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Mario Kart Tour is Mario Kart series' first smartphone entry. The game was first announced on January 31, 2018 and was set to release during Summer 2019 for iOS and Android. The game has been released worldwide in September 25, 2019. Unlike other Nintendo smartphone games, this game requires a Nintendo Account to play.

Basically a Mario Kart lite, this game takes the usual franchise's Wacky Racing shenanigans and puts them in smartphones. Controls are adjusted to reflect this: Racers accelerate and perform tricks automatically, and swipes are used to steer, drift, and throw items. Each racer has their own special items like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and their own item inventory limit depending on their track compatibility. Other than the usual cups, the game even includes Bonus Challenges similar to Mario Kart DS' s Mission Mode. Opponents use racer data from other players, even though they remain AI-controlled. Because of this, competition is measured in points gathered in races which depend on race position, character and vehicle setup, and general performance like drifting and item use. This plays a role in the weekly Ranked Cups, which pit the player against randomly-selected 19 others. Top 10 placers will be able to obtain the game's premium currency, rubies.

As the game is free-to-start, Microtransactions are involved, of course. Aside from the usual "buy premium currency with real money", the game also includes a gacha system which costs emeralds but can reward players with characters, karts, and gliders. Aside from that, the game has its own in-game shop where the player can spend their common currency (Coins) for drivers, vehicle parts, and upgrade Tickets.

• Adaptation Distillation : This game is basically a simplified Mario Kart 7 with touch controls, each track is limited to 2 laps, and competition is purely based on points gathered weekly instead of proper Player Versus Player .
• The game will try to keep players from driving off-track by automatically steering away from such unless the player forces themselves through using a Mushroom (note that this is helpful for reaching off-road ramps, so this aspect may not be welcomed by the player if they really need to go off-road). Tracks with bottomless pits are even blocked off by Invisible Walls unless they are part of the route the racers can take (thus racers can still fall off). Note that turning Smart Steering off in this game only weakens its influence.
• If the first-place player gets a targeted by a Spiny Shell just as an opponent drives past them (thus dropping in position), the Spiny Shell will rethink this and fly straight to said opponent.
• The player can only earn a limited amount of driver/kart/glider EXP per day. Though the player is not stopped from trying to reach higher scores on a track as many attempts as they can (important for Ranked Cups, see above).
• Up to 300 Coins can be collected per day outside of Coin Rush.
• Anti-Poopsocking : The stamina system, but only during its beta run . Partaking in races consumes Hearts. Hearts can be recovered by using premium currency or leveling up. The final release does not have it.
• Big Applesauce : The very first Tour event is centered around New York, featuring Pauline, the Yellow Taxi, and the Fare Flier. The first original track in this game, New York Minute, also takes place at the eponymous city filled with Donkey Kong imagery a la Super Mario Odyssey' s New Donk City.
• The Bus Came Back : Diddy Kong, who last appeared in Mario Kart Wii , reappears in this game as Super-tier driver.
• Character Select Forcing : Each character, kart, and glider has their own preferred track. Using the matching parts in a specific track will grant bonuses ranging from point boost to increased Frenzy Time period for characters and from the also-basic point boost to Speed boost for vehicle parts.
• Christmas Episode : The Winter Tour, featuring the Santa version of Mario. Decorated trees can also be spotted in all tracks, not just the featured DS DK Pass.
• Easy Mode Mockery : Played subtly with the gameplay in lower cc. Since the game runs on Scoring Points , playing it slow and casual will only net the player less points than playing at a higher cc. Played straight with the score obtained upon reaching the top 3, which is displayed before the player begins the race, certain Bonus Challenges requiring 150cc to get all the Grand Stars, and certain (achievement) Challenges requiring high cc to complete.
• Freemium : The game is free-to-start, but it runs on Microtransactions and has its own monthly subscription program in the form of the Gold Pass. Gold Pass players can get Gold Gifts from races, obtain badges from Gold Challenges, and race in 200cc.
• Giant Mook : Mega versions of certain characters are some of the unique opponents in the Bonus Challenge. Only applies to "vs. Mega (racer)" challenges.
• Gold Makes Everything Shiny : Gold Mario and his Gold Standard kart are only playable in Coin Rush, the game's take on exchanging premium currency for regular ones. There are also gold Texture Swaps of past karts.
• Gotta Catch Them All : There are loads of drivers, karts, and gliders, with more coming every Tour update, so get collecting!
• Halloween Episode : Near the end of October, of course. Unlike the other Tours so far, this Tour is not themed after a particular real-life country/city. The debut of this Tour in October 2019 also marks the debut of Luigi in this game.
• Invisible Wall : See Anti-Frustration Features above. As this is a very casual Mario Kart game, no need to worry about falling off too easily on certain tracks like Rainbow Road.
• Level Grinding : Player level. The player is free to do this as often as they like. Justified, as higher player levels will unlock more features and raise more points obtained from crossing the finish line.
• Loading Screen : When the game was booted for the first time, as expected for modern smartphone games, there will be some additional data downloads after the tutorial. The player can either wait in its own loading screen or practice the game's controls as Toad/Toadette. The same also applies whenever a major update occurs.
• Loads and Loads of Characters : Seems to be heading this way, considering the game's gacha nature. Also helps that alternate skins like the Musician and Hakama variations of Mario count as separate characters.
• Luck-Based Mission : Loads of them, as expected for a gacha game. Spotlight events only last around 10 days while the player is faced with 100 possible items per Spotlight event, certain Challenges rely on luck to clear, and then there are the classic Mario Kart luck-based shenanigans like the items and the opponents the player is facing thanks to the use of Special items. Even scoring is luck-based depending on the various circumstances during the race.
• Microtransactions : The game's business model.
• No-Damage Run : To get all three Grand Stars in a "Steer Clear of Obstacles" challenges, the player pretty much has to invoke this.
• Nostalgia Level : The game features tracks from previous Mario Kart games, specifically from Super Mario Kart , Mario Kart 64 , Mario Kart: Super Circuit , Mario Kart: Double Dash!! , Mario Kart DS , and Mario Kart 7 . The "R" variant of these tracks makes the player race the track backwards, with additional track structures as to make them playable, while the "T" variant add more ramps, allowing easy boosts and chaining combos.
• Pass Through the Rings : One of the Bonus Challenge types is called "Ring Race". The player has to drive through as many rings as they can, with a certain minimum number required to obtain one Grand Star.
• Play Every Day : Players can get daily rewards and the in-game shop's items rotate daily. The player can also complete Daily Challenges for some extra Grand Stars.
• Random Drop : The gacha system, but with a twist. Whenever a new Spotlight begins, the gacha's Pipe will always start out with a finite number of 100 items, guaranteeing the player everything offered if they have enough rubies to pull them all. However, obtaining character duplicates is helpful in raising a character's Skill Level, so to aid in this, the gacha's pool can be reset by the player to have another go.
• Refitted for Sequel : The "R" tracks were originally the planned Reverse Cup mechanic from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! .
• Rule of Three : Drivers with the best track match will be able to obtain three items per Item Box. If all three are the same item, this activates Frenzy Mode that renders the driver invincible and allows him/her to easily spam said items.
• Scoring Points : The whole point of the game. Simply getting first place is not enough, as score is also determined from driver-kart-glider combo and actions performed (tricks, gliding, items, etc.).
• Squashed Flat : While a normal occurrence in Mario Kart games, squashing as many tiny racers as the player can is one of the Bonus Challenges that can be encountered.
• Texture Swap : While normal for the starting Pipe Frame and Super Glider as their coloring matches the driver, other karts with alternate colors count as individual karts (so the Blue Biddybuggy is separate from the default red Biddybuggy), having their own point level and Skill Level progression and even their own track preferences. Some karts even have new recolors that are introduced to this game for the first time, like the Warship (a darker-themed Landship).
• This Looks Like a Job For Aquaman : The Gyro Handling (if the player's device supports it) shines better in Glider Challenges due to how much easier it is to control the gliding driver with it compared to touch controls. It is otherwise not really reliable due to its high sensitivity.
• Time Trial : One of the Bonus Challenges. Beating the fastest time set by the game allows the player to claim all three Grand Stars.
• Timed Mission : Every Tour event. To obtain all the offered rewards, the player has to race in all Cups and claim all the rewards between them. A Spotlight is also limited by time. Meanwhile, Ranked Cups last a week, so players have to compete for the highest score in the designated Cup before the week ends.
• Wacky Racing : As expected for a Mario Kart title.

