Nintendo's newest game, Mario Kart Tour, got its global rollout today for iPhone and iPad, following a closed beta test in the United States and Japan.

mario kart tour
The kart racer title for mobile is set in the Mushroom Kingdom, where players are tasked with racing to beat their rivals to the finish line using drifts and items to gain an edge. Players slide their fingers across the screen to turn, while tapping the screen unleashes stored items.


For the first two weeks the tour takes place in a New York City-styled course, with other locations being rotated in every couple of weeks. Track shave been taken from prior versions of Mario Kart, including Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64, Mario Kart: Double Dash, and Mario Kart 7. Nintendo has also included Grand Prix cups that offer a collection of tracks to race through.

Playable characters include Luigi, Toad, Shy Guy, Waluigi, Peach, Toadette, and others, and some characters are unlockable through in-app purchases. This is a freemium title that's free to download, which means Nintendo is monetizing it through in-game purchases.

The game also has an optional "Gold Pass" subscription, which introduces various in-game items and badges and also unlocks the faster 200cc mode. Nintendo is offering a two-week free trial, after which it costs $4.99 a month. The five-minute video embedded below explains how it all works.


Mario Kart is a free download from the App Store, requires iOS 10 or later to play, and officially supports ‌iPhone‌ 5s or iPad Air and later devices. A Nintendo Account is also required to play the game. [Direct Link]

Update: As of writing, the game's servers are currently experiencing heavy traffic and Nintendo is queueing login requests, so it might be a while yet before everyone can get racing.

Top Rated Comments

Jim Lahey Avatar
46 months ago
I feel that the business model of these mobile Nintendo games sullies their reputation and heritage.

Quite literally a mug's game. No thanks.
Score: 11 Votes (Like | Disagree)
HacKage Avatar
46 months ago
£60 a year to play a mobile game, the same price many AAA console and PC games cost to buy outright and play for as long as you like?

if they offered this as a £10-15 upfront charge game, then I would probably be all over it. But the freemium model stinks, and paying £5pm to unlock the full game is disgusting. Unfortunately it will probably be a hit regardless, and the developers will continue these crappy tactics.
Score: 10 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Icaras Avatar
46 months ago

£60 a year to play a mobile game, the same price many AAA console and PC games cost to buy outright and play for as long as you like?

if they offered this as a £10-15 upfront charge game, then I would probably be all over it. But the freemium model stinks, and paying £5pm to unlock the full game is disgusting. Unfortunately it will probably be a hit regardless, and the developers will continue these crappy tactics.
Yea. I can’t believe there‘s a $4.99 subscription price here in the US. I know this is Mario Kart, and I love Nintendo, but jeez, it’s the same price as Arcade :rolleyes:
Score: 5 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbednarz Avatar
46 months ago
No landscape and you cant steer by turning the phone? I figured those would be no brainers. Also, no online? This had potential to be huge, I think it'll just be mediocre now. Well see. I'd be lying if I said I wasn't at least a little disappointed.
Score: 4 Votes (Like | Disagree)
dan9700 Avatar
46 months ago
why is every game portrait I want landscape like a proper game

horrible graphics and bad gameplay, they need to stop making these games one handed portrait games, like Mario which no one liked
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)
GregJohn Avatar
46 months ago

They tried the one time £5 way with Super Mario Run, it didn't generate as much as their pay to play titles. It's horrible but I think you can blame the consumer just as much here.
yes but this is overboard. People will pay for a good game, I’d be fine withIAP and a 5-15$ one time fee not IAP and monthly sub model
Score: 3 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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