Mario Kart Tour

Mobile icon.
Developer(s)	Nintendo EPD DeNA
Publisher(s)	Nintendo
Release Date(s)
Mobile	NA: September 25, 2019 JP: September 25, 2019 EU: September 25, 2019 AU: September 25, 2019 KO: September 25, 2019
Mobile	NA: September 25, 2019 JP: September 25, 2019 EU: September 25, 2019 AU: September 25, 2019 KO: September 25, 2019
Platform(s)
Genre(s)	Racing
Rating(s)
ESRB	03
PEGI	01
CERO	01
USK	01
ACB	01

Mario Kart Tour (also called MKT) is a mobile game in the Mario Kart series. First announced during a financial briefing on January 31, 2018, it is the third Mario mobile game overall, following Super Mario Run and Dr. Mario World and the ninth main installment in the Mario Kart series, and the sixteenth installment overall.

Like Super Mario Run, it is free-to-start from the App Store and Google Play. Unlike Super Mario Run and similar to that of Dr. Mario World, the game more heavily incorporates a free-to-play microtransaction mechanic, where players have restrictions and timers unless they spend some of the various types of currencies in-game, as well as having gacha in the form of items being launched out of pipes.

The game reuses many assets from Mario Kart 7, Mario Kart Arcade GP DX, and Mario Kart 8, as well as returning gameplay mechanics such as gliding and character specific special items. In addition, the game introduces some features new to the Mario Kart franchise such as reverse tracks and ability to deploy a large amount of any item during a race, including Spiny Shells and Bullet Bills.

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.

The game officially launched for both iOS 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. Users who pre-registered acquired the game a day early. Unlike the previous Mario mobile games, a Nintendo Account is required to be playable.

On October 31, 2019, Nintendo announced the first multiplayer beta test exclusive to Gold Pass members, 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 the players, regardless of having a Gold Pass subscription or not, which began on January 23, 2020. 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.

Gameplay

Mario getting frenzy with Green Shells.

The goal of the game is to be in first place at the end of each race, using items obtained by driving through Item Boxes. The game is played in a portrait 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 autodrifting 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.

The game's mechanics are based on Mario Kart 7 and most of the Retro Courses are also available as either normal or retro courses within the same game. 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, 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 go 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. When arriving in the first three places, less and less experience points will be awarded 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 150 experience points for drivers, karts and gliders and up to 300 coins by racing. 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.

Placement	Experience points for drivers, karts and gliders
	50cc	100cc	150cc and 200cc
1	8	9	10
2	7	8	9
3	6	7	8
4	5	6	7
5	4	5	6
6	3	4	5
7	2	3	4
8	1	2	3

The game features Tour Challenges and Gold Challenges, which reward Grand Stars, and Standard Challenges, which reward rubies, the main premium currency of the game.

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, additional items from Tour Gifts, and Gold Challenges. The course introduction fanfare also uses more instruments for players with an active gold pass.

Each driver, kart and glider have favored 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 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 drafting, while gliders increase the likelihood of obtaining a certain item and the points gained when using this item. All drivers, karts and gliders can be leveled up, and they all come with upgrades when done so.

The courses that the player can play depends on the tour, which changes every two weeks. Starting with the Paris Tour, each tour has eighteen cups, and adds new drivers, karts, gliders and courses. 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 is played and enough Grand Stars are obtained, the player can move on to the next cup. Tour Gifts appear between cups which give the player items if enough Grand Stars are obtained. 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 and will increase in tier at the end of the week if the end position is within the best eight places, while they will lose one tier if the end position is the eleventh place or below.

Placement	Rewards						Tier change
	From tier 1	From tier 11	From tier 21	From tier 1	From tier 21	From tier 22	From tier 25	From tier 30	From tier 22	From tier 25	From tier 30	From tier 35
1	Rubies ×20 Coins ×1,000 Point-boost tickets ×3 of each type	Rubies ×25 Coins ×1,100 Point-boost tickets ×4 of each type	Rubies ×30 Coins ×1,200 Point-boost tickets ×5 of each type	Rubies ×30 Coins ×1,200 Point-boost tickets ×5 of each type	Rubies ×30 Coins ×1,200 Point-boost tickets ×5 of each type	Rubies ×35 Coins ×1,500 Point-boost tickets ×6 of each type	+3	+3	+3	+3	+3	+1
2	Rubies ×15 Coins ×1,000 Point-boost tickets ×2 of each type	Rubies ×20 Coins ×1,100 Point-boost tickets ×3 of each type	Rubies ×20 Coins ×1,200 Point-boost tickets ×4 of each type	Rubies ×20 Coins ×1,200 Point-boost tickets ×4 of each type	Rubies ×20 Coins ×1,200 Point-boost tickets ×4 of each type	Rubies ×20 Coins ×1,200 Point-boost tickets ×4 of each type		+2	+2	+2	+2
3	Rubies ×10 Coins ×1,000 Point-boost tickets ×1 of each type	Rubies ×15 Coins ×1,100 Point-boost tickets ×2 of each type	Rubies ×15 Coins ×1,200 Point-boost tickets ×3 of each type	Rubies ×15 Coins ×1,200 Point-boost tickets ×3 of each type	Rubies ×15 Coins ×1,200 Point-boost tickets ×3 of each type	Rubies ×15 Coins ×1,200 Point-boost tickets ×3 of each type		+1	+1	+1	+1
4	Rubies ×5 Coins ×500	Rubies ×10 Coins ×600	Rubies ×10 Coins ×600	Rubies ×10 Coins ×600	Rubies ×10 Coins ×600	Rubies ×10 Coins ×600	+2					0
5
6						Coins ×400					0	-1
7	Coins ×300	Coins ×400	Coins ×400	Coins ×400	Coins ×400		+1			0
8						No reward			0		-1
9					No reward			0		-1
10				No reward					-1
11-19	No reward						0	-1
20	No reward								-2	-2	-2	-2

Each tour has three sets of Tour Challenges. The first one is unlocked from the tour's beginning, the second one unlocks after the one week, and the third one is exclusive to Gold Pass members.

Points

Points are collected during standard races and are used to gain Grand Stars and to rank the 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 1600 points. 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.

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, and 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 an 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 happened 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:

Engine class	50cc	100cc	150cc	200cc
Engine class bonus	0	200	400	400

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

Placement	1	2	3	4	5	6	7	8
Position multiplier	1	0.85	0.75	0.65	0.55	0.45	0.35	0.2

Additional internal data (RaceScoreParam)

The following internal data stems from the New Year's Tour.

