Hit the track in this free-to-play mobile racing game starring Mario and his friends (and enemies).
Mario Kart Tour is a free-to-play take on the popular (and super family-friendly) Mario Kart franchise, which lets players race on a variety of new and classic courses.
In Mario Kart Tour, you’ll start with a limited number of drivers, karts, and gliders to choose from, but you can unlock more over time. Before each race, you can choose which combination of driver, kart, and glider to use, with certain combos resulting in bonuses, such as extra points being earned during the upcoming race.
In each race, your kart will accelerate automatically, and you can use touch controls to steer and use items. There are multiple control options to choose from, depending on your play style. You can turn on manual drifting, for instance, or allow the game to trigger drifts for you. You can also choose from two race speeds: 50cc and 100cc.
Like in other Mario Kart games, as you race, you can drive through item boxes containing items like banana peels, shells, mushrooms, and more. These let you boost your own performance or attack the other players around you.
As you race, you’ll earn points which help you earn performance stars at the end of an event. You’ll only have access to a single cup when you first start the game, but as you collect stars, you’ll unlock new cups and tracks to visit.
Since Mario Kart Tour is free-to-play, it does offer ways to spend real money. While some additional drivers, karts, and gliders can be purchased for free using coins (the game’s basic currency), a mystery box mechanic — a warp pipe — requires premium currency and gives you a random prize each time you pay to use it. You’ll get to use the warp pipe a few times for free.
You can also purchase premium bundles containing things like currency and drivers, as well as subscribe to a monthly “Gold Pass” option ($4.99 per month) that gives you access to more in-game items and the ability to race at the 200cc level.
Mario Kart Tour is available to download for free on iOS and Android devices. The game is rated 4+ on iOS and E for Everyone on Android. You’ll need a Nintendo account to play the game.
Check out 14 minutes of Mario Kart Tour in our SuperParent First Look below.
Brandy Berthelson has been writing about video games and technology since 2006, with her work appearing on sites including AOL Games, Digital Spy, and Adweek. When she’s not gaming, Brandy enjoys crafting, baking, and traveling with her husband.
