Nintendo’s Mario Kart Tour mobile game is officially dead
It joins other smartphone titles in the graveyard, like Miitomo, Dr. Mario World and Dragalia Lost.
The time has come. Mario Kart Tour is officially dead. The Nintendo-made mobile game first became available in 2019 and it was a pretty good time waster, despite being riddled with plenty of currencies and gacha mechanics. You know the principle. It was a free smartphone title.
Nintendo announced that the game would shut down in July. At that point, it stopped selling in-game currency and ended automatic renewals of the affiliate subscription service. The app itself will still open, but only to display player stats. There are no more rainbows to drive on and no useful Lakitus in sight.
Service for the Mario Kart Tour game ends on September 29 at 11:00 p.m. PT / September 30 at 8:00 a.m. CEST. Thank you for your support throughout the years. For more information on how Rubies and the Mario Kart Tour Gold Pass will be handled in the future, see the in-game notifications or FAQ below.
– Mario Kart Tour (@mariokarttourEN) July 8, 2026
It’s really the end for Mario Kart Tour. Nintendo is not transitioning the game to an offline title, like what it did when Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp was extinguished. Runner joins other Nintendo-published mobile titles in the gaming graveyard, like Miitomo, Pokémon Rumble Rush, Dr Mario World And Lost Dragalia.
However, there are many Mario Kart available on Nintendo consoles. The Switch 2, for example, can access Mario Kart World, Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, Super Mario Kart, Mario Kart 64 And Mario Kart: Super Circuit.
In other words, it’s sad news for mobile gamers but not for all Nintendo fans. It should be noted that Mario Kart Tour was primarily developed by Nintendo EPD, which is the company’s main internal software development division. I’d prefer these teams work on Zelda or Mario games for real consoles, not freemium gacha-style smartphone titles. Maybe it’s just me.
