Nintendo has announced that Mario Kart Tour will conclude its service on September 29, bringing an end to the mobile game's nearly five-year run. Launched in September 2019 as part of Nintendo's expansion into mobile gaming, Mario Kart Tour has been a significant earner for the company, largely due to its implementation of gacha mechanics.
"We sincerely thank the many players who have loved and supported the game since service began so long ago," Nintendo stated in an update. "Thank you for playing Mario Kart Tour."
In anticipation of the shutdown, Nintendo has ceased sales of the premium currency, "Rubies," and has made subscription perks available for free to players during the game's remaining months. Once the servers are deactivated, Mario Kart Tour will become entirely unplayable, as there are no plans to release an offline version. This contrasts with titles like Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp, which received an update enabling offline play after its online services ended.
With Mario Kart Tour's closure, Nintendo's active mobile titles are now limited to Pikmin Bloom, Super Mario Run, and Fire Emblem Heroes. The main Mario Kart series, however, remains a cornerstone of Nintendo's platform, with Mario Kart 8 Deluxe continuing as the company's best-selling game of all time and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe on Switch 2 achieving 14.7 million sales by March 31, 2026. Recent content additions, including two Knockout Tour routes, have been made to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, offering new experiences for players.