Editor Reviews

Mario Kart Tour strips down the console experience and rebuilds it for mobile play. The result is quick, punchy races filled with the usual Mario chaos—banana slips, red shells, and that moment when you just miss first place by a hair. It's a streamlined, mobile-first version of a long-loved series that doesn’t try to be too serious but keeps you coming back.

The game runs on short, two-lap races that fit easily into a lunch break or train ride. Everything feels familiar if you’ve played Mario Kart before, but it’s reshaped for vertical screens and one-thumb control. Drifting mechanics are light but effective, and steering uses swipe gestures. No gas or brake pedals—your kart moves on its own, and your job is to steer, drift, grab items, and chain actions for high scores.

Characters and gear aren’t just for looks. Your driver, kart, and glider affect performance. Some add item slots or boost your score multiplier. Collecting gear is emphasized, often locked behind events or random draws. It can feel like a grind, but it adds progression and strategy.

Courses are themed around real-world cities, such as Tokyo, London, and Paris, alongside classic Mario tracks. There's a rotation of new tours, so things don't go stale too fast. The style is bright, bouncy, and consistent with Mario's world, but adapted to mobile pacing.

The scoring system is less about finishing first and more about keeping your momentum going—drift, jump, use an item, repeat. It becomes a rhythm game disguised as a kart racer. That twist makes it easy to pick up but hard to master.

How to Play?

Step 1: Open the game and pick a cup. Each cup contains three race tracks and one challenge stage. Tap on a track to start racing.

Step 2: Choose a driver, kart, and glider. These affect your race based on the track. Use items marked as “Top Shelf” to get the best bonuses, like more item slots or higher scoring chances.

Step 3: Tap the screen to begin. Your kart starts moving automatically. Swipe left or right to steer. If you’d rather tilt your phone to steer, turn on gyro controls in the settings.

Step 4: To drift, hold and swipe in the direction of the turn. Releasing gives you a mini-turbo boost. Swipe up off ramps for a jump boost or swipe down after drifting for an extra boost.

Step 5: Collect coins and item boxes. Coins help level up your drivers and gear. Item boxes contain shells, bananas, and other tools—tap the screen to use them.

Step 6: Keep combos going. Doing actions quickly—drifting, hitting items, grabbing coins—builds your combo meter and raises your score.

Step 7: Finish the race and earn points. The more points you get, the more stars you earn. Stars unlock additional races and challenges.

Step 8: Replay races to improve your score or complete challenges. New events and daily tasks keep things active.

Step 9: Spend coins and rubies in the shop to get new drivers, karts, and gliders. Upgrading them boosts your performance and scoring ability for future tours.