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

Engine class dependent points-related parameters (mEngineLevelParams)
Parameter	50cc	100cc	150cc	200cc
AddScoreIntervalWhileGlide	2.5	2	1.5	1.20000005
AddScoreIntervalWhileWater	2.5	2	1.5	1.20000005
AddScoreIntervalWhileItemType018	2.5	2	1.5	1.20000005
AddScoreIntervalWhileDriftKeep	2.5	2	1.5	1.20000005
InterimRankBonusRate	0.5	1	2	2
ComboNumMax	5	10	15	15

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:

InterimRankBonus
Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th
Points	100	80	60	50	40	30	20	10

Finally, the maximum time between events in a combo apparently depends on the combo counter, as shown by this combo-related data:

Combo-related parameters (Combo)
Score	5	10	20	30
Time	1.39999998	1.79999995	2.0999999	2.4000001
ComboScoreAdd	1
ComboScoreRate	0.100000001

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 points threshold in each standard race and up to three of them can be earned by clearing specific goals in each bonus challenge. Furthermore, clearing each day the daily challenge will warrant a Grand Star, and 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.

They are used to unlock items in the cup bar of the course selection screen, namely cups and gifts. When the last gift will be obtained, coins will be rewarded in place of Grand Stars, and when a new tour starts, the Grand Stars obtained are reset to 0.

Rubies

Rubies are the main premium currency of Mario Kart Tour. Beside being bought with real life currency at the Shop, rubies can be obtained as daily login bonus, as player level up bonus, as part of tour gifts, as reward for the ranked cup and as reward for the Standard Challenges.

Rubies can be used in two different ways: to buy launch pipes and to play Coin Rush mode.

Launch pipes can shoot out a driver, kart or glider, all which have their own rarities. The pipe contains a determined amount of Normal, Super and High-End items, all of which are chosen randomly within their class and rarity, plus a featured driver, kart and glider. The items are not ordered, so each item, including the featured ones, can be potentially found in any placement within the pipe. 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. The player can reset the pipe at any moment. A new pipe is introduced each week and, since the Halloween Tour, the pipes last until the end of tour.

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), 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).

During the New Year's Tour, the amounts of the various items were changed. Rubies can also be spent in Coin Rush where the player can obtain a great amount 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 (although in the New York Tour, Gold Mario drove his respective Pipe Frame instead) is the regular driver. The Coins obtained from Coin Rush are multiplied by a certain number, depending on how many rubies a player has spent.

Coins multiplier	Rubies
2	5
6	15
10	25

Coins

Coins are collected during a race and rewarded for the amount of points obtained during said race, up to 300 per day. 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 yet.

Beside this main way of obtaining Coins, coins can also be obtained in Coin Rush and in several rewards, such as obtaining three Standard Challenges, Tour Challenges or Gold Challenges in a row, column or diagonal, in gifts, as daily login bonuses, as player level up bonuses, as rewards for ranked cup placement.

They are mainly used in the Daily Selects section of the Shop, which is renewed each day. The first row is available to all players and doesn't contain any Super or High-End item, the second row is available to player of level 7 and above and doesn't contain any High-End item, the third row is available to players of level 12 and above and can contain any item. When an item’s skill level is maxed out, the item is replaced with a Level-boost ticket of the same rarity and price. The first time an item’s skill level is maxed out, Level-boost tickets of all rarities and types become available as well, having the price of the corresponding item type and rarity.

Daily Selects' items
Item		Price
Item ticket		50
Point-boost ticket		100
Quick ticket		1,000
Normal	Kart or glider	500
	Driver	800
Super	Kart or glider	2,000
	Driver	3,000
High-End	Kart or glider	10,000
	Driver	12,000

Since the Paris Tour, in addition to tickets, only a subset of non-tour-exclusive items can be found as Daily Selects:

Type	Normal	Super	High-End
Drivers	Koopa Troopa, Dry Bones, Shy Guy, Baby Mario, Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, Baby Rosalina, Larry, Morton, Wendy, Iggy, Roy, Ludwig, Lemmy	Mario, Peach, Daisy, Yoshi, Bowser, Donkey Kong, Diddy Kong, Toad, Toadette	Metal Mario, Dry Bowser, Peachette
Karts	Pipe Frame, Birthday Girl, Biddybuggy, Cheep Charger, Koopa Dasher, Bullet Blaster, Landship, Mushmellow	Mach 8, Daytripper, Turbo Yoshi, Super Blooper, Barrel Train, Soda Jet, Flame Flyer	B Dasher, Badwagon
Gliders	Super Glider, Droplet Glider, Paper Glider, Parachute, Parafoil, BBIA Parafoil	Peach Parasol, Shell Parachute, Bob-omb Parafoil, Flower Glider	Gold Glider, Swooper

Multiplayer

Up to eight human players can play against each other online in multiplayer mode. They can either join a random lobby or create their own to play with friends. Courses come from cups from the current tour that rotate every 30 minutes.

Characters

New York Tour (Launch)

• Baby Mario
• Baby Peach
• Baby Daisy
• Koopa Troopa
• Shy Guy
• Dry Bones
• Mario
• Peach
• Yoshi
• Daisy
• Toad
• Toadette
• Bowser
• Donkey Kong
• Diddy Kong
• Metal Mario
• Peachette
• Pauline
• Mario (Musician)
• Dry Bowser

Tokyo Tour

• Baby Rosalina
• Iggy
• Larry
• Lemmy
• Ludwig
• Morton
• Roy
• Wendy
• Rosalina
• Bowser Jr.
• Wario
• Peach (Kimono)
• Mario (Hakama)

Halloween Tour

• Luigi
• Baby Luigi
• Waluigi
• King Boo
• King Boo (Luigi's Mansion)
• Rosalina (Halloween)

Paris Tour

• Toad (Pit Stop)
• Peach (Vacation)
• Shy Guy (Pastry Chef)

Winter Tour

• Black Shy Guy
• Mario (Santa)
• Pink Gold Peach

London Tour

• Red Koopa (Freerunning)
• Daisy (Holiday Cheer)
• Waluigi (Bus Driver)

Courses

In addition to the courses listed below, many alternate courses are also featured in the game; courses can have an "R" (Reverse) and/or "T" (Trick) variant. Courses marked with "R" are driven in backwards orientation; the track will have alterations if necessary to make this possible. Courses marked with "T" feature many additional ramps and trickable obstacles, and are otherwise the same.

