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

kaostheory777 Avatar
71 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)
grobik Avatar
71 months ago
Where’s the Apple TV version?
Score: 2 Votes (Like | Disagree)
farewelwilliams Avatar
71 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)
bbednarz Avatar
71 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)
Juiceboy Avatar
71 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
71 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)

Popular Stories

iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Launching Later This Year With These 10 New Features

Sunday March 23, 2025 10:00 am PDT by
While the iPhone 17 Pro and iPhone 17 Pro Max are not expected to launch until September, there are already plenty of rumors about the devices. Below, we recap key changes rumored for the iPhone 17 Pro models as of March 2025: Aluminum frame: iPhone 17 Pro models are rumored to have an aluminum frame, whereas the iPhone 15 Pro and iPhone 16 Pro models have a titanium frame, and the iPhone ...
macbook pro blue green

When Will Apple Release the M5 MacBook Pro?

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:53 pm PDT by
Apple regularly refreshes the MacBook Pro models, and a new version that uses M5 series chips is in the works. Apple just finished refreshing most of the Mac lineup with M4 chips, and now it's time for the M5. Rumors suggest that we could see the first M5 MacBook Pro models this fall. Design There have been no rumors of a design update for the M5 MacBook Pro models that are coming this...
Apple Lumon Terminal Pro

Apple's Mac Site Features Fictional 'Lumon Terminal Pro'

Wednesday March 26, 2025 12:19 pm PDT by
Apple is going all out with promotions for the popular Severance Apple TV+ show today, and as of right now, you'll find a new "Lumon Terminal Pro" listed on Apple's Mac site. The Lumon Terminal Pro is designed to look similar to the machines that Severance employees like Mark S. and Helly R. use for macrodata refinement. The Terminal features a blue keyboard, a small display with wide...
Facebook Feature

Facebook's New iPhone App Feature Turns the Clock Back to 2007

Thursday March 27, 2025 1:59 pm PDT by
In the mid-to-late 2000s, Facebook was all about staying connected with friends and family. However, as the social media platform added new features and grew over time, that core experience began to get drowned out. That changes starting now, according to Meta, which today introduced a new feature that will "bring back the joy" of classic Facebook. Specifically, Meta has redesigned the...
Generic iOS 18

iOS 18.4 Coming Soon With These New Features for Your iPhone

Tuesday March 25, 2025 6:45 am PDT by
Apple is expected to release iOS 18.4 to the general public as soon as next week, following more than a month of beta testing. Apple's website says some iOS 18.4 features will be released in "early April," so the update should be out as early as Tuesday, April 1. Apple this week seeded the iOS 18.4 Release Candidate, which is typically the final beta version, barring the discovery of any...
iPhone 17 Pro 34ths Perspective

iPhone 17 Pro Supports 8K Video Recording, Suggests Leaker [Updated]

Wednesday March 26, 2025 4:06 am PDT by
Update 7:25 pm: Based on comments from our forums, it appears the original Weibo post may have been mistranslated and "8K" actually refers to the high price of the device rather than 8K video recording capabilities. The iPhone 16 Pro currently starts at 7,999 yuan in China. Our original article follows below. Apple's forthcoming iPhone 17 Pro models are capable of shooting 8K video, up...
Foldable iPhone 2023 Feature 1

'iPhone Fold' to Feature Metallic Glass Hinge That Resists Deformation

Thursday March 27, 2025 4:21 am PDT by
Last week, we covered a report claiming that Apple's book-style foldable iPhone (or "iPhone Fold," as we are provisionally calling it here) will use liquid metal hinges to improve durability and help minimize screen creasing. Today, a Chinese leaker provided more details on the properties of this hinge material that help to clarify why Apple chose it for its first foldable device. According...
iOS 18 4 Ambient Music Control Center

How to Use iOS 18.4's New Ambient Music Feature in Control Center

Thursday March 27, 2025 7:45 am PDT by
The upcoming iOS 18.4 update for the iPhone adds an Ambient Music feature to Control Center. Below, we take a closer look at how it works. iOS 18.4 is currently in beta, so the Ambient Music feature is not widely available yet. The update will likely be released to the general public next week. To use the feature on iOS 18.4, open Control Center and tap on the plus sign in the top-left...
Generic iOS 19 Feature Mock

Gurman: Jon Prosser's iOS 19 Mockups 'Aren't Representative' of Redesign

Tuesday March 25, 2025 4:47 pm PDT by
The iOS 19 mockup images that leaker Jon Prosser shared today are not representative of the actual iOS 19 design, Bloomberg's Mark Gurman said on social media. According to Gurman, the images that are "floating around" are based on "very old builds" or "vague descriptions," and are lacking key features. Gurman says that we can "expect more from Apple in June." Gurman made the same comment ...