Mario Kart Tour

Mario Kart Tour 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, 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 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 previous Mario mobile games, a Nintendo Account is required to be playable.

On March 2, 2020, Nintendo announced that multiplayer would officially be implemented into the game on March 8, 2020, 8:00 p.m. (PT). Prior to this, 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 players, regardless of having a Gold Pass subscription or not, 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.

Gameplay
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 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 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, fewer 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 450 experience points for the 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.

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 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 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 the player can play depends on the tour, which changes every two weeks. Starting with the Baby Rosalina Tour, each tour has twelve 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.

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

 * See also: Mario Kart Tour race points system

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 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 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:

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 New Year's Tour.

The engine class affect 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 apparently depends on the combo counter, as shown by this combo-related data:

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. Besides being bought with real-life currency at the Shop, rubies can be obtained as daily login bonuses, as a player level up bonus, as part of tour gifts, as a reward for the ranked cup, and as a reward for the Standard Challenges.

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

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.

Besides the 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 and as rewards for ranked cup placements and friend ranking.

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 (although in the New York Tour, Gold Mario drove his respective Pipe Frame instead). The coins obtained from Coin Rush are multiplied by a certain number, depending on how many rubies a player has spent.

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

Banners
On the top of the menu, players can purchase special offers or subscribe to the Gold Pass.

Shop
The shop consists of three different sections.

Pipes
Pipes can shoot out a driver, kart or glider, all of which have their own rarities. A 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. Usually, the pipe contains the following items:

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:

During the Valentine's Tour, the amounts of the various items were changed just for Valentine's Pipe 2 due to having two spotlight drivers and no spotlight karts or gliders:

During the Mario Bros. Tour, the amounts of the various items were changed. These pipes hold 50 items instead of 100, and feature Super Spotlights for the first time:

During the Baby Rosalina Tour, the amounts of the various items were changed, with 50 items instead of 100 again. Baby Rosalina Pipe 1 contained these items:

Baby Rosalina Pipe 2 contained these items: In the Hammer Bro Tour, the pipe held 100 items again instead of 50 and held these items:

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 last row is 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. 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.

Since the Paris Tour, in addition to tickets, only a subset of non-tour-exclusive items can be found as Daily Selects. The listed items are most Normal items from the Tokyo Tour and most items from the New York Tour, and have not yet been changed.

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

Challenges
Challenges are objectives the player can complete to earn various badges and rewards depending on the type, of which there are four: Standard Challenges, long-term challenges the player accomplishes throughout the course of the game, Multiplayer Challenges (added in Baby Rosalina Tour), which are challenges for multiplayer mode, 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 and Multiplayer 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.

The following are the Multiplayer and Standard Challenges in the game. For the tour-specific challenges, see List of tours in Mario Kart Tour.

Friends
The player can become in-game friends with other players.

Since the Baby Rosalina Tour, an award is given to the player if the combined total cup points of the week's ranked cup of the player and all their friends reaches a certain amount.

News
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.

Multiplayer


Multiplayer mode was added to Mario Kart Tour on March 8, 2020, where up to eight human players can play against each other. There are three modes available: a mode to play with friends or other players nearby; Standard Races, a mode where the player competes against random players from around the world; and Gold Races, a mode exclusive to Gold Pass members where the player competes against other members. Players race against each other in three courses in a chosen cup of the current tour; the cup changes every 15 minutes. In the "With Friends or Others Nearby" mode, the player can set the rules themselves, including the engine class, number of item slots, and inclusion of CPU racers.

In Standard Races, there are two sets of rules that interchange daily: 100cc with default item slots, and 100cc with two item slots. In Gold Races, there are four: 150cc with default item slots, 150cc with two item slots, 200cc with default item slots, and 200cc with one item slot. In both of these modes, there is also a grade system for players that changes depending on their performance. The grades range from F to A (S then S+1 to S+6 in Gold Races).

Badges
The player can collect badges by completing challenges. 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 for other players next to their username.

Gifts
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 14 days.

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. R/T, or reverse/trick variants, feature the elements of both reverse and trick courses.

Tours
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 track in it increased by one tier. The following tables list the courses that make an appearance in each tour; "N" indicates a normal course, "R" a reversed course, "T" a trick course, and "R/T" a reversed trick course. Tracks in gray debuted during the respective tour. Click on a cup's icon to access the article of that cup.

New York Tour


Tokyo Tour


Halloween Tour


Paris Tour


Winter Tour


London Tour


Holiday Tour


New Year's Tour


Ice Tour


Valentine's Tour


Vancouver Tour


Mario Bros. Tour


Baby Rosalina Tour


Hammer Bro Tour


Yoshi Tour


Drivers



 * For the tables to convert the Level shown here in the actual statistics used by the game, see Mario Kart Tour in-game statistics.

