Mario Kart Tour Begins Its Final Anniversary Tour Ahead of Shutdown

Nintendo's Mario Kart Tour has started its final Anniversary Tour as the company prepares to retire the long-running mobile racing game. The September 16 event acts as a farewell celebration for a title that played an important role in Nintendo's smartphone strategy after launching in 2019. Mario Kart Tour adapted the series' familiar racing formula around portrait-oriented touch controls, collectible drivers, karts and gliders, and regularly rotating tours.

Its final anniversary content gives existing players one last major event before service ends. The closure is another reminder of how Nintendo's approach to mobile has changed over the years. The company once launched smartphone adaptations of several major properties but has increasingly focused its gaming strategy around dedicated Nintendo hardware and selected mobile experiences.

Mario Kart Tour nevertheless demonstrated the reach Nintendo franchises can achieve on smartphones and introduced millions of mobile players to a different interpretation of Mario Kart. Players with long-standing accounts will now be watching closely for Nintendo's final shutdown schedule and preservation details.