• Mainline Games
• Mobile Games

Mario Kart Tour

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Mario Kart Tour is a free spin-off Mario Kart game. It's the third Mario game released for mobile operating systems, after Super Mario Run and Dr. Mario World . It was announced on January 31, 2018, and was originally scheduled for release by March 2019, but was later on released on September 25, 2019 in Japan, Oceania, Asia, North America, and Europe.

While the game is designed for mobile devices, much like the game's predecessors on Nintendo handhelds ( Super Circuit , DS , and 7 on dedicated handhelds, and 8 Deluxe on the hybrid Nintendo Switch ), it also supports tablets and even computers with a compatible mobile OS. An update even allowed "Landscape Mode" for users playing on a phone.

With a score of 58% on Metacritic, it has the lowest critical score out of all the Mario Kart games .

• 2.1 Single-Player Mode
• 2.2.1 Standard Race
• 2.2.2 Standard Battle
• 2.2.3 Gold Race (Unavailable)
• 2.2.4 Local/Friend Rooms
• 2.3 Challenges
• 2.4 Daily Challenge
• 2.5 Weekly Ranking
• 2.6 Coin Rush
• 2.8.1 Since 3.0
• 2.8.2 Before 3.0
• 5.3 High-End
• 6.3 High-End
• 7 Race Courses
• 9.1 Returning

Gameplay [ ]

Mario Kart Tour features gameplay similar to Mario Kart 7 , featuring Aerial tricks , Mini-Turbos , Slipstreaming , and gliding sections . Due to the fact that the game is on mobile devices, the controls for this game are significantly different to the mainline Mario Kart games: the player now accelerates automatically, and this also applies to performing tricks (if they have enough speed). The turning physics have been changed, where the player taps and holds to the screen where the kart should go, although there are invisible barriers preventing the kart from crashing into a wall, going off-road (without any kind of boost), or falling off the track.

Races are now in two laps instead of three (except for GCN Baby Park , which has 5 (it has 3 in the T variant), and 3DS Rainbow Road , which has a single lap with 3 sections). Also, Wii Rainbow Road and GBA Bowser's Castle 4 are now one lap in two sections. Also, Races and Battles are once again back to 8 racers.

One of the main features in this game is the points system. At the start of a race or battle, the player is granted starting points that depend on the base points of their selected driver , kart and glider . Also, the player is rewarded points for their actions during the race or battle such as collecting coins , performing Mini-Turbos , gliding , hitting opponents with items , etc. Also, more points are rewarded if the player maintains a combo, which stops if an action took too long to occur. Karts that favor or favorite a course will grant a points multiplier depending on the course actions, and Gliders that favor or favorite a course will grant more points for maintaining a combo and increase the time before the combo streak ends. Lastly, points are rewarded after finishing the race, which is higher for better finishing positions. Also, these points increase as a player levels up.

One of the game's most interesting features is the Frenzy Action , which can only happen to drivers that favorite a track in the game, where the driver can gain access to three item slots. To activate a Frenzy, the driver must get the same item in all three slots. When this happens, the kart temporarily undergoes the effects of a Starman and can use an unlimited number of the item that is involved in getting the frenzy (although some items behave differently than normal in a Frenzy).

Returning from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! , each racer has a Special Item (known as a Special Skill in this game), which has a similar effect in the original game. Some Special include items that have been introduced in this game, such as the Mushroom Cannon and the Bubble , and returning items, such as the Giant Banana and the Lucky Seven .

Additionally, courses can be driven backwards, with their backwards layout being referred to as an "R" Variant, short for "Reverse variant." In certain spots, special wire-mesh bridges called Chain-link Paths will be placed so racers can scale a wall (due to the lack of Anti-gravity ). The "Trick variant," or "T" variant for short, places more objects that can be used to get jump boosts , and the chain-link paths from the R variant are one type of such object that can be added. The reverse-trick variant, or "R/T" variant for short, combines the Reverse Variant with the Trick Variant: trickable objects are added to the course while the racers traverse it backwards.

This game has an experience system, where players can gain experience by placing high in races or battles. Higher levels mean more items will be available in the Daily Selects, and more points are rewarded for finishing a race. Also, a bonus reward is rewarded, which is coins or rubies .

Since the Battle Tour , that came out on October 5, 2022, Battle Mode makes a return in this game. However, only the traditional Balloon Battle mode is available, and the rules are similar to the original rules like in Super Mario Kart : Participants start with two balloons, and they are eliminated if both are lost. Also, eliminated opponents appear floating outside the stage, and they can throw either Bananas , Green Shells , and Bob-ombs on the stage.

There is also "Auto Mode", which was added to the game on an update in 2020. Here, the player can watch their loadout and their seven other opponents race on the track with customisable options such as filters and formations. Coins , Star Tokens and Grand Stars are still obtained in this mode. This mode is unavailable in Battle Mode and on online multiplayer.

Content [ ]

Single-player mode [ ].

Single Player Mode revolves around playing through the Tour itself, with each Tour lasting two weeks. Whenever a new Tour launches, it will bring new cups for the player to race or battle through. Each cup contains 3 tracks (or 2 tracks and 1 battle stage) and 1 bonus challenge (challenges that are easily relatable to Mario Kart DS s Mission Mode ). Certain cups are locked from the beginning, which will be unlocked as time passes. The wait time to unlock these cups can be sped up by using Quick Tickets. Originally, the next cups and tracks had to be unlocked by playing the previous track or challenge.

Based on the score a player gets in each race or battle, they will be allotted 0 - 5 Grand Stars , which are used to unlock tour gifts (which can contain Coins , Rubies , Pipes , tickets, Drivers, Karts and Gliders ). Points earned across all the courses (not counting bonus challenges) are totaled together for the All-Cup Ranking score.

The Cups in a Tour in this game are named after a mainline driver who appears in this game, such as Mario and Toad . In this case, the character that has their name featured on a cup will favor all the tracks in the cup, and they will favorite a track that they favor by default.

Since the Mii Tour , the second cup of a Tour is always the Mii Cup. Here, all Mii Racing Suits will favorite the first track of the cup, and favor the other tracks, but they will favorite them if they favor or favorite them by default. Also, all Mii Racing Suits will favor the first track of every cup in the Tour.

Multiplayer Mode [ ]

Multiplayer Mode is available to all players who own the app (not just the Gold Pass players as shown in the first December 2019 Beta test). It puts you against other players to compete for first place, or just to have fun.

Players now have a Multiplayer Rank (similar to the Player Rank, which caps at level 150), and for every top spot they finish in, their bar will fill. Once filled, it will advance players to the next Multiplayer Rank (starting at F, moving onto E, then D, and so on until you eventually reach A).

• All players who advance to the next Multiplayer Rank earn a starting 20% for their bar.

Players can choose from two different Multiplayer race options: Standard Race and Standard Battle. Their rules are updated daily, and the cups players will play in are rotated every 12 minutes, providing players with five different cups per hour. Before the Battle Tour , Gold Races were available before being replaced by Standard Battles.

Standard Race [ ]

In Standard Races, players from all over the world can play simultaneously in a room. There can be from 2 to 8 players racing in a game. Anyone racing in these rooms are limited to the following:

• 100 - 150cc
• 1, 2, or Default item slots
• No Teams or 2 Teams

Standard Battle [ ]

Standard Battles are similar to Standard Races, but they only involve battles on battle stages. Rules are limited to:

• Shells Only, Bananas Only, Bob-ombs Only, Frenzy On

Gold Race (Unavailable) [ ]

Gold Races, unlike Standard Races, were available to only Gold Pass players. The same rules apply from the Standard Race rules, with the only exception being 200cc .

Local/Friend Rooms [ ]

Local Multiplayer rooms can be created by a player who has their location on. Nearby Mario Kart Tour users can then join the room for up to 8-player fun.

Friend rooms abide by the same rules, with the only exception being the fact that you can only play with players on your Friends List.

