Mario Kart Tour Multiplayer Beta Test to Launch in December - MacRumors
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Mario Kart Tour Multiplayer Beta Test to Launch in December

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mariokarttourNintendo has announced that it will begin testing a multiplayer option for its Mario Kart Tour mobile game in December, a step towards the full multiplayer mode that's considered essential to the mobile title's success.

The announcement came on Friday via the Japanese video game giant's official Twitter account and explained that access to multiplayer would initially be limited to Mario Kart Tour Gold Pass subscribers.

Mario Kart Tour for iOS and Android devices currently lacks the option to race against friends, leaving it shorn of the vital game mechanic that has helped make it one of Nintendo's longest running franchises on console.


Nintendo's latest smartphone app was downloaded over 90 million times in its first week, according to Sensor Tower. The number eclipses both Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp and Super Mario Run, which were downloaded a respective 14.3 million times and just under 13 million times in their debut week, making Mario Kart Tour Nintendo's biggest mobile game launch to date.

Announced in January 2018, the game was delayed several times before its debut in September. The game's optional "Gold Pass" subscription 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.

Mario Kart Tour 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]

Top Rated Comments

grobik Avatar
89 months ago
Where’s the Apple TV version?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
kaostheory777 Avatar
89 months ago
Nintendo’s mobile gaming strategy with this is nearly as bad as EA’s greed. Just charge more for the game and stop all this games as a service stuff. Who wants ANOTHER subscription? If the game was good (and full featured) I’d happily pay a premium for it. If you’re scared about hurting device sales then don’t do it in the first place, but if you do don’t do it so half @ssed and greedy!
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
89 months ago
I love it. You can get really far without paying a single thing.

even on the follow up tours since the original I haven’t had to pay anything and I’ve got nearly all the characters.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
Pakaku Avatar
89 months ago

Nintendo’s mobile gaming strategy with this is nearly as bad as EA’s greed. Just charge more for the game and stop all this games as a service stuff. Who wants ANOTHER subscription? If the game was good (and full featured) I’d happily pay a premium for it. If you’re scared about hurting device sales then don’t do it in the first place, but if you do don’t do it so half @ssed and greedy!
The cynic in me says that's is intentional, to get more people interested in Nintendo's games, while also giving them a reason to move away from phones and onto Switches
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
bbednarz Avatar
89 months ago
Could've been an amazing game and had they done it right I would've been willing to pay at least $20 for it. Oh well, money saved.

Wait they are charging $4.99/month for this!?! That's what Apple Arcade costs lol.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)
89 months ago
played only 30 seconds of it. realized how bad the drift controls were (and the non-drift controls) and deleted the app immediately after.
Score: 1 Votes (Like | Disagree)

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