New York Tour
(September 25, 2019 - October 9, 2019)

Mario Cup	Donkey Kong Cup	Yoshi Cup	Koopa Troopa Cup
New York Minute T	GCN Dino Dino Jungle	GCN Yoshi Circuit	N64 Koopa Troopa Beach
3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon	3DS Toad Circuit	3DS Daisy Hills	New York Minute
SNES Mario Circuit 1	3DS Rock Rock Mountain	3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon	3DS Rock Rock Mountain R
Ready, Set, Rocket Start	Ring Race	Do Jump Boosts	Big Reverse Race

Toad Cup	Peach Cup	Bowser Cup	Dry Bones Cup
3DS Toad Circuit	SNES Mario Circuit 1R	GBA Bowser's Castle 1	3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon T
3DS Shy Guy Bazaar	GCN Yoshi Circuit	GCN Dino Dino Jungle	SNES Mario Circuit 1
GCN Yoshi Circuit R	3DS Daisy Hills T	New York Minute R	3DS Rock Rock Mountain T
Goomba Takedown	Older Challenge	Do Jump Boosts	Steer Clear of Obstacles

Toadette Cup	Daisy Cup	Diddy Kong Cup	Baby Mario Cup
3DS Toad Circuit T	3DS Daisy Hills	N64 Koopa Troopa Beach R	SNES Mario Circuit 1 T
New York Minute R	GCN Dino Dino Jungle R	GBA Bowser's Castle 1	3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon R
GCN Dino Dino Jungle T	3DS Shy Guy Bazaar T	New York Minute	3DS Rock Rock Mountain
Vs. Mega Bowser	Ring Race	Smash Small Dry Bones	Goomba Takedown

Shy Guy Cup	Baby Peach Cup	Dry Bowser Cup	Metal Mario Cup
3DS Shy Guy Bazaar	3DS Daisy Hills R	GBA Bowser's Castle 1R	GCN Yoshi Circuit T
New York Minute R/T	3DS Shy Guy Bazaar R	N64 Koopa Troopa Beach T	3DS Toad Circuit R
GBA Bowser's Castle 1 T	N64 Koopa Troopa Beach	New York Minute T	New York Minute R/T
Steer Clear of Obstacles	Break Item Boxes	Ring Race	Vs. Mega Donkey Kong

Tokyo Tour
(October 9, 2019 - October 23, 2019)

Rosalina Cup	Lakitu Cup	Toad Cup	Peach Cup
Tokyo Blur T	3DS Neo Bowser City	3DS Shy Guy Bazaar	GCN Yoshi Circuit R
3DS Mario Circuit	SNES Mario Circuit 2	3DS Toad Circuit	SNES Rainbow Road
SNES Rainbow Road	GCN Yoshi Circuit	SNES Choco Island 2	3DS Mario Circuit
Ready, Set, Rocket Start	Ring Race	Do Jump Boosts	Break Items Boxes

Bowser Jr. Cup	Mario Cup	Baby Daisy Cup	Ludwig Cup
N64 Kalimari Desert	SNES Mario Circuit 2R	N64 Kalimari Desert T	3DS Shy Guy Bazaar R
Tokyo Blur	GCN Yoshi Circuit	3DS Toad Circuit	3DS Neo Bowser City
3DS Neo Bowser City R	Tokyo Blur R	3DS Mario Circuit R	N64 Kalimari Desert R
Big Reverse Race	Goomba Takedown	Do Jump Boosts	vs. Mega Ludwig

Toadette Cup	Larry Cup	Baby Rosalina Cup	Wendy Cup
SNES Mario Circuit 2T	3DS Rock Rock Mountain T	SNES Rainbow Road T	3DS Rock Rock Mountain
Tokyo Blur R	N64 Kalimari Desert	SNES Mario Circuit 2	SNES Choco Island 2
3DS Toad Circuit T	SNES Choco Island 2R	Tokyo Blur	3DS Shy Guy Bazaar T
Ring Race	Steer Clear of Obstacles	Smash Small Dry Bones	Break Item Boxes

Wario Cup	Daisy Cup	Dry Bowser Cup	Peachette Cup
SNES Choco Island 2T	3DS Mario Circuit T	3DS Neo Bowser City T	3DS Toad Circuit R
Tokyo Blur R/T	3DS Rock Rock Mountain	Tokyo Blur T	SNES Rainbow Road R
3DS Shy Guy Bazaar	GCN Yoshi Circuit T	3DS Rock Rock Mountain R	Tokyo Blur R/T
Glider Challenge	Goomba Takedown	Vs. Mega Dry Bowser	Do Jump Boosts

Items

Frenzy

Depending on the character and course they're 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 a Star 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 increased by a bonus depending on the rarity and skill level of the driver chosen.

The following is the base probability of a Frenzy used in the New Year's Tour, since only two laps are coded, three-sectioned tracks presumably reuse one of those two rows for one of its sections.

Base probability of a Frenzy
Position	1st	2nd	3rd	4th	5th	6th	7th	8th
First lap	5	6	7	9	13	15	18	22
Second lap	6	7	11	12	18	22	29	41

Item Box items

Items function mostly the same as in the previous installments in the series. As in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!, every character has their own special item that most other characters cannot get.

The game introduces eight new items to the series, being the Double Bob-ombs, the Bubbles, the Banana Barrels, the Mushroom Cannon, the Coin Box, the Dash Ring, the Bob-omb Cannon, and the Ice Flower, all of which are character-exclusive items.