If you're the creator of a Local/Friend room, you have the ability to set the rules of the race, similar to the daily rules of Standard and Gold Races.

• COM Racers, No COM Racers (if the room isn't full and COM Racers are on, AI characters will fill in the empty spaces of the room
• No Teams or 2-4 Teams

Challenges [ ]

There are many challenges in this game, which reward Rubies , Grand Stars and a badge. each set of challenges has 9 challenges, and when a row of these (whether horizontal, vertical or diagonal) is completed, coins will be rewarded. When all 9 challenges are completed, a bonus reward is given, which is either Rubies , a special driver , kart or glider , or a badge. A Tour also has a set of its own Premium Challenges, which give a lot of good rewards, but these challenges much be purchased with real money and a Gold Pass won't get you them.

Daily Challenge [ ]

Every day, a course is set for a daily challenge, which is the first course they haven't attempted that isn't involved in a current, past or future Weekly Ranking. Here, the player will play as the Driver has the track showcases on their icon even if they haven't been unlocked yet, and the best kart and glider they own for the course. After the race or battle finishes, the player is rewarded a free pipe pull, but on the fourteenth time this finishes in a tour, a badge is rewarded instead.

Weekly Ranking [ ]

In a Tour's Weekly Ranking, players go against 19 other players that have a matching Tier by gathering points on the three tracks (or battle stages) of a selected cup, which is the Tour's first cup for the Tour's first week, and the third cup for the last. At the end of the weekly ranking, the top players receive better rewards and move up to a higher tier, whilst the lower players receive less or no rewards and either move up less tiers, remain in that tier, or move down a tier or two. Higher tiers result in greater rewards at the top positions.

Coin Rush [ ]

In Coin Rush, you play on a special Coin -filled track. Playing as Gold Mario , the player will drive through one lap of the course, collecting Coins that are automatically pulled towards Gold Mario when he approaches them. Red Coins are worth 2, and Blue Coins are worth 5.

Coin Rush requires Rubies or Coin Rush Tickets to play. You can spend extra to increase the multiplier.

• Ticket or 5 Rubies - x2 Coins
• 3 Tickets or 15 Rubies - x6 Coins
• 5 Tickets or 25 Rubies - x10 Coins

In the Shop, players can exchange their coins , Star Tokens and Rubies for new items, drivers , karts and gliders .

• There is the Daily Selects, which sells 3-9 items depending on the player's level. Tickets, drivers, karts and gliders are sold here at a number of coins , with items with higher rarities costing more. Items refresh daily, hence the name, or they can be refreshed by using a Quick Ticket.
• There is the Token Shop, which normally sells sets of coins , rubies , and tickets, a pipe pull that stacks, and a balloon. At special circumstances, Gold Pipes can also appear here. Items refresh after the end of a tour.
• There is the Tier Shop, which sells tickets at a higher price. Items refresh after the end of a tour.
• There is the Mii Racing Suit Shop, which sells up to ten Mii Racing Suits for 70 - 100 Rubies . Items refresh after the end of a tour.
• Underneath the spotlight content is the Daily Spotlight. This features six drivers (excluding Mii Racing Suits), six karts and six gliders that favorite at least one track that is involved in a current, past or future Weekly Ranking in a Tour. These items refresh every day, hence the name, or they can be refreshed by using a Quick Ticket.

The Pipe [ ]

Since 3.0 [ ].

Up until the Battle Tour , the pipes which can be pulled using rubies, including the free pipe pulls by earning Grand Stars , were removed and replaced with the Spotlight Shop and pipes available in Tour Gifts. This time, Pipes can no longer reward Spotlight content, but they can still be used to unlock characters , karts and gliders , as well as reward tickets, coins and rubies . This time, the Pipe's rewards are properly randomised.

Pipes can be purchased at the Token Shop, where they can be purchased up to 34 times per Tour, starting at a price of 20 Star Tokens at the beginning of a Tour. As they are bought, the price increases by 10 until the price reaches 200, and then the price would then increase by 50.

Pipes can also be obtained by playing on multiplayer. As the player plays in this mode a gauge towards a free pipe pull will fill up, which can be received multiple times during the run. When they quit multiplayer, they have the option to fire all the pipes that they have earnt.

Before 3.0 [ ]

Before the Version 3.0.0 Update, The Pipe is a special feature used to unlock characters , karts , and gliders . Rubies are required to fire of the Pipe for either 1 separate item or 10 bundled items, which come at a better price.

• 5 Rubies - 1 Pipe item
• 45 Rubies - 10 Pipe items (10% Ruby discount)

Each tour includes two sets of Spotlight content. Week 1 of the specified tour will include certain Spotlight items that'll help players out during the Ranked Cup of Part 1. Week 2 will include Spotlight items that will help players out during the Ranked Cup of Part 2. There are certain exceptions when it comes down to the Spotlight items; at times, there will be 1 High-end driver, kart, and glider, while at other times there will be a variety of items.

While it may seem random, the Pipe is in fact not completely random. Pipes will have either 100 or 50 items inside of them at the start of their appearance time. Each class (Normal/Super/High-end) of drivers, karts, and gliders has a limit to how many of them can be received. The Pipe can be reset to restore its contents though, allowing you to pull items from a class that you've once emptied.

Once you've received a specific item from any category, its probability will drop, while the rest of the items' probabilities will rise.

Drivers [ ]

Main Article: List of Drivers in Mario Kart Tour

As of the 2023 Anniversary Tour , 265 characters have been released in Mario Kart Tour . This includes recurring characters of the Mario Kart series, as well as new characters, such as Pauline, Peachette, etc.

It has been requested that this page or section be rewritten. Reason: List is outdated. Please remove this template once or when it has been rewritten.

As of the 2023 Anniversary Tour , 336 karts have been released in Mario Kart Tour . This includes recurring karts of the Mario Kart series, as well as new ones and variants on both sides.

High-End [ ]

Gliders [ ]

As of the 2023 Anniversary Tour , 225 gliders have been released in Mario Kart Tour . This includes recurring gliders of the Mario Kart series, as well as new ones and variants on both sides.

Race Courses [ ]

Mario Kart Tour has a total of 136 race courses not including R & T variants, being the most number of courses in any game. This includes returning courses from the first 7 main games, one returning course with a new layout ( Kalimari Desert 2 ), new courses based on real-world cities (such as New York Minute & Tokyo Blur ), and new non-city themed courses (such as Merry Mountain and Ninja Hideaway ).

Battle Courses [ ]

Returning [ ]

Trivia! [ ]

• Nintendo announced Mario Kart Tour via Twitter on January 31, 2018.
• This is in contrast to Super Mario Run s one-time US$9.99 in-app purchase to fully unlock the game, and lower monthly fees for Nintendo Switch Online service.
• Nintendo Network support, though unlike Super Mario Run and company, it has no My Nintendo support.
• Rubies as in-game currency; unlike Super Mario Run , My Nintendo Coins cannot be used.
• Friend lists
• Mario Kart Tour is the ninth release of Mario Kart as consumer software, but as it omits the number 9 in its name, it could indicate that Nintendo distinguishes it from the main Mario Kart series, although it recognises this game as the ninth installment in the franchise, as seen in the trailer for the first wave of the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - Booster Course Pass . [1]
• This is the fourth handheld game of the franchise after Super Circuit , DS , and 7 .
• Mario Kart 8 is the only game in the main series without a currently-confirmed returning stage in this game.
• This is the only Mario Kart game where Mario isn't a starting character.
• In fact, only 3 Characters from the mainline Mario Kart series (excluding the GP series) haven't returned which are Paratroopa (from Mario Kart Double Dash ), R.O.B. (from Mario Kart DS ) and Honey Queen (from Mario Kart 7 ).
• Miis were originally going to appear in the initial release but were removed until the final cut by Version 2.12.0 and Mii Tour, perhaps due to discontinuation of both Miitomo and Pokémon Rumble Rush in 2018 and 2020, Respectively.
• This is the first game to feature the Pipe Frame as a standard Kart since Mario Kart: Super Circuit .
• This game is one of the only games of the Mario Kart franchise to have three items inside a single item box.
• In beta version, emeralds were used instead of rubies .
• This is the second game where Lakitu is not present in the pre-race countdown.
• S to S+6 ranks are only available for Gold Pass users.
• This game features the most clone characters in the entire Mario Kart series.
• 3DS Rainbow Road averts this as the final lap music is taken from Mario Kart 7 .
• Before Holiday Tour (December 2022) it used to be raised to 5 Semitones.
• Piranha Plant Pipeline is the only non-city course that didn't return as a retro track in the Booster Course Pass of Mario Kart 8 Deluxe .

