Nintendo has announced Mario Kart Tour is being permanently shut down later this year, without an offline mode.
Despite their initial apathy for the format, Nintendo has released several mobile games over the past decade. Most have earned only a middling reception, but one of the most profitable is Mario Kart Tour.
Released in 2019, Mario Kart Tour is a mobile spin-off which has had a surprising influence over the past two mainline titles. Several city courses from Tour made their way into Mario Kart 8 Deluxe via DLC, while several characters and costumes were put into Mario Kart World.
Mario Kart Tour may have been bogged down by gacha mechanics at launch (which Nintendo later removed), but it still proved popular. According to Sensor Tower, it is the second highest-grossing mobile game for the company, behind Fire Emblem Heroes.
Now, seven years after launch, Nintendo has announced it is shutting down Mario Kart Tour from September 30, 2026 at 7am BST in the UK.
As confirmed in an FAQ page, Nintendo has no plans for an offline version either. ‘An offline version is not scheduled for release,’ a statement says.
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In other words, from September 30, you’ll no longer be able to download or play Mario Kart Tour at all. It’s a surprising move considering Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, another mobile game from Nintendo, got an offline option before it was also shut down.
‘We sincerely thank the many players who have loved and supported the game since service began so long ago,’ a statement reads. ‘Thank you for playing Mario Kart Tour.’
Some in-game features, including Gold Pass subscription auto-renewals and the ability to buy ruby in-game currency, have already been disabled. If you were subscribed to Gold Pass renewals before now, you’ll still receive Gold Pass benefits until it expires. Additionally, from August 4, everyone will have access to Gold Pass benefits for free.
Nintendo discontinued updates to Mario Kart Tour in 2023, although it did get a surprise update to coincide with Mario Kart World’s launch last year.
The big question is why has Nintendo decided to shut it down now? There’s a chance some sort of sequel could be planned based on its success, or it could be switching priorities to Mario Kart World – a game in desperate need of substantial DLC.
Nintendo still has several mobile games in operation, including Fire Emblem Heroes, Pikmin Bloom, Fire Emblem Shadows, and the recently launched Pictonico!
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