Name	Description	Characters
Banana	"Don't let this one give you the slip! Your kart will spin out if you hit one. You can carry one behind your kart to protect yourself from a single attack."	All
Triple Bananas	"Three bananas revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to throw them all at once and they'll land all lined up in a nice, tidy row!"	Waluigi (Bus Driver)
Giant Banana	"Not only does this big banana spin out karts that hit it, but after being struck it breaks into three regular-sized Bananas. The only banana split you'll be sad to see!"	Donkey Kong, Morton Koopa Jr.
Green Shell	"Flies straight and crashes any kart it hits. Keep it behind your kart to protect yourself from a single attack."	All
Triple Green Shells	"Three Green Shells revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to throw all of them at once and they'll fly in a straight line."	Koopa Troopa, Dry Bones, Iggy Koopa, Lakitu
Red Shell	"Homes in on a kart in front of you and crashes whatever it hits. Keep it behind your kart to protect yourself from a single attack."	All
Spiny Shell	"Chases down the kart in 1st place, crashing through anyone it hits before reaching its target. This will make you regret being in 1st place! Or even near the kart in 1st place..."	All
Bowser's Shell	"This big ol' shell on loan from Bowser will crash any karts it hits and keep on going. It can only be thrown forward."	Bowser, Dry Bowser, Bowser Jr.
Bob-omb	"This will walk towards opponents who get too close, and then explode when it touches a kart or when some time has passed. Karts caught in its blast will crash."	All
Double Bob-ombs (new)	"Two Bob-ombs will revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to throw them both at once. Two is better than one, right?"	Shy Guy, Mario (Musician), Wario, Waluigi, Roy Koopa
Mushroom	"This classic item gives your kart a speed boost. Doesn't get much simpler than that!"	All
Triple Mushrooms	"Why use just one Mushroom when you can use three? Tap the screen to use them all at once for a longer-lasting speed boost."	Toad, Toadette
Mega Mushroom	"Increases your kart's size, allowing you to crash any opponents you hit. You'll return to regular size after some time or when you're hit by an item."	All
Bullet Bill	"Transforms you into a Bullet Bill for a set amount of time. You'll dash forward with all the power of a Bullet Bill and crash any opponents that you hit."	All
Blooper	"Squirts ink onto the karts in a higher position than yours, blinding the other drivers for a set amount of time. You can wipe the ink off by swiping the screen."	All
Lightning	"Calls down lightning to spin out your opponents and destroy the items they hold. Those struck will be smaller and slower for a set amount of time."	All
Fire Flower	"Three fireballs will revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to throw them all at once, spinning out any kart they hit. You're really burning up the track now!"	Mario, Metal Mario, Luigi, Mario (Santa), Red Koopa (Freerunning)
Boomerang Flower	"Tap the screen to throw a boomerang. Not only will it spin out any karts it hits, but it will collect any surrounding Coins for you, too."	Baby Mario, Baby Luigi, Larry Koopa, Toad (Pit Crew)
Ice Flower (new)	"Three balls of ice will revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to throw them all at once and they'll freeze any kart they hit, causing them to slide."	Penguin Luigi, Ice Mario (Super Mario Galaxy)
Super Horn	"The loudness of this horn will blow away any surrounding items and karts. It can repel Bloopers, and even Spiny Shells!"	All
Coin	"This gives you two Coins. It's used automatically once you pick it up."	All
Heart	"This protective Heart revolves around your kart for a set amount of time, shielding you from attacks. It will vanish upon taking damage. You can stack up to five at once."	Princess Peach, Princess Daisy, Wendy O. Koopa
Yoshi's Egg	"Homes in on the kart in front of you and crashes once it hits. Three more items will fly out when it breaks. It's the item that keeps on giving!"	Yoshi, Yoshi (species)
Birdo's Egg	"Homes in on the kart in front of you and crashes once it hits. Three more items will fly out when it breaks. It's the item that keeps on giving!"	Birdo
Bubble (new)	"Briefly envelops your kart and protects you from damage for a set time. While in the bubble, you will get a speed boost and float in the air. Watch out, because it will vanish upon taking damage!"	Baby Peach, Baby Daisy, Baby Rosalina, Lemmy Koopa
Banana Barrels (new)	"Arm your kart with two fully-loaded barrels of Bananas! Continually shoots out Bananas in front of your kart for a set time."	Diddy Kong
Mushroom Cannon (new)	"A cannon designed to resemble a Mushroom. Continually shoots out Mushrooms in front of your kart for a set time."	Peachette, Peach (Kimono), Shy Guy (Pastry Chef), Toad
Lucky Seven	"Seven items (Red Shell, Banana, Green Shell, Bob-omb, Super Horn, Mushroom, and Blooper) revolve around your kart. Tap the screen to use all seven items at once."	Pauline, King Boo, Daisy (Holiday Cheer)
Coin Box (new)	"A box with a golden sheen. Generates a large amount of Coins in front of your kart for a set time."	Mario (Hakama), Peach (Vacation), Pink Gold Peach, Pauline, Roving Racers
Dash Ring (new)	"Tosses out three rings in front of you along the track. Pass through them for a speed boost!"	Rosalina, Ludwig Von Koopa, Rosalina (Halloween), Peach (Wintertime)
Bob-omb Cannon (new)	"A dangerous cannon fueled by red-hot coals! Continually shoots out Bob-ombs in front of your kart for a set time."	King Boo (Luigi's Mansion), Black Shy Guy, Mario
Star	Makes the racer temporarily invincible. In this state, they receive a speed and acceleration boost, they can charge Mini-Turbos faster, they can go off-road without losing speed and can crash other racers and obstacles by driving into them.	All (Certain bonus challenges and Frenzy mode)

Inventory items

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

Name	Description
Coin	Coins gathered during races are used to purchase items and characters in the Shop. Only 300 coins can be obtained per day by racing. To obtain more coins once the cap has been reached, different means such as rewards or Coin Rush are needed.
Ruby	Special currency used to either play Coin Rush without an appropriate ticket, or fire the pipe containing drivers, karts and gliders.
Grand Star	Rewards for scores in races and challenges. The added total allows to participate in more cups and open presents in every Tour. If all the gifts have been opened during a Tour coins will be awarded instead of stars. Once the Tour ends, the total resets to zero.
Item ticket	Allows to get a free item chance during a race. Only one ticket is allowed to be used per race.
Star ticket	Grants a Grand Star.
Quick ticket	Subtracts a day out of the remaining time needed to unlock new cups on the Tour.
Coin Rush ticket	Allows the player to participate once on the Coin Rush mode of the current Tour without spending Rubies.
Point-boost ticket	Provides 50 experience points to the base Points awarded to the player by using a specific character, kart, or glider during the race. If the character, kart, or glider is already at maximum, no further Point-boost tickets can be used.
Level-boost ticket	Increases the skill level of a particular character, kart, or glider by one unit. The type of ticket must match the rarity. If a character, kart, or glider is already at level 6, no further Level-boost tickets can be used.

Hazards, obstacles, and other elements

The following table lists elements that slow racers down, crash them, offer them a Jump Boost and/or simply give them points when interacted with in a certain way.