Gallery [ ]

• Super Mario
• 1 Characters
• 2 Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
• 3 Mario Kart Wii

Mario Kart Tour: tricks, tips, and how collect all the characters and karts

Here's how to master Mario Kart Tour's gameplay

Mario Kart Tour is a mobile version of the popular and long-running Mario Kart series, released in late 2019 for Android and iOS smartphones, and it's proven popular ever since.

The main Mario Kart Tour game is centered around the race seasons mode, which offers a variety of incentives to keep you coming back to race for each new season. While you don't race other real players live in this mode, your device will still require an internet connection so you can play.

Since launch, an online multiplayer mode has also been added to Mario Kart Tour, so you can compete in live online races against other drivers from around the world.

The basics How to win races and earn points How to win multiplayer How to collect gold coins How to collect rubies How to collect Grand Stars How to unlock all characters, karts and gliders How to level up your gear Should you buy Gold Pass?

Plus, the selection of playable characters, karts, gliders and courses have been greatly expanded since launch, providing you with new ways and places to race.

While Mario Kart Tour is centered around a very simple premise - winning races - it can get very complicated. There are three different types of currency that do different things, the characters, karts and gliders have different stats that you can improve in different ways, and there are a few mechanics in the races that can make the difference between winning and losing.

We've come up with this comprehensive list detailing the different parts of the game,  helping you work out how to win races both online and offline, how to collect and spend the different types of in-game currency, and how to bulk out your collection of characters, karts and gliders, as well as level them all up.

Hopefully soon, you'll be decked out with all the best kit, winning every race and racking up huge amounts of points.

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• How to download Mario Kart Tour

What is Mario Kart Tour? The basics, explained

Most of what you'll be doing in Mario Kart Tour is racing. You'll be charging around courses collecting items and coins, and (hopefully) overtaking your opponents, while finding shortcuts, using those items to get ahead and taunting your digital opponents.

Most races are against AI bots (albeit ones with player-sounding names), but after Mario Kart Tour's launch a multiplayer mode was added that lets you play against real people online.

Outside the races, the game is organized by Tours which last two weeks. These dictate the theme of lots of the courses as well as any new character costumes and karts available during the season.

Each tour is a series of 'Cups', each one consisting of three core races and a bonus race. At the start of the tour only some of the Cups are available to play, but one new one opens each day up to a total of 12.

If you just want to drive cartoonish karts and races around cartoonish tracks, you can ignore Tours and Cups, and many of the intricate details of character levels, score multipliers and the currencies too, but if you want to experience all facets of the game, and collect all the characters and pieces of gear, it's worth playing through the Tours.

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How to win races and earn loads of points

There are some key things to remember in order to win your Mario Kart Tour races.

Firstly, learn how to drift. This is an invaluable skill that lets you turn corners quicker and earn small boosts as you do, and when you get really good you can use drifting to quickly shift to the side to pick up coins and item boxes. 

When you're drifting, look at your tires - a blue flame will appear, when you let go, you'll get a small boost forward - gold and purple flames respectively will give you longer charges, but you have to drift for longer to get them.

You can't fall off the map in Mario Kart Tour, so feel free to drift more aggressively than you otherwise would. You can drift quicker by moving your finger nearer to the side of the screen you're drifting too - this'll help you earn boost quicker, but you'll turn the corner faster too.

Moving your finger the other way will be good if you're turning a wider corner (or aren't turning a corner, just drifting cleverly to build boost), as it stops you turning as quickly.

Next, you can easily get a boost when you're starting by holding down the screen on the countdown when '2' appears. Long time Mario Kart series fans will know this already as it's a stalwart feature of the games, and it's really good for starting the race ahead of everyone else (except in later CCs or multiplayer where everyone else does it too).

Learn how to earn boosts, and where they are on each track, as they can help you get ahead. Jumps, however minor, will give you boosts, as will drifting, certain areas of floor (shown by arrows pointing forwards), and some rewards in item boxes.

Finally, be smart about shortcuts and ramps off the side of the course, as not all of them will actually help you. 

Many will actually slow you down in order to get to them, like ramps in grassy areas, so only approach these if you have a boost to get over the slow patch, and some are actually longer detours that offer more coins or item boxes instead. If coming first is your goal, usually following the track is ideal - but sometimes you don't want to win.

In Mario Kart Tour winning isn't the whole point of each race - but it is the most fun part of it. You see, you're given a score after each race that takes into account three things - the points of your character and gear (these can be leveled up, which we'll explore later on), what position you came in the race, and how many points you earned through tricks in the race.

Position is easy - you get more points for winning than you do coming second place, and more for second than third, and so on. The amount of points you get for coming each position depends on your level and what CC - what difficulty of race - you're in. 

50CC is pretty slow and easy, and thus the points are lower, 100CC is medium difficulty and speed, and 150CC is hardest and fastest, with more points awarded as a result. When you get Gold Pass, you can play 200CC too.

Your gear is something that's predetermined, based on which character, kart and glider you choose, and what points level they're at. Don't worry, we'll explain all about Base Points later on.

Finally, there are Bonus Points which are points you earn over the course of the race. There are many actions that earn these like collecting coins, hitting opponents with items and drifting well - the Mario Wiki has a more succinct breakdown - and if you pick the right kart you'll get a multiplier on these. 

You can get combos during the race if you earn Bonus Points for different things in a row, which is a really great way to collect more points, and the glider you pick can make the combo even more effective.

Together your Bonus Points, Base Points and Position Points will create your score for each course, which is a way of comparing your skills to your friends. You also want to get points because this score will reward you some extra coins (one for each thousand points) and Grand Stars, depending on how well you performed.

Mario Kart Tour: how to win in multiplayer

Points work the same way in multiplayer as they do in the offline game, and you should utilize similar tactics to win, but there are some extra things to bear in mind.

First, drifting isn't just important in online multiplayer - it's vital. Everyone does it, and you generally won't have a chance at winning if you aren't a master at it.

When you're playing 'offline' you can generally use items whenever you want, because there are so many other racers you're bound to hit one, but there are often fewer players in a multiplayer race, so it's worth being clever about when you use items.

Only throw a red shell if there's definitely someone ahead of you, and if you're first try and save a banana until someone's directly behind you. It's always worth saving an item to act as your shield as well, because most of the time if someone attacks you, it'll bounce off an item you have in reserve.

What are gold coins and how do you collect them?

Coins are the basic currency in Mario Kart Tour, and you'll be spending them in the shop on new characters, karts and gliders. Generally basic karts and gliders cost 500 coins, while characters cost 800, and that price goes up for gold or purple-tier as well as rarer pieces of gear. Coins can be collected in a variety of ways, but many of them are pretty slow.

Firstly, you can collect physical coins in races, and generally you'll pick up between five and 15 depending on the course. You lose coins if you're hit, so try and make sure that doesn't happen much, though this works for your opponents too so if you play aggressively you can pick more up. 

In addition, as we've already said, you get a course bonus based on points, though this won't net you many coins.

Each 'Cup' in the game consists of three levels and a bonus round with different rules - some of these bonus rounds can be particularly lucrative for picking up coins, so always make sure to do them.

Leveling up is an easy way to get coins in Mario Kart Tour, as you tend to get 100 coins every time you level up in the game. This will happen naturally as you play, and will keep your bank account getting bigger.

Another way of getting 100-coin jackpots is by completing challenges (you can find these from the menu) as when you complete a line of the multiplayer or standard challenges, you'll get a 100-coin combo care package. 

When you're playing online, if you ever find yourself waiting around for other players to join, you're actually slowly amassing coins - look at the animation at the bottom, as this tells you how many you've earned. You can get up to 100 a day just through waiting for online games.

Finally, Coin Rush is a special mode accessed in the shop where you play a race as Gold Mario, picking up as many coins as possible, and if you play well you can amass upwards of 300 coins just from the race. 