There are currently 74 playable characters (75 if including Gold Mario, who appears exclusively in the Coin Rush mode) in Mario Kart Tour. Upon launching the game for the first time, players start with either Toad, Toadette, or Peachette. After the tutorial they are granted a free pipe pull which grants either Peach, Bowser, Metal Mario or Dry Bowser. Unlike other Mario Kart games, characters are sorted by their rarity of unlocking them, via opening up randomized green or gold pipes with rubies. There are three tiers of rarity: Normal, Super, and High-End. While the Normal characters are easier to unlock, rarer characters have a greater amount of starting points and have more favored courses. Once players clear the tutorial, they are rewarded with a random Super-class character.

So far, the only changes in the main statistics that were found affect acceleration and weight, and depend on the kart size.

Below is a list of all drivers in the game grouped by rarity, displaying the special item, kart size, date of availability and favored tracks, as well as traits, for each driver. Traits, such as a mustache, extended tongue, or shell, may be shared between drivers. Some challenges in the game require the player to perform a certain action or a number of actions using any driver with a certain trait.

Regular
These characters can be obtained from any tour.

Tour-exclusive (Gold Pass / special offer)
The character below can be obtained during a certain tour as a tour gift, but only for players with a Gold Pass subscription; or as part of a special offer pack.

Tour-exclusive (special offer)
The character below can be obtained during a certain tour as part of a special offer pack.

Tour-exclusive (spotlight)
These characters can/could only be obtained during certain tours from a spotlight pipe.

Other
The following karts were revealed in the game's trailers:
 * Prancer

The following kart was present in the game's beta, but is currently unavailable:

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, 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 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.

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 get.

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

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

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.

Cameo appearances
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 some challenges, all Big Reverse Races, and all Vs. Mega (opponent) challenges.

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. 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  </i>
 * 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 <i> </i>
 * 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 <i> Addressed known issues. </i>

Version 1.2.0
Release date: November 17, 2019 <i> </i>
 * 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, Tokyo Blur, 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) <i> Addressed known issues. </i>


 * 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 <i> </i>
 * 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. It was under maintenance at the time.
 * 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 <i> Improved various features. Addressed known issues. </i>

Version 1.6.0
Release date: January 20, 2020 <i> Addressed known issues. </i>

Version 2.0.0
Release date: March 4, 2020 <i> </i>
 * Added support for racing against players from around the world via multiplayer. This service is scheduled to become available on March 8th, at 8:00 PM PT.
 * Added a camera feature. Using this feature during a race allows you to freely move the camera around your driver as they automatically steer. Use it to view the action from different angles!
 * (Items can also be used while the camere feature is enabled.)
 * (The camera can rotate and zoom around the kart. This feature can also be accessed when the player finishes a race.)
 * (When this feature is enabled, it will not transition to the placement screen until the player exits this feature.)
 * (This feature cannot be used in multiplayer or bonus challenges.)
 * Made other adjustments and addressed known issues to improve the overall gameplay experience.


 * Specific/unlisted changes
 * The startup screen and the game icon have been changed to a scene featuring Peach and Mario racing against each other.
 * The pre- and post-race screens have been adjusted.
 * Base points and level information for each driver, kart, and glider is now displayed on the “Ready to Race!” screen. When playing single player, you can tap on the base points or level to use boost tickets. This feature cannot be used in multiplayer or bonus challenges.
 * The bonus-points boost is now displayed on the results screen. When a bonus-points boost is applied to a driver, kart, or glider, their level will light up.
 * The player can earn a "NONSTOP COMBO!" if a player maintains an unbroken combo between the Rocket Start and the end of the race, and is displayed when finishing a race. It is also displayed on the results screen.
 * In the results screen, points flash when the player reaches a high score.
 * The "Got it!" screen for a Grand Star is no longer played when acquiring them. It still plays when redeeming with star tickets, however.
 * The icons (shop, spotlight, special offer, Gold Gift) are also displayed for the unlocked drivers, karts, and gliders.
 * The multiplayer icon is altered to a group of Toads.
 * The experience points are no longer given to drivers, karts and gliders whose base points are maxed out, as a consequence, a single driver, kart or glider can acquire up to 450 experience points per day and the player is now warned when 90 or less experience points are left to be gained in the day.
 * When tapping the screen as the camera changes angle before the race countdown starts, the driver performs a brief animation.
 * Red Koopa (Freerunning) and Gold Koopa (Freerunning) now make a sound when they are selected.
 * In Combo Attack bonus challenges, points are no longer given to actions during the challenge.
 * The Friends list now displays friends' ranking tier alongside their badge.
 * During a Bob-omb or Double Bob-omb frenzy, the Bob-ombs that get thrown no longer explode instantly once they hit the ground.
 * Competitors' ranking scores at the start of a ranked cup are displayed as "???" instead of "0".
 * The confirmation screen for launching a pipe is different, and features a large, flashing button that the player taps to confirm.