Subjects	Locations	Description
Barrel	London Loop	An obstacle that breaks upon collision with a racer, slowing them down if they are not invincible or Mega. Barrels can also be destroyed from a distance with an offensive item.
Barrel Bomb	SNES Mario Circuit 1 (Goomba Takedown)	An explosive object that can be triggered by throwing a projectile or by driving into it. Upon exploding, a Barrel Bomb will also cause other Barrel Bombs within range to detonate and defeat any nearby Goombas. Some Barrel Bombs stand on the ground, while others float or fly using propellers.
	DS Luigi's Mansion (Goomba Takedown)
	DS DK Pass (Goomba Takedown)
	3DS Rock Rock Mountain (Steer Clear of Obstacles)
	3DS Neo Bowser City (Goomba Takedown)
Big Piranha Plant (ground)	GCN Yoshi Circuit (Steer Clear of Obstacles)	Piranha Plant variants found on the track. When a driver collides with a Big Piranha Plant, they spin out. Big Piranha Plants can be taken out by hitting them with an offensive item or by driving into them while invincible or Mega.
Big Piranha Plant (pipe)	SNES Choco Island 2T	Big Piranha Plants that reside in pipes behave like the Piranha Plants found on GCN Yoshi Circuit, lunging at racers who drive nearby. Those found in Paris Promenade 1 and its versions also periodically turn to a different direction. They can be hit with a shell, a Bob-omb, or driven into while invincible or Mega for points.
	SNES Ghost Valley 1R
	GCN Yoshi Circuit (Steer Clear of Obstacles)
	Paris Promenade 1
Bumper	DS Waluigi Pinball	An object that bounces metal balls and racers off when they collide with it. Some bumpers are stationary, while others move around in circles. Racers can get a Jump Boost by bouncing on top of a bumper, which is possible in DS Waluigi Pinball T after they drive off a ramp.
Chain Chomp	SNES Mario Circuit 2T	A large chained enemy that lunges towards racers who drive past it, turning them over if it reaches them. The Chain Chomp can be taken out by touching it while in an invincible state.
	London Loop
Chain Chomp	3DS Rainbow Road	A large obstacle that rolls around in circles. They are found on the planet portion of the racetrack and flip drivers over when they roll into them. Chomps can be taken out with a Bowser's Shell or by driving into them while invincible or Mega.
Cheep Cheep	3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon	Fish that swim around in a body of water. Cheep Cheeps usually swim out of the racers' reach, but if a racer bumps into a Cheep Cheep, they lose some speed.
Clampy	3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon	An oyster enemy that periodically opens and closes their valves to reveal objects such as coins and Item Boxes that racers can drive into to collect. If a Clampy closes its valves in on a racer, it will flip them over.
Crate	London Loop	An object that slows down any racer that collides with it. When hit, crates break and release an item such as a Banana or Mushroom.
Festive tree	Every course in the Winter Tour, London Tour, and Holiday Tour	A background element that gives bonus points when hit with a shell or a Bob-omb or by driving into them while invincible or Mega.
Flipper	DS Waluigi Pinball	An object that sends metal balls in another direction when they collide with it. Racers that drive into a flipper will crash.
Flying Shy Guy	3DS Shy Guy Bazaar	Shy Guys that use magic carpets to fly around. Flying Shy Guys appear above the glider section. Colliding with a Flying Shy Guy will cause racers to simply lose speed.
Goat	3DS Daisy Hills	Obstacles that spin racers around when driven into. They walk around the track slowly. They can be taken out using any offensive item or by touching them while invincible.
Goomba	Any course where a Goomba Takedown challenge takes place	Short enemies that stand in the racers' way or walk left and right. They can be taken out with an offensive item or by simply driving into them, although the latter will also cause the racer to spin out if they are not in an invincible or Mega state. They can also be defeated by landing on them while gliding or after driving off a ramp, which gives the racer a Jump Boost.
	GCN Yoshi Circuit (Do Jump Boosts)
	DS Waluigi Pinball (Steer Clear of Obstacles)
	DS DK Pass (Do Jump Boosts)
	3DS Toad Circuit R
	3DS Mario Circuit
	Tokyo Blur 1 (Do Jump Boosts)
	Paris Promenade 1
Goomba Tower	SNES Mario Circuit 1 (Goomba Takedown)	A stack of Goombas that can be defeated the same way as an individual Goomba. If the Goomba at the bottom of a tower is defeated, all of the ones above it will collapse and be defeated as well.
	SNES Ghost Valley 1 (Goomba Takedown)
	SNES Choco Island 2 (Goomba Takedown)
	SNES Rainbow Road (Goomba Takedown)
	DS Luigi's Mansion (Goomba Takedown)
	3DS Shy Guy Bazaar (Goomba Takedown)
	3DS Neo Bowser City (Goomba Takedown)
Hot-air balloon	N64 Koopa Troopa Beach R	An obstacle that floats in one place. They cause racers who glide into them to bounce back. However, if a racer lands on top of a hot air balloon, they receive a Jump Boost.
	GCN Yoshi Circuit (Glider Challenge)
	DS DK Pass (Do Jump Boosts)
	3DS Daisy Hills
	3DS Rock Rock Mountain R
	Paris Promenade 1
Jar/Snake jar	3DS Shy Guy Bazaar	An object found on the track. Jars will break upon collision with an item or a racer. Running into a jar will slow the racer down if they are not in an invincible or Mega state. Some jars, referred to as snake jars, move around and release Cobrats when broken.
Jump Boost field	3DS Rainbow Road R	An upward force that gives drivers a Jump Boost.
Kadomatsu	Every course in the New Year's Tour	A background element that gives bonus points when hit with a shell or a Bob-omb or by driving into them while invincible or Mega.
Lava Bubble	GBA Bowser's Castle 1	An obstacle that jumps out of lava at regular intervals, in gaps that racers must jump over. They cause any player who collides with them to spin out.
Magic carpet	3DS Shy Guy Bazaar (Do Jump Boosts)	Magic carpets that are not used by Flying Shy Guys can be found floating in one place in mid-air. When a racer lands on a magic carpet, they bounce off it while receiving a Jump Boost.