To play this mode, you need to spend rubies, the second form of currency, which we'll look at next.

What are rubies and how do you collect them?

Rubies are Mario Kart Tour's premium currency, and they're much harder to acquire, but they have a bigger variety of uses. 

You can use them to play Coin Rush and launch the Peach Pipe to win a random selection of characters, karts and gliders (this is basically a lootbox), and this latter method is the best for getting new gear.

Rubies (or gems, as some call them) are generally hard to acquire, but you can easily buy them if you want. This is what 'premium currency' tends to mean in mobile gaming, and if you're enjoying Mario Kart Tour you can put money in to it to get rubies for the Peach Pipe. Saying that, there are some ways of getting them in-game too.

The best way of winning rubies is through the weekly rankings. Each week, a certain cup will play host to a ranking, where you'll be lumped with 20 strangers, and ranked by how many points you get in the three races of the cup. The person with the most points overall gets 20 rubies, second place gets 15, third gets 10 and players 4-6 all get five.

If you're good at the game you can get loads of rubies easily this way, however depending on your performance you get bumped into higher tiers, competing with better players, so each week it'll be harder to win that top spot.

There are other ways to get rubies though. One is through challenges, as completing these will net you one, two or three rubies depending on the challenge, and these will slowly add up.

Finally, you can get rubies as a reward for earning Grand Stars in each tour. The Grand Stars you earn in each tour slowly earn you reward boxes as well as access to free Peach Pipe uses, and sometimes these boxes can get you some rubies. Want to know more about Grand Stars? Well good, because that's the next section of this article.

What are Grand Stars and how do you collect them?

When you're on the Mario Kart Tour menu, you can see your coins and rubies at the top but you can't see your grand stars, so some players don't realize they're actually a key part of the rewards you get as part of a Tour.

On the main Tour menu, if you scroll along past the cups, you'll see various Tour Gift icons and Pipes, each one with a figure of grand stars next to it. As you play the Tours, and collect stars, you'll earn some of these, though it's worth pointing out looking at these figures on the reward icons is the only way you can figure out how many stars you've actually got.

It's not too hard to collect Grand Stars when you work out what they are and how to collect them. The main way of getting them is in each race, as you'll earn up to five depending on how many points you score, although three is the max in bonus levels. 

Generally if you don't lose horribly, you can get three or four stars per level with the gear you start the game with, but to reach that fifth star you'll need a fair mix of skill and top-tier gear. You can replay races once you get better gear to improve your scores.

You can collect one Grand Star per day by completing a daily challenge, which you'll be notified of when you turn the app on each morning. One challenge appears each day, though you can store up to three, but then you’ll need to complete one to get any more.

Finally, some of the challenges reward Grand Stars, not rubies - these are the Tour Challenges, which reset every time the tour changes. You'll probably collect a fair few of these naturally over the course of a tour, but if not you can check them out from the menu to find which you missed. It's worth pointing out half the challenges only unlock after the tour has been running for a week, so keep checking back to the app.

How to collect all the characters, karts and gliders in Mario Kart Tour

Now you've worked out how to collect all the different forms of currency, it's time to look at how you can collect as many characters, karts and gliders as possible, so you can get more points and in turn win more races and collect more coins.

The reason you'll want plenty of different types of gear - well, other than so you can play as your favorites - is because each one has a few 'favored' race tracks, and the higher-level pieces of gear have more. Using the optimal piece of gear can transform your racing experience.

A character will offer you three items instead of one from an item box on their favored courses, and two items in a selection of other courses. Karts will give you a 1.5x multiplier on bonus points on some courses and a 2x multiplier on their favored ones. 

Gliders will give you 2x combo bonus for some courses, and a more lenient time restriction between tricks before your combo is dropped, and on some others they'll offer you 3x bonus and an even longer combo-time boost.

The easiest way to collect gear is to buy them with real money - certain timely karts, characters and gliders can be bought in bundles, which sometimes include rubies too, and this can be the quickest way to get rarer items. You can earn plenty of things through gameplay though, so you don't always need to spend real cash.

One of the best ways to get gear is through Peach Pipes - when you spend 5 rubies you get a random character, kart or glider, though you can spend 45 rubies to get 10 spins - we'd recommend saving up your rubies to be able to do this, as that works out as you getting one for free.

The other way to buy items is through the main store, which lets you buy them with gold coins, though the prices can be a little steep, especially for higher-tier items.

When you start playing Mario Kart Tour, you're only allowed to see one row of store items at once (so one character, one glider, and one kart), but when you reach level 7, then 12, you unlock a second and third row. We'd recommend saving your money for then, so you can see more of your options, and also because these subsequent rows tend to offer rarer items.

The items in the shop change daily, but given the huge number of characters, karts and gliders in the game, it'll take you a long time to unlock them all, especially given the price. 

How to improve characters, karts and gliders

Characters, karts and gliders have two different metrics to show how well they perform - a score, which indicates how many points you get per race just for choosing it, and a level, which functions as a form of multiplier for bonus points in races.

There's only one way to improve the level, that second stat, and that's by getting duplicate pieces of gear in the shop or peach pipes. Since the former is random, you may sometimes feel irked that you picked a duplicate instead of getting an entirely new piece of gear, so the level up and subsequent point multiplier might make that a little bit less galling.

It's easy to improve the base score of a character, kart or glider in Mario Kart Tour. Simply using the gear in a race will grant it some experience points which help it increase levels, so a trusty kart or your favored character can quickly become a high level powerhouse.

If you've just drawn a new super-rare character but they’re a much lower level than your favorites, you can use vouchers to level them up without using them. These Tickets, as they're called, can be gained in a huge variety of ways, including daily log-in bonuses, tour rewards, challenge rewards and more.

Using Tickets on a piece of gear will grant it some experience points, so if you use a few you can quickly use them to get your new character, kart or glider to a high level. 

It's worth pointing out there's a max base level dictated by which piece of equipment it is (characters can have more than karts or gliders) and the rarity (purple items have a higher limit than gold, which has a higher limit than the base pieces of kit).

When you have a top-level purple item, especially a top-level character, kart and glider all in use at once, you're going in to races with 2,800 base points already, which will ensure you plenty of grand stars and gold coins, and you'll get even more if any of those have high levels from duplicates.

What is the Gold Pass and should I buy it?

Mario Kart Tour has a season-pass-style item called the Gold Pass, which you can buy monthly if you really want to get the most out of the game. It gives you a few extra rewards and unlocks a new game mode.

Gold Pass gives you extra gift rewards in tours, including sometimes gold-tier and purple-tier character, karts and gliders, as well as extra rubies - frequent players will find it a lucrative way of boosting their gear count.

A new round of challenges is available to Gold Pass members too, which gives you an extra way of earning grand stars to help you get those extra rewards.

Finally, the Gold Pass unlocks 200CC mode, which is a faster and harder version of racing which ensures you more position points. 

If you play Mario Kart Tour frequently and are invested in getting as many characters, karts and gliders as possible, Gold Pass will likely help you get them faster, and let you enjoy them more. 

However if you just like to pick up Mario Kart Tour for some fun racing action from time-to-time, you might not feel the need to get Gold Pass.

It’s worth pointing out there's a two-week free trial for Gold Pass so if you're not sure whether it's for you, you can test it out for free.

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Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist. He also currently works in film as a screenwriter, director and producer.

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Every driver in Mario Kart Tour

One of the best things about any Mario Kart game is being able to race as your favorite Nintendo characters. Within Mario Kart Tour, racers each have their own special ability and are more likely to get more items when racing on specific tracks. If you're the competitive type, you'll want to use the proper racer on the right tracks in order to boost your global ranking and thereby receive greater rewards in the game.

For the best racing results you'll also want to pick out the best kart , glider , and be aware of the best items so you can get ahead on each course . Without further ado, here's every driver you can get in Mario Kart Tour. We'll keep this list updated as more characters are added to the game.

More: Everything we know about Mario Kart Tour

The Drivers

How do you unlock drivers in mario kart tour.

Normal - Racers that are more common to acquire.

Baby Rosalina

Koopa troopa.

Super - Racers that are somewhat hard to acquire.

