devastating items as you go for the gold in cups filled with new and classic Mario Kart courses. ■ Nab 1st place with items and Frenzy mode! In Mario Kart Tour you have access to an arsenal of powerful items that can mix things up on the racetrack! Turn up the heat by activating the new Frenzy mode, which gives an unlimited supply of a certain item and makes you invincible! Make the most of the ensuing chaos, as Frenzy mode only lasts a short time! ■ Collect drivers, karts, badges, and more! Earn Grand Stars by racing or fire off the featured pipe to receive more drivers, karts, and gliders! You can also proudly display badges, earned by completing certain challenges, next to your in-game name! ■ Bonus challenge courses put a twist on traditional races! In certain races, 1st place isn't always the goal. With names like "Vs. Mega Bowser" and "Goomba Takedown," these bonus challenge courses demand a different approach to gameplay and strategy! ■ Race to increase your online rank! Boost with the best of 'em! Your high scores will determine how you compare to other players all over the world. Keep practicing and trying out different combinations of drivers, karts, and gliders to increase your score and rise to the top! Note: A Nintendo Account is required to play Mario Kart Tour. * Free-to-start; optional in-game purchases available. Persistent Internet, compatible smartphone, and Nintendo Account required. Data charges may apply. * For information about our ads, please see the “How we use your information” section of the Nintendo Privacy Policy. * May include advertising. © 2019 Nintendo Mario Kart is a trademark of Nintendo.

Version 3.4.1

・Addressed known issues.

Ratings and Reviews

Editors’ notes.

With exciting events, famous characters, and wild courses, Nintendo's legendary kart-racing series burns rubber on mobile.

Love this Game...However

It’s been a while since I enjoyed a game like this on my phone, even as an Apple Arcade subscriber... I went ahead and ponied up for the Gold Pass about 1 month after starting Mario Kart Tour, and I’ve found that the value for Gold (Almost) made sense, you get access to a couple high level players, karts etc, and the extra loot from every gift box, as well as access to the 200cc courses, but that’s where the advantage stops. If you ever want to ace these courses (5 Star) from this point forward, it’s not so much a matter of your “skill” in play, as much as it is for the advantage gained by high level players, karts and kites that you would only access from the Pipe. Which means you need Rubies and Rubies are expensive and hard to earn without those higher level players... also the frequency of high level “wins” for plays is ridiculous IMO, i have spent over 1000 rubies on the pipes so far and it just feels like you come up short. This is why I chose to Cancel my Gold Pass, reset my profile and delete/uninstall Mario Kart Tour. Although I enjoyed the brief attempt at multi-player, I think I’ll stick to playing MK on my switch for the competitive feel. Maybe I’ll circle back around, but for now, the juice is not worth the squeeze.

I’m only doing this since multiplayer is available now

The game is ok and it’s addictive because of nostalgia and the gambling of the pipe (which has problems in its own but that’s not what this review is about) I’m a little disappointed in the multiplayer at the moment. I was surprised that the mechanic of only 3 or so characters could get 3 items and have a frenzy was still a thing. I think a better option would to give everyone three items but make the chances of having a frenzy higher for the characters that go along with the map. Second I know it’s still glitchy because it’s still in testing but the ones I’ve seen are items disappearing, “teleporting”, and freezing. I know since it’s online that much can’t be done about the freezing; but when the round starts I don’t understand why there’s a chance of being at the starting line for up to a minute waiting for a countdown. Everyone is already in the lobby and has chosen their carts why can’t the race start Second part of my complaints Why the limitations on coins and xp? I understand that they don’t want people to be op but three hundred coin limit per day is a little stingy especially when the store changes everyday and even gliders cost up to 500 coins alone. Also 80% of the time the store is just filled with items you already have ,and so is the pipe ,I don’t think I should be able to spend rubies and get over 3 duplicates especially since they are so hard to get

NOW AVAILABLE

App privacy.

The developer, Nintendo Co., Ltd. , indicated that the app’s privacy practices may include handling of data as described below. For more information, see the developer’s privacy policy .

Data Linked to You

The following data may be collected and linked to your identity:

• Contact Info
• User Content
• Identifiers
• Diagnostics

Privacy practices may vary, for example, based on the features you use or your age. Learn More

Information

English, French, German, Italian, Japanese, Korean, Portuguese, Simplified Chinese, Spanish, Traditional Chinese

• Gold Pass $4.99
• Special Offer $1.99
• Special Offer $19.99
• Premium Challenge $4.99
• Special Offer $39.99
• Special Offer $3.99
• Ruby Pack $1.99
• Ruby Pack $5.99
• Ruby Pack $12.99
• Developer Website
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• Privacy Policy

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