Metal ball	DS Waluigi Pinball	A large rolling obstacle. Metal balls are first seen in the background of the track, traversing the pinball machine that the course is set on. Once they reach the pinball table section, they are bounced around by bumpers and flippers, crashing any racer that collides with them. They can be taken out with a Bowser's Shell or by driving into them while invincible or Mega.
Mushroom Trampoline	SNES Rainbow Road R/T	A large mushroom that racers can bounce off of to receive a Jump Boost.
	3DS Mario Circuit
	3DS Rainbow Road
Noshi	GCN Dino Dino Jungle	A sauropod that plows its big feet on the track. Racers caught under a foot are squashed. When on the ground, the feet also act as walls that bounce racers back. If a racer lands on top of a Noshi while gliding, they get a Jump Boost.
	N64 Koopa Troopa Beach T
	Tokyo Blur 1R/T
Oil slick	SNES Mario Circuit 2	An obstacle that causes any racer who drives into it to spin out. It cannot be removed, but can be driven over safely if the racer is in an invincible state.
	SNES Mario Circuit 3
Pipe	SNES Mario Circuit 1	An obstacle that slows down any racer who collides with it. Pipes are spread on the track, usually in off-road sections, and can be taken out by driving into them while in an invincible state. Piranha Plants commonly occupy pipes. Some pipes exhale upward currents which can be used to maintain gliding drivers in the air while offering them a Jump Boost.
	SNES Ghost Valley 1R
	SNES Mario Circuit 2
	SNES Mario Circuit 3
	SNES Choco Island 2T
	GCN Yoshi Circuit
	DS Luigi's Mansion (Glider Challenge)
	3DS Toad Circuit
	3DS Daisy Hills
	3DS Shy Guy Bazaar (Do Jump Boosts)
	DS Mario Circuit
	Paris Promenade 1
Piranha Plant (ground)	SNES Choco Island 2	A passive type of Piranha Plant that resides on the ground, always facing its head upward. Racers that drive into one will spin out. This type of Piranha Plant can be taken out by hitting it with an offensive item or by driving into it while invincible.
Piranha Plant (pipe)	GCN Yoshi Circuit	An enemy that attacks passer-by racers by lunging at them from its pipe. Racers that are hit by a Piranha Plant spin out. Pipe Piranha Plants can be taken out by using a Bob-omb on them or by driving into them while invincible.
Puddle	3DS Neo Bowser City	An obstacle that, like oil slicks, causes drivers to spin out. Puddles do not affect invincible racers.
Rolling rock	3DS Rock Rock Mountain	A large obstacle that rolls down the track's steep incline section. They come from the cliffs on the left and right sides of the incline in an alternative fashion. Colliding with rolling rocks cause racers to be crushed or to spin out. However, rolling rocks will be destroyed once they hit a wall or a racer who is invincible.
Sidestepper	N64 Koopa Troopa Beach	A crab enemy that paces from side to side across a track. When a racer comes into contact with a Sidestepper, they will spin out. Sidesteppers can be taken out with any offensive item or by driving into them while invincible.
	3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon
Snow block	SNES Vanilla Lake 1	A block that knocks racers away when crashed into and disappears.
Snowball	DS DK Pass	A large obstacle that rolls down a portion of the track. If a racer is hit by a snowball, they crash. Snowballs can be destroyed with a Bowser's Shell or by touching them while invincible or Mega.
Snowperson	DS DK Pass	An obstacle that stays in one place. Racers can drive through and destroy them, although this also slows them down if they are not in an invincible or Mega state, or they do not use a Mushroom. Snowpeople will also break if they are hit with an offensive item.
	N64 Frappe Snowland
Star Ring	SNES Rainbow Road R/T	An object that gives drivers a boost and several points when passed through.
	3DS Rainbow Road
Star Thwomp	SNES Rainbow Road	An obstacle that repeatedly falls down on the track and rises back, creating ripples that racers can perform Jump Boosts on. Racers that touch a Star Thwomp will crash.
	3DS Rainbow Road (Glider Challenge)
Swoop	3DS Rock Rock Mountain	Swoops are bats that fly in rows along a certain portion of a track, usually coming the opposite way of racers. Racers that bump into a Swoop will simply lose speed.
	Tokyo Blur 1R/T
Thwomp	GBA Bowser's Castle 1	An obstacle that falls down on the track repeatedly, squashing any drivers caught underneath. If a racer drives into a Thwomp, they lose some speed. When a racer drives off a ramp and lands on a Thwomp, they get a Jump Boost. Thwomps can be taken out with a Bowser's Shell, a Bob-omb, or by driving into them while invincible or Mega.
Traffic cone	SNES Mario Circuit 1R	An object that gets knocked away when bumped into, giving bonus points to the racer.
	SNES Mario Circuit 1R/T
	GBA Bowser's Castle 1R
	DS DK Pass (Do Jump Boosts)
	3DS Toad Circuit
	3DS Daisy Hills R
	3DS Rock Rock Mountain
	3DS Neo Bowser City R
	3DS Rainbow Road R
	New York Minute 1R
	Paris Promenade 1
Train	N64 Kalimari Desert	Trains cross the track in front of racers. If a racer drives into a train, they will be thrown to the other side while receiving a Jump Boost.
Walking Tree	DS Luigi's Mansion	An obstacle that shuffles from side to side on the track. If a racer drives into one, they lose speed.
Water Geyser	New York Minute 1	A hazard that periodically spouts a column of water. Racers caught by the water are sprung high into the air and receive a Jump Boost. In New York Minute 1, water erupts from underneath manhole covers, while in GCN Dino Dino Jungle they emerge from raised cracks in the road. Jump Boosts can be performed when driving over the cracks, while they are only performed over manhole covers when they are shaking.
	New York Minute 2
	GCN Dino Dino Jungle
GCN Yoshi Circuit	A stationary obstacle that can be destroyed by driving through it. This also causes a racer to spin out unless they use a Mushroom to dash through it or are in an invincible state. In GCN Yoshi Circuit and Paris Promenade 1, wooden cutouts are made to resemble Piranha Plants, while in SNES Ghost Valley 1 and DS Luigi's Mansion, they resemble Boos.
Paris Promenade 1
Wooden cutout		SNES Ghost Valley 1
		DS Luigi's Mansion