Toad (Pit Crew)

Donkey kong, black shy guy, red koopa (freerunning).

High-End - Racers that are rare to acquire.

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Metal Mario

Mario (musician), peach (kimono), mario (hakama), rosalina (halloween), peach (vacation), mario (santa), pink gold peach, daisy (holiday cheer), yoshi (reindeer), pauline (party time), mario (happi), toad (party time), king boo (luigi's mansion), shy guy (pastry chef), waluigi (bus driver), gold koopa (freerunning), normal drivers.

Drivers listed in the Normal tier aren't rare and thus are the ones you're most likely to acquire.

Little Mario has always been a precocious driver.

Rarity : Normal

Special Skill : Boomerang Flower - Whirls around and around your kart to strike nearby opponents.

Favored Courses :

• Mario Circuit 1T
• Waluigi Pinball
• Daisy Hills R
• Waluigi Pinball T
• Yoshi Circuit
• Toad Circuit
• Toad Circuit T
• Koopa Troopa Beach

Those cute baby eyes mask a competitive racer.

Special Skill : Bubble - Kick back and relax as this bubble floats you around. But beware the sudden pop!

• Cheep Cheep Lagoon
• Mario Circuit 1R
• Choco Island 2
• Koopa Troopa Beach R
• Ghost Valley 1
• Tokyo Blur T

An adorable little princess who tears up the track.

• Daisy Hills T
• Koopa Troopa Beach T
• Kalimari Desert T
• Toad Circuit R
• Choco Island 2R
• Shy Guy Bazaar
• Tokyo Blur R/T

A dainty little girl who knows how to race.

• Choco Island 2T
• Rainbow Road T
• Yoshi Circuit R
• Luigi's Mansion T
• Mario Circuit 2T
• Rainbow Road R

This little boy knows no fear, yet.

Special Skill : Boomerang Flower: Whirls around and around your kart to strike nearby opponents.

• Luigi's Mansion R
• Luigi's Mansion

He knows how to shell shock his opponents.

Special Skill : Triple Green Shells - Three Green Shells surround your kart. They'll fire off rapidly all at once!

• Gets 3 items per box -Koopa Troopa Beach
• Bowser's Castle 1T
• Mario Circuit T
• Cheep Cheep Lagoon R
• Tokyo Blur R

There's a die-hard racer hiding behind that mask.

Special Skill : Double Bob-ombs - Gives you two Bob-ombs you can hurl at once. Engulf your opponents in a mighty blast!

• Dino Dino Jungle
• Bowser's Castle 1
• Bowser's Castle 1R
• Rainbow Road
• Shy Guy Bazaar T
• Ghost Valley 1R

This dusty guy is thirsty for the cup.

*Special Skill**: Green Shell Plus - Further increases your chances of getting a Green Shell. Using one will get your more points.

• Cheep Cheep Lagoon T
• Kalimari Desert

Bowser's minion is crazy on the track.

• Paris Promenade T
• Rock Rock Mountain T
• Kalimari Desert R
• Mario Circuit 2
• Mario Circuit 2R
• Neo Bowser City T
• Ghost Valley 1T

A determined lackey who's bound to get ahead.

• Mario Circuit 3T
• Paris Promenade R
• Paris Promenade R/T
• Neo Bowser City

When it comes to winning races, this guy is on the ball.

He knows how to blast ahead.

Special Skill : Dash Ring - Pass through this for a burst of speed. Your opponents can use it, too, so make it count!

• Shy Guy Bazaar R

He knows how to trip up the other racers.

Special Skill : Giant Banana - This particularly stern-looking Giant Banana splits into three Bananas when hit.

• Rock Rock Mountain

Blast ahead with Bowser's coolest minion.

• Neo Bowser City R
• Dino Dino Jungle R

She's tough and has plenty of heart on the track.

Special Skill : Heart - This Heart is overflowing with kindness! It will protect you from opponents' attacks.

• Mario Circuit

Super Drivers

Drivers in the Super tier are harder to come by then drivers in the Normal tier.

The big man himself is hot on the track.

Rarity : Super

Special Skill : Fire Flower - Lets you throw three fireballs. Spinout your opponents while you burn up the track!

• Mario Circuit 1

This princess knows how to get ahead on the track.

• Paris Promenade
• Mario Circuit R

He's an egg-cellent racer who knows how to crush the competition.

Special Skill : Yoshi's Egg - Chases down opponents. But what's inside?! You'll find out when it breaks!

• Yoshi Circuit T

A classy lady with a need for speed.

• Daisy Hills

A little guy who knows how to fly by other racers.

Special Skill : Triple Mushrooms - Gives you three mushrooms to use in one go for a long-lasting boost.

She might be small, but she knows how to boost past other drivers.

• Mario Circuit 3R
• Mario Circuit 3

You'll often see her dashing past other players.

A plumber with a need for speed.

Special Skill : Fire Flower - Lets you throw three fireballs. Spin out your opponents while you burn up the track!

• Waluigi Pinball R

This little guy knows his way around a race car.

This red Yoshi is eager to take first place.

• Tokyo Blur 2T
• Tokyo Blur 2R/T
• Mario Circuit 2R/T

Mario's long-time nemesis knows how to terrorize other racers.

Special Skill : Bowser's Shell - Hurl this sharp shell in front of your kart to scatter opponents.

• Dino Dino Jungle T
• Rock Rock Mountain R
• New York Minute T

This big harry fellow knows how to slip others up.

• New York Minute

This little guy knows how to barrel past everyone else.

Special Skill : Banana Barrels - This barrel automatically launches Bananas. Turn the course into a sea of Bananas!

• New York Minute R
• New York Minute R/T

After years of sitting behind the camera, this guy has gotten behind the wheel.

He's small, but he knows how to bowl over the competition.

He's a blast on the track.

A crooked doppelganger of our favorite scaredy-cat plumber.

A spooky ruler who loves to race.

Special Skill : Lucky Seven - Surround your kart with seven items. Tap once to use them all!

This devious little guy knows how to take the lead.

Special Skill : Bob-omb Cannon - This blaster automatically launches a volley of Bob-ombs. Handle with care!

• Luigi's Mansion R/T

This cool dude burns up the competition.

• Mario Circuit 1R/T
• London Loop
• Tokyo Blur 2R
• Toad Circuit R/T
• London Loop R

Birdo knows how to chase down the competition.

Special Skill : Birdo's Egg - Chases down opponents. But what's inside?! You'll find out when it breaks!

• New York Minute 2
• New York Minute 2T

High-End Drivers

These are the rarest drivers in Mario Kart Tour and as such, it can be super hard to acquire them.

He really shows what he's made of when he's flying past the competition.

Rarity : High-End

She's a loose cannon during any race.

Special Skill : Mushroom Cannon - Rapidly fires Mushrooms onto the course. Grab as many as you can to dash ahead!

A city girl with a lead foot and plenty of luck.

This musical plumber is a real blast.

Our pretty princess boosts ahead in her classy outfit.

Mario's going for the gold in this classy outfit.

Special Skill : Coin Box - Spits out coins with reckless abandon. It's a very generous item!

This little witch knows how to fly around the course.

Our favorite princess in her best holiday attire.

This Santa deals out Fire Balls instead of coal.

• Mario Circuit R/T
• Tokyo Blur 2
• New York Minute 2R/T
• Rainbow Road R/T
• London Loop T

Look glamourous as you plas as this rose-gold inspired princess.

• Yoshi Circuit R/T

Get into the festive spirit with Daisy's winter outfit.

• London Loop R/T
• London Loopr T

Just like your favorite red-nosed reindeer, this Yoshi knows how to stay in the lead.

• New York Minute 2R

This woman sure know how to have a good time while racing.

• Neo Bowser City R/T

Celebrate any day with Mario's festive outfit.

You'll get a blast of speed with this fun-loving Toad.

He's bad to the bone and he's gonna smash the competition.

A terrifying ghoul who knows how to blast away the competition.

This guy whips up a mean crepe after every race won.

Tear down the track with Luigi's evil rival.

Special Skill : Triple Bananas - Three Bananas provide a worthy Shield. . . Or ammo to lob at opponents!

This speedy racer knows how to find some bling.