Version 2.0.1
Release date: March 12, 2020 <i> Addressed known issues. </i>

Differences from previous Mario Kart games

 * This is the first Mario Kart game where every character must be unlocked.
 * The number of racers has reverted back to eight, like in all mainline 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 after the final lap fanfare plays, instead of restarting like in past games. The only exception is 3DS Rainbow Road, which reuses its final lap music from Mario Kart 7.
 * In addition, on the final lap, the music's pitch is increased by four semitones, as opposed to one.
 * The Lakitu referee does not appear at all throughout the race.
 * 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 less than three item slots, as frenzies are not obtainable.
 * 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. RMX Mario Circuit 1 or Tokyo Blur 2).
 * 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.
 * 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 to 4th place theme will play and no animation will be performed.

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." 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 lamenting the lack of a multiplayer mode. Steven Asarch of Newsweek complained about the game's "freemium greed" and that it is "ruined by microtransactions".

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." Chris Scullion of Nintendo Life gave a positive review, praising the lack of an energy system, the points system, and the large 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. 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. CJ Andriessen of Destructoid gave a negative review, criticizing the game's microtransactions and how the game rarely gives the player Rubies, stating "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, the game's controls, stating "There are three control options, none of which are completely sufficient.", 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 Tour." Kyle Hilliard of IGN, in a mixed review, praised the series' 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", praised how items are used, the game's bonus challenges, and the brevity of the races, cups, and bonus challenges, while criticizing 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. 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, the game's Reverse tracks, calling them "really cool ideas", while also praising the game's roster and its graphics.

As of April 1, 2020, Mario Kart Tour received a mixed Metacritic Metascore of 59, and a negative User Score of 3.9. Despite receiving negative reviews from critics, as of April 1, 2020, Mario Kart Tour received an average of 4.1 stars on Google Play, and an average of 4.8 stars on the App Store.

Awards and acknowledgements
Mario Kart Tour was nominated for the "User's Choice Game of 2019" from Google Play, losing to . The game won the "Racing Game of the Year" award at the 23rd annual D.I.C.E Awards.

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 and New York Minute 2. The clothing colors of Mario (Classic) reference Mario's original design from this game.
 * Super Mario Bros.: The 8-Bit Jumping Mario glider uses Mario's jumping 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. 3: A Boomerang Bro and a Fire Bro appear as playable characters.
 * Super Mario Kart: Mario Circuit 1, Donut Plains 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 and Bowser Castle 2 appear as returning courses.
 * Mario Kart: Double Dash!!: Special Items such as the Giant Banana and the Heart 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 from this game.
 * Mario Party 6: Both Mario (Classic) and Luigi (Classic)'s artworks are based on Mario and Luigi's profile artworks from this game.
 * Mario Kart DS: Luigi's Mansion, Waluigi Pinball, and DK Pass appear as returning courses. The Poltergust 4000, Streamliner, Royale, Egg 1, and Mushmellow return as karts. Challenges with unique objectives return as the fourth and final race in every cup.
 * Super Mario Strikers: Some of Hammer Bro's voice clips are reused from this game.
 * Mario Party 8: Dry Bones' artwork is reused from this game. Hammer Bro's artwork, as well as some of his voice clips, are 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 on 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 and an Ice Bro appear as playable characters. Iggy's artwork is based off his artwork from this game, albeit without the magic coming from his wand.
 * 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 and multiplayer menu use the themes from this game's Local Multiplayer and Online Multiplayer menus respectively. Metal Mario's voice clips are reused. Lakitu and Metal Mario's artworks are also reused from this game. Honey Queen's emblem is reused from this game as part of the Racer's Soda Lemonade badge.
 * Mario Party 9: Birdo's artwork is reused from this game. Birdo (Light Blue)'s and Birdo (Yellow)'s artworks are based on Birdo's artwork from this game.
 * Super Mario 3D World: The artwork for the Double Cherry is reused from this game for the Tropical Grocery badge.
 * 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, and P-Wing return as karts, and the Pipe Frame and B Dasher retain their designs 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. The designs of the icons for the Mushroom Cup, the Flower Cup, the Star Cup, the Shell Cup, and the Lightning Cup are reused from this game as badges.
 * 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.
 * Mario Party 10: Yoshi, Bowser, Toad, Waluigi, and Toadette's artworks are reused from this game. Red Yoshi's and Black Yoshi's artwork are based on Yoshi's artwork from this game.
 * Mario & Sonic at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games: Nabbit's emblem is reused from this game as part of the Racer's Soda Grape badge.
 * 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.
 * Luigi's Mansion 3: King Boo (Luigi's Mansion) uses King Boo's design from this game.