Cameo appearances

The following are only seen as background or intangible elements.

Subject	Location	Description
Boo	SNES Ghost Valley 1	Boos appear and disappear above courses. In DS Luigi's Mansion, they also appear on paintings which they occasionally stretch out of.
	DS Luigi's Mansion
Cobrat	3DS Shy Guy Bazaar	Cobrats are snakes that come out of snake jars upon breaking them.

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, this rule does not apply for some challenges, all Big Reverse Races, and all Vs. Mega (opponent) challenges.

		New York	Tokyo	Halloween	Paris	Winter	London	Holiday	New Year's	Ice	Valentine's
Ready, Set, Rocket Start	"Pull off a Rocket Start!"	1	1						1
Time Trial	"Go for your best time!"			3	3	3	3	2	1	2	2
Ring Race	"Clear (number) rings."	3	2	2	3	2	2	2	2	2	2
Do Jump Boosts	"Do (number) Jump Boosts."	2	3	3	2	2	2	1	2	2	2
Big Reverse Race	"Aim for 1st!"	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Goomba Takedown	"Hit (number) Goombas."	2	2	1	3	2	3	2	2	1	2
Glider Challenge	"Glide at least (distance)."	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Steer Clear of Obstacles	"Don't crash!"	2	1	1	1	2	1	2	1	2	1
Break Item Boxes	"Hit (number) Item Boxes."	1	2	1	1	2	2	2	2	2	2
Smash Small Dry Bones	"Smash (number) opponents."	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1	1
Vs. Mega (opponent)	"Aim for 1st!"	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2	2
Combo Attack	"Keep the combo going!"							2	2	2	2

Challenges

Challenges are objectives the player can complete to earn various badges and rewards depending on the type, of which there are three: Standard Challenges, long-term challenges the player accomplishes throughout the course of the game; and Tour and Gold Challenges, challenges that last for the duration of the tour, the latter of which are exclusive to Gold Pass members. Completing Standard Challenges awards the player with rubies, while Tour and Gold Challenges award extra Grand Stars. 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 50 Coins (100 Coins for Standard Challenges). The player also receives a reward upon completing an entire challenge card. For the tour-specific challenges, see List of tours in Mario Kart Tour.

Apple Store demo

The special demo of Mario Kart Tour is made playable at Apple Store outlets and kiosks. Unlike the full consumer version, only three cups are available, the menu and Coin Rush mode are inaccessible, and points cannot be saved when the player quits the app.

Toad Cup	New York Minute	3DS Toad Circuit	N64 Koopa Troopa Beach	Do Jump Boosts Yoshi, New York Minute
Mario Cup	Tokyo Blur	3DS Cheep Cheep Lagoon	3DS Rock Rock Mountain	Goomba Takedown Mario, Tokyo Blur
Peach Cup	Paris Promenade	3DS Daisy Hills	3DS Shy Guy Bazaar	Vs. Mega Bowser Any character, Paris Promenade

There are only 10 playable characters, 7 karts, and 6 gliders available in the demo.

Updates

The following is a list of updates the game has received since launch.

Version 1.0.2

Release date: October 3rd 2019

• The game may become unplayable if a nickname is not entered when linking a Nintendo Account.
• Certain players may encounter error code 805-9314 after linking a Nintendo Account and become unable to play the game.
• The game may become unplayable when players transition to the main screen after the game starts up.
• Other minor issues.

Version 1.1.0

Release date: October 16, 2019

• You can now view a list of badges you have obtained.
• You can now check the points required to get Grand Stars, the number of Grand Stars, and your current best score on the screen for courses and bonus challenges.
• Addressed known issues.

Specific/unlisted changes

• CPU drivers are now able to use item frenzies during a race.
• The "FINISH!" label for cups that have been finished, but not yet fully completed has been changed to "CLEARED!"
• On the final race results screen after the base point increases, and when using point-boost tickets, the player can tap the screen to proceed through the animations faster.
• Selecting a challenge on a challenge card highlights it with a yellow frame.

Version 1.1.1

Release date: October 23, 2019

Addressed known issues.

Version 1.2.0

Release date: November 17, 2019

• Adjusted race controls.
  • (A button has been added to the bottom of the screen that allows a player to drift or steer depending on the Manual Drift setting. The rearview mirror button has been relocated to the bottom-right of the screen.)
  • (A player can now perform Ultra-Mini Turbos even when Manual Drift is off by using the drift button. Using the steer button with Manual Drift on does not allow Ultra-Mini Turbos.)

• Added a list of tickets you currently have. (A player can now see the inventory of tickets at a glance by tapping Tickets in the Menu.)
• You can now earn bonus points for finishing a race in Frenzy mode. (A "Frenzy Finish" action has been added.)

Specific/unlisted changes

• The FAQ text describing how long Gold Pass benefits remain valid has been changed from "until 06:00 UTC" into "until the daily reset (06:00 UTC)".
• The names for New York Minute, Tokyo Blur, and Paris Promenade have been changed into New York Minute 1, Tokyo Blur 1, and Paris Promenade 1 respectively.
• "Badge" on the menu has been corrected to "Badges".
• The tires of the Pink Mushmellow were changed to a lighter shade of pink.

Version 1.2.1

Release date: November 18, 2019 (Android)

Addressed known issues.

Specific/unlisted changes

• This update fixed an issue in version 1.2.0 where the game would not start in Android versions.

Version 1.4.0

Release date: December 11, 2019

• You can now see more information about other players in your ranking tier, including the driver they are using.
• Adjusted how the ranking announcement and menu screens are displayed.

Specific/unlisted changes

• Along with the driver being used by other players in the same ranking tier, the kart, glider, and score for each course are now visible.
• Multiplayer is no longer darkened with "Inbound!" in front of it. Currently, it is under maintenance.
• Certain icons appear next to drivers, kart, and gliders that have not been unlocked yet indicating whether they are available as a spotlight (a green pipe icon), as a Gold Gift (a Gold Pass icon), or a special offer in the Shop (a pink starburst icon), similar to the existing Shop icon.
• Coin Rush is selectable in the Shop under Daily Selects.

Version 1.4.1

Release date: December 12, 2019

Improved various features.
Addressed known issues.

Version 1.6.0

Release date: January 20, 2020

Addressed known issues.

Differences from previous Mario Kart games

• This is the first Mario Kart game where every character is unlockable.
• The number of racers has reverted back to eight, like in all games up to Mario Kart DS and in Mario Kart 7.
• Aside from 3DS Rainbow Road, all races consist of two laps as opposed to the usual three.
• Racers, karts, and gliders can be leveled up.
  • The music continues from where it leaves off and increases by four tones after the final lap fanfare plays, instead of restarting at only one tone higher like in past games. This only doesn't apply to 3DS Rainbow Road, which reuses its final lap music from Mario Kart 7.
• The Lakitu referee does not appear at all throughout the race.
• Stars are not obtainable from regular item boxes.
• For the first time since Super Mario Kart, Triple Red Shells are absent.
• This is the first Mario Kart game since Mario Kart: Super Circuit to have numbered Nitro courses (e.g. Mario Circuit 3 or Tokyo Blur 2).
• For the first time since Mario Kart: Super Circuit, the Golden Mushroom is absent, being functionally replaced by the Mushroom frenzy.
• Multiple items can be received from a single item box.
• So far, there are no retro tracks from Mario Kart Wii or Mario Kart 8 in this game, making it the first Mario Kart title since Mario Kart: Super Circuit!! to not feature retro tracks from every previous Mario Kart entry (excluding games lacking retro tracks overall).
• This is the first Mario Kart game to lack losing themes and character losing animations. If the player finishes 5th or lower, the 2nd-4th place theme will play and no animation will be performed.