Now that you know that each racer has a special skill and different perks on specific tracks, you're going to want to collect as many drivers as you can. Some drivers are given to you as rewards for completing courses or finishing cups. You can also purchase drivers in the Shop by spending coins. Or, if you're willing to take the chance, you can spend rubies to fire a pipe within the game. Your reward for firing a pipe will be a random kart, glider, or driver.

You'll earn coins and rubies by participating in courses and by doing well within your ranking tier. Coins can also be found on the track, so be sure to pick them up while you race. Additionally, there's a login bonus each day that often results in you receiving coins or rubies. Lastly, you can also spend real-world money to acquire rubies.

What do you think?

Which drivers do you want to get? Sound off in the comments below.

Gaming aficionado Rebecca Spear is iMore's dedicated gaming editor with a focus on Nintendo Switch and iOS gaming. You’ll never catch her without her Switch or her iPad Air handy. If you’ve got a question about Pokémon, The Legend of Zelda, or just about any other Nintendo series check out her guides to help you out. Rebecca has written thousands of articles in the last six years including hundreds of extensive gaming guides, previews, and reviews for both Switch and Apple Arcade. She also loves checking out new gaming accessories like iPhone controllers and has her ear to the ground when it comes to covering the next big trend. 

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Mario Kart: 5 Tropes That Are Overdone (& 5 We Can't Get Enough Of)

With nearly thirty years and over ten games to its name, there are some elements of the Mario Kart series that are wearing thin.

The Mario Kart series has been one of the premier party games since its debut in 1992. Whether it's the charismatic Mario characters, the bright and colorful courses, or the low floor/high ceiling gameplay, the series is appealing to players of any skill level. One doesn't have to go far to find someone who has very fond memories of the series. Each time a new Mario Kart game releases, it's almost sure to be a hit. It's easy to see why other developers have attempted to capture that same magic .

RELATED: Mario Kart: 10 Ways Mario Kart Tour Has Improved Since 2019

Throughout its long history, each new Mario Kart attempts to bring something new to the table en route to true Mario Kart perfection. Many additions then carry over to the next game. With nearly thirty years and over ten games to its name, there are some elements of the Mario Kart series that are wearing thin. On the flip side, there are others we just can't get enough of.

10 Overdone: Players Dread Pulling Coins In First Place

Few things strike more fear in the hearts of Mario Kart players like pulling Coins in first place. The stretch of time between pulling Coins and getting to the next Item Box set is one of the most stressful periods in a race because whatever second place pulls can influence how the race plays out.

Coins do have their uses as collecting them ever so slightly increases a kart's speed. In Mario Kart Tour , Coins also add to the player's Combo multiplier increasing their score and making them much more desirable. In a pure competitive setting, however, players would rather see any other item.

9 Can’t Get Enough: Rocket Start Boost Is Satisfying Every Time

The Rocket Boost has been a fixture in every Mario Kart game. One of the earliest points in which a player can gain an advantage is at the starting line. During the starting countdown, the player can press, tap, or hold the acceleration button (or touchscreen) to rev up.

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Time it correctly, and the player will get a large boost to start off the race. Time it poorly, and the player will stall for a few seconds while the driver recovers. Despite its long history within Mario Kart , the Rocket Boost hasn't come close to wearing out its welcome.

8 Overdone: There Are Too Many Babies

No character reveal can bring out more groans within the Mario Kart fanbase than Baby variants. What started as a cute addition for Mario Kart Double Dash!! has grown to become a frustration. The lineup has now expanded to Baby characters who have never appeared in any other game, such as Baby Rosalina.

The biggest criticism for babies (and the Koopalings), is that many feel they take roster spots away from  more deserving  or varied characters. Characters like Kamek and Dixie Kong should've made their Mario Kart debuts long before Mario Kart Tour , and they might've had babies been limited to just Mario and Luigi.

7 Can’t Get Enough: Shortcuts Are Always Fun To Pull Off

The first thing veteran  Mario Kart players think of when they see Koopa Troopa Beach is that shortcut midway through. They remember using a Mushroom up the ramp to enter a short cave before exiting on the other side. This either gives the player an increased lead or allows them to make up much-needed ground.

Shortcuts can make or break a race. Whether it's cutting through a patch of grass or making a well-timed jump, shortcuts are always satisfying to pull off . Knowing where shortcuts are can be a huge advantage. It really feels like the true test of a good course is whether or not there are shortcuts to take advantage of.

6 Overdone: Rubberbanding Makes Every Loss Feel Unfair

One of the longest-lasting complaints in the Mart Kart series, and the racing genre in general, comes from what is known as "rubberbanding." Rubberbanding is when a game attempts to decrease the gap between strong and weak racers to produce a more competitive playing field. In Mario Kart, this is most commonly seen through item distribution based on racer placement.

RELATED: Mario Kart: 10 Pro Tips To Help You At 200cc

The most egregious example of this is when racers, particularly A.I., gain an extra boost in speed to catch up. This can lead to scenarios where wins can feel unearned and losses feel unfair. If a player is skilled enough, this is not as big of a problem as they will win frequently. But if they're good enough to obtain a massive lead, then they should be allowed to do that without having the A.I. gain an unfair speed boost.

5 Can’t Get Enough: New Twists On Old Favorites With Retro Courses

The Mario Kart series has produced over a hundred original courses throughout its nearly thirty-year history. Courses with varied themes such as snow, desert, highways, castles, and so on. One of the most exciting aspects of Mario Kart is that these original courses are rarely forgotten.

Beginning with Mario Kart Super Circuit before becoming a mainstay from Mario Kart DS onward, Retro Courses bring back favorite courses and updates them to modern times. These courses aren't typically 1:1 recreations as they often implement mechanics that have been added into later entries such as gliding. It's always fun to see what new twists get added to classic courses.

4 Overdone: Bloopers Are A Nuisance

Items that make life more difficult are nothing new in the Mario Kart series. Throughout the series, each new game introduces more of these items to its catalog of items. One item, in particular, has grown to become more of a nuisance than anything. Players hate being hit with a Blooper. Players who are familiar with a course can utilize their memory and adapt accordingly. Those who get hit by it in a race against A.I. will be at more of a disadvantage than anyone else. Those who pull a Blooper very likely wish they pulled just about anything else. Except maybe the Coin.

3 Can’t Get Enough: Stars For Fully Completing Cups Add Bragging Rights

For most, Mario Kart is at its most enjoyable in a multiplayer setting, whether on the couch or online. Those looking for a single-player experience can still find goals to shoot for . Since Mario Kart Super Circuit , and once again skipping Mario Kart Double Dash!! before returning in Mario Kart DS , players can earn star rankings for each Cup.

This is based on how many points they've earned at the end of the Cup, and typically other factors such as being able to stay on the course. These stars add a lot of replayability to the single-player side of the game. In games like Mario Kart Wii and Mario Kart 7 , reaching three stars on all Cups earns the player three stars by their name when playing online, giving players bragging rights over the competition.

2 Overdone: The Blue Shell

The Blue Shell. Even reading its name can elicit many bad memories of races lost at the last second. The Blue Shell, known officially as the "Spiny Shell," was introduced in Mario Kart 64 as an item that can only be pulled by lower-placed players. When thrown, the Blue Shell will fly through the air, track down the player in the first place position, and hit them. In later games, the Blue Shell will roll on the ground and hit other players in its pathway.

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There are ways to avoid Blue Shells in recent games. For example, using a Mushroom at the correct time can allow the player to escape, but that requires actually having a Mushroom in first place. The Super Horn and Super Bell items can also destroy Blue Shells.

1 Can’t Get Enough: Rainbow Road Never Gets Old

Since its inception, each Mario Kart  concludes with Rainbow Road. Rainbow Road is the ultimate test of a player's skill. Everything the player has learned about that specific Mario Kart entry comes into play. The courses tend to boast some of the most beautiful visuals and tunes in the series. Each Rainbow Road gives off that big race feeling akin to a final boss fight .

Rainbow Road courses are often some of the best courses in the series and are frequent favorites among players. SNES Rainbow Road has appeared in more Mario Kart games than any course, five as of now, and N64 Rainbow Road got the Retro treatment in Mario Kart 8 . Wii Rainbow Road is likewise one of the most requested Retro Courses.

