Mario Kart is coming to your iPhone TODAY for the first time ever – and it’s free to download
MARIO Kart has arrived on iPhone for the first time in its 27-year history.
An official app launched Wednesday lets you race as characters from the world of Mario around bonkers moving tracks set in his cartoon universe.
By Harry Pettit@thesun
Mario Kart is finally coming to mobiles[/caption]
Made by Nintendo, it promises to bring all of the fun and chaos of the previous Mario Kart games in bite-size form. We’ve got all the details below.
What is Mario Kart Tour?
Mario Kart Tour is the tenth game in the Mario Kart series, and the first not to be released on a Nintendo console.
It’s a mobile app racing game that lets you play as and compete against characters from the Mario world, including Princess Peach, Bowser, Yoshi as well as the Italian plumber himself.
Made by Nintendo, the game follows the same formula as previous Mario Kart outings.
Mario Kart Tour is out on Android and iOS September 25
Nintendo
Players race around courses inspired by the Mushroom Kingdom, the universe where most of the Mario games take place.
You can outrun your rivals using Power Ups strewn across each course, which give you special moves like speed boosts or oil slicks to give you an edge over your competitors.
“Mario Kart Tour is the first Mario Kart game for smart devices,” Nintendo says on its website.
“Put the pedal to the metal in courses inspired by real-world locations as well as Mario Kart series favorites.”
You can play as various characters from the Mario world
Mario Kart Tour – game modes and characters
Mario Kart is based around “cups”, or groups of three to five races across different tracks.
A win bags you maximum points, while coming econd, sixth or thirteenth gets you fewer.
The one with the most combined points at the end of all the races wins the cup.
You can choose to play against computer characters or race online against up to seven other people.
There are 16 different “cups” in Mario Kart Tour that feature a whopping 64 courses.
You can play as 35 different drivers, who can pilot a bunch of different vehicles that you can customise as you please.
We’ve put each of the game’s characters in a handy list below.
You won’t have access to all of the drivers to start, but you will be able to earn them by playing the game.
Collect Grand Stars by winning races and spend your winnings on new drivers, karts, and badges.
Mario Kart Tour drivers
Here's the full list...
Mario
Luigi
Peach
Bowser
Yoshi
Toad
Daisy
Rosalina
Gold Mario
Metal Mario
Baby Mario
Baby Luigi
Baby Peach
Baby Daisy
Baby Rosalina
Toadette
Peachette
Bowser Jr.
Wario
Waluigi
Donkey Kong
Diddy Kong
Lakitu
Larry Koopa
Morton Koopa, Jr.
Wendy O. Koopa
Iggy Koopa
Lemmy Koopa
Ludwig von Koopa
Roy Koopa
Koopa Troopa
Shy Guy
Dry Bones
Dry Bowser
King Boo
Mario’s egg-laying dinosaur Yoshi also features
Mario Kart Tour – price and release date
Mario Kart Tour is out September 25 on both Android and iOS.
It’s not clear exactly how the game will be priced, although rumours suggest it will be free – at least initially.
After you’ve played a few tracks, Nintendo could ask for around £10 for full access to the rest of the game.
Another option is that the game will be free to play, but feature microtransactions that allow you to buy new cars and characters.
You wouldn’t need these to play the game though, so you could power through the whole game without paying a penny, in theory.
Mario Kart – A brief history
Here's every game released so far...
1992 – Super Mario Kart (Super Nintendo Enetertainment System)
1996 – Mario Kart 64 (Nintendo 64)
2001 – Mario Kart: Super Circuit (Gameboy Advance)
2003 – Mario Kart: Double Dash (GameCube)
2005 – Mario Kart DS (Nintendo DS)
2008 – Mario Kart Wii Wii (Nintendo Wii)
2011 – Mario Kart 7 (Nintendo 3DS)
2014 – Mario Kart 8 (Nintendo Wii U)
2017 – Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (Nintendo Switch)
2019 – Mario Kart Tour (iPhone and Android)
Mario Kart Tour – how to get it
On release day, simply head to Google Play or Apple’s App Store to download the game.
You’ll need to create a Nintendo Account to get started, which you can do by following this link.
You can even pre-register on Google Play and the App Store so the game lands on your mobile the moment it’s out.