Development

Mario Kart Tour was announced in January 2018 by Nintendo's president and CEO, Tatsumi Kimishima, during an investor meeting. The game was later announced to have been delayed to summer 2019 during the January 2019 financial report.

In late April 2019, Nintendo launched beta signups for the game with a closed beta happening from May 22 to June 4. The beta is limited to Android devices for users in the United States and Japan with Nintendo Accounts linked to their Gmail account.

Reception

Initial impressions of the beta have been mixed. Journalists have praised the gameplay and graphics, but have criticized the free-to-play gacha elements of the game. Sam Machkovech of Ars Technica has compared the game's in-app purchases to Spiny Shells, blowing up the classic Mario Kart experience. He has 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." Ethan Gach of Kotaku has 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 lamenting the lack of a multiplayer mode. Steven Asarch of Newsweek has complained about the game's "freemium greed" and that it is "ruined by microtransactions".

As of October 11, 2019, Mario Kart Tour received mixed reviews, with a Metacritic Metascore of 59. While on whatoplay.com, its iOS release received an aggregate score of 7.82 based on 15 critics and 802,836 gamers while the android release of the game gets an aggregate score of 7.30 based on 17 critics and 1.53 million android gamers.

Pre-release and unused content

The beta version of the game saw multiple changes in the final game. 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.

References to other games

• Donkey Kong - Portions of this game can be seen in Times Square's screens in New York Minute 1 and New York Minute 2.
• Super Mario Kart - Mario Circuit 1, Ghost Valley 1, Mario Circuit 2, Mario Circuit 3, Choco Island 2, Vanilla Lake 1, and Rainbow Road appear as returning courses. The tires resembling the tires from this game returns as the Pipe Frame's assigned tires, as well as other certain karts with these tires. Also, one of Princess Peach's artworks from this game is reused for the "Dash Panel Plus" Special Skill icon.
• Mario Kart 64 - Koopa Troopa Beach, Kalimari Desert, and Frappe Snowland appear as returning courses. The results theme is an arrangement of the winning results theme from this game.
• Mario Kart: Super Circuit - Bowser Castle 1 appears as a returning course.
• Mario Kart: Double Dash!! - Special Items return. Yoshi Circuit and Dino Dino Jungle appear as returning courses. The Turbo Yoshi, Turbo Birdo, Koopa Dasher, Para-Wing, Bullet Blaster, and DK Jumbo return as karts. Birdo's voice clips are reused.
• Mario Kart DS - Luigi's Mansion, Waluigi Pinball, and DK Pass appear as returning courses. The Poltergust 4000, Streamliner, Royale, and Mushmellow return as karts. Challenges with unique objectives return as the fourth and final race in every cup.
• Mario Party 8 - Dry Bones's artwork is reused from this game.
• Super Mario Galaxy - Ice Mario appears as a playable variant. Bowser Jr.'s artwork is reused from this game.
• Mario Party DS - Diddy Kong's artwork is reused from this game.
• Mario Super Sluggers - Black Shy Guy and Pink Shy Guy's artworks are based off of Shy Guy's artwork from this game.
• Mario Kart Wii - The Wild Wing, Daytripper, Super Blooper, Cheep Charger, and Flame Flyer return as karts. The jingle that plays when earning a High-End kart, glider, racer, or level-boost ticket is recreated. Diddy Kong and Birdo's voice clips are reused.
• New Super Mario Bros. Wii - Peach's artwork is reused from this game. Penguin Luigi appears as a playable character.
• Mario Kart 7 - Toad Circuit, Daisy Hills, Cheep Cheep Lagoon, Shy Guy Bazaar, Mario Circuit, Rock Rock Mountain, Neo Bowser City, and Rainbow Road appear as returning courses. SNES Rainbow Road retains its retro course design from this game. Daisy's artwork is an updated version of her artwork from this game. The Birthday Girl, Soda Jet, Cloud 9, Bumble V, Zucchini, Bruiser, and Blue Seven return as karts, and the Barrel Train retains its design from this game. The Swooper returns as a glider. Various tire parts return retaining their design, which are only assigned to certain karts. The Lucky Seven reappears as a Special Item. The rankings screen uses the theme used in Local Multiplayer from this game. Metal Mario's voice clips are reused. Lakitu and Metal Mario's artworks are also reused from this game.
• Mario Party 9 - Birdo's artwork is reused from this game. Birdo's (Light Blue's) artwork is based off of Birdo's artwork.
• Mario Party: Island Tour - Luigi's artwork is reused from this game.
• Mario Kart 8 - Many characters' animations and voice clips are reused from this game. Metal Mario's voice clips are reused exclusively for Gold Mario. Yoshi Circuit retains its retro course design from this game. The flying train seen in N64 Rainbow Road returns in the Ring Race challenge set in 3DS Rainbow Road. The Mach 8, Badwagon, Biddybuggy, Landship, Circuit Special, P-Wing, and Prancer return as karts, and the Pipe Frame and B Dasher retains its design from this game. The Parafoil, Peach Parasol, Flower Glider, Wario Wing, and Cloud Glider return as gliders, retaining their design from this game. Various tire parts return retaining their design. The Boomerang Flower and Super Horn return as items. The courses from this game are referenced in advertisements and badges, including Toad Harbor, Sunshine Airport, and Mount Wario.
• Mario Party 10 - Yoshi, Bowser, Toad, Waluigi, and Toadette's artworks are reused from this game. Red Yoshi's artwork is based off of Yoshi's artwork 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 recycled from this game.
• Super Mario Odyssey - Mario (Musician), Mario (Santa), and Mario (Happi) use Mario's Musician outfit, Santa outfit, and Happi outfit respectively from this game. The Yellow Taxi is based on the taxis from this game. Pauline's voice clips reference her singing from this game. Peach (Vacation) and Peach (Wintertime) use her post-game "tourist" outfits from this game. The red and gold Roving Racers appear as playable characters as Red Koopa (Freerunning) and Gold Koopa (Freerunning) respectively. 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 Cap and Cascade Kingdoms.
• Mario Party: The Top 100 - Rosalina and Wario's artworks are reused from this game.
• Super Mario Party - Donkey Kong's artwork is reused from this game.
• Mario Tennis Aces - Pauline's kart emblem is reused from this game.
• New Super Mario Bros. U Deluxe - Peachette appears as a playable character with her Emblem being a Super Crown; as a result, her artwork is reused from this game.

References in later games

• Luigi's Mansion 3 - King Boo (Luigi's Mansion) uses King Boo's design from this game.

External links

• Official website
• App Store page
• Google Play page