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Mario Kart TV

Mario Kart TV is the fictional broadcasting system in Mario Kart 8 and the successor to the Mario Kart Channel in Mario Kart Wii . Within the game, the Mario Kart TV feature integrates with Miiverse , allowing players to view and share replay videos of races, which others from around the world can then watch and leave comments on. Players can view highlight reels at any time by choosing the View Highlight Reel option after a race/battle or from the Mario Kart TV menu. While viewing, players can edit their own replay videos by using various options, including slow motion, rewinding, and fast-forwarding, as well as changing the focus of a video to include specific players and actions, as well as the duration of the video. Players can also favorite up to six of their own replays. The videos can also be uploaded to YouTube , if the player has a Google /YouTube account, though they cannot be longer than 60 seconds. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe also features the ability to show and edit replay videos, but unlike in the original, it is no longer possible to directly upload videos to YouTube.

As of November 7, 2017, it is no longer possible to upload Mario Kart 8 highlight reels to YouTube, due to the termination of the Miiverse service.

An accompanying web app was also released on May 28, 2014, [1] and it allows users to find and view shared highlights posted to Mario Kart TV and YouTube. Users who log in with their Nintendo Network ID are also able to find things that are specific to them. [2] On March 8, 2016, it was announced that the portal site would be closed on April 4. [3]

Nintendo has planned to "send out videos of attractive reels, and hints and tips as official Nintendo videos." [4]

Within Mario Kart 8 , Mario Kart TV is a sponsor on many courses such as Mario Kart Stadium . There is also a glider based on Mario Kart TV, known as the MKTV Parafoil . Mario Kart TV broadcasting vans also appear on many courses, including courses in the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe – Booster Course Pass . While the vans are usually outside the track and thus of no consequence to the player, two of the vans on 3DS Toad Circuit are parked in the off-road on the side of the track, acting as walls if racers happen to run into them.

Outside the Mario Kart series, a Mario Kart TV patch appears on the front of the racing outfit in Super Mario Odyssey , and multiple Mario Kart TV banners appear alongside the Mario Motors and Burning DK banners in the racetrack area of the World of Light in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate . In the Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge attraction at Super Nintendo World , the attraction queue passes by a broadcasting van and studio for Mario Kart TV where Lakitu explains the ride's interactive components. In The Super Mario Bros. Movie , the cloud in Mario Kart TV's logo is used as the news channel's logo.

Trivia [ edit ]

• The Miis react to events during a replay, such as falling over when a racer gets hit with an item or cheering when a racer crosses the finish line .
• There is a similar game mode in F-Zero GX called F-Zero TV .
• The music for Mario Kart TV was written by Yasuaki Iwata.

External links [ edit ]

• Mario Kart TV site (archived, February 21, 2015)

References [ edit ]

• ^ Nintendo Everything. (May 29, 2014). Twitter . Retrieved October 11, 2021.
• ^ Nintendo. (2014). Financial Results Announcement/IR Events . Nintendo Japan . Retrieved February 19, 2015.
• ^ Tamoor Hussain (March 8, 2016). Nintendo to Close Mario Kart TV Website . GameSpot. Retrieved March 8, 2016.
• ^ (May 8, 2014). Financial Results Briefing for Fiscal Year Ended March 2014 . Nintendo . Retrieved March 17, 2021.
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http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/Recap/SMG4ScoobyMarioWheredYouGo

Recap / SMG 4 Scooby Mario Whered You Go

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Mr. Puzzles invites the gang to his pizzeria for the birthday of Scooby Mario! But the party is canceled once Chef Bob goes missing. Can the gang find him before it's too late?

• A Birthday, Not a Break : The episode takes place on Mario's birthday for what's supposed to be a pizza party, but he and the rest of his friends are terrorized by what they think is a Hostile Animatronic . Then the episode ends with the gang thrown in jail when SMG4 winds up breaking the animatronic, who turns out to be Not Evil, Just Misunderstood . Fortunately for Mario , the episode closes out with Bob giving him his pizza anyway.
• During the advertisement for Mr. Puzzles' Pizzeria, Mr. Puzzles' avatar form, first seen in IT’S GOTTA BE PERFECT , can be seen on the front of the building.
• SMG4 initially acts like he does in the previous episode " Mario's Mysteries " when learning about the mystery, with the logo from said episode appearing, only to be rewound to say the correct line.
• Mario and Luigi stumble onto a control panel, where the previous two Puzzlevision Originals are shown on several monitors. This includes the one currently in production and a sneak peek at a future show. Curiously, the first three "shows" are nowhere to be found.
• Luigi's casting as Shaggy speaks for itself , and Shaggy is often accompanied by Scooby as Luigi does to Mario.
• Both Meggy and Daphne are redheads. There are also some Scooby-Doo iterations (such as the 2002 movie ) where Daphne learns martial arts, which is definitely something Meggy would do.
• SMG4 wears enough blue and white to pass off as Fred. They are also both The Leader of their respective gangs.
• Both Tari and Velma are considered nerds, tend to be more tech-savvy than their peers, and are rather clumsy.
• Mario and Scooby-Doo are both Big Eaters and Scooby is often accompanied by Shaggy as Mario does to Luigi.
• Chainsaw Good : At one point during the Scooby-Dooby Doors gag, Meggy chases after the animatronic with a chainsaw.
• Cruel Twist Ending : The animatronic that was seemingly terrorizing the group was actually a Non-Malicious Monster , and Chef Bob wasn't kidnapped at all. They end up arrested, and it's only then that Chef Bob finally shows up, having taken up work as the prison chef, making the whole search pointless.
• When searching for clues in the storage room, one of the animatronics comes to life scaring Meggy in the process, the animatronic apologises politely and gives her flowers before shutting down showing despite their scary appearance, they mean no harm. Sure enough, the "Luigi.exe" animatronic had nothing to do with Bob's disappearance and was only chasing them as form playing with customers of the pizza parlor.
• The security camera scene not only contains footage from the past and present shows, but future shows as well... more specifically, a game show of sorts.
• Meggy is startled by the terrifying JR's version of Foxy when he activates in the maintenance room. Rather than attack or threaten her, he immediately apologizes for the scare, politely hands her a bouquet, and shuts back down without a fuss, leaving nothing but a very confused Meggy.
• The SMG4 gang assumes the "Luigi.exe" animatronic to be one of these because of how creepy he looks and how persistently he chases them, but he turns out to have just wanted to play with them because that's what he was programmed to do.
• Mood Whiplash : Mario and Luigi run into a room to escape the animatronic. The room they are in is revealed to be playing footage from the previous two episodes, and countless others besides. Before they can do anything, Mr. Puzzles appears behind them and rewinds time to before they entered the room and barricades the door so they don't even try to enter, with the episode continuing on as normal.
• Not Evil, Just Misunderstood : The animatronic that was chasing the group was only chasing them to play with them and had nothing to do with kidnapping Bob.
• Original Generation : While all the characters are casted as iconic roles, the monster terrorizing them isn't based on any existing SMG4 character, but rather seems to be Mr. L from Too Late.exe .
• Parody Episode : As with the previous two Puzzlevision episodes, this one is a parody of Scooby-Doo , with the characters taking on the role of Mystery Inc. as they attempt to solve a mystery.
• Running Gag : Once again, Mario is cast as an animal, and just like in Mario's Mysteries , he happens to be cast as a dog.
• Scooby-Dooby Doors : Fittingly for an episode based on the Trope Namer , the gang ends up doing this while on the run from the animatronic. Highlights include the actual Scooby-Doo gang and Steve running through, Mario and Luigi riding the animatronic like a horse, and Meggy chasing the animatronic with a chainsaw .
• "Shaggy Dog" Story : In the end, it turns out that Bob was never kidnapped in the first place. He was arrested a year prior and now works as a prison chef.
• Throw the Dog a Bone : The episode ends with the gang getting thrown in jail for destroying the animatronic, but thanks to Chef Bob working at the prison, they're at least given free pizza so Mario can enjoy his birthday like they set out to do at the start.
• SMG 4 Once Upon An SMG 4
• Recap/Supermarioglitchy4's Super Mario 64 Bloopers

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