Nintendo to Shut Down Mario Kart Tour on September 29

Nintendo has announced it will permanently shut down its mobile racing game, Mario Kart Tour, ending nearly seven years of service. The game's online servers will be taken offline on September 29, 2026, at 11 p.m. Pacific Time, which corresponds to September 30 at 2 a.m. Eastern Time. After this date, the game will be completely unplayable, as the company confirmed no offline version is planned for release.

The announcement, made via the company's website and in-game notifications, thanked players for their support. Effective immediately, Nintendo has discontinued all sales of the in-game currency, Rubies, though players can still spend any existing currency until the shutdown. Automatic renewals for the game's Gold Pass subscription service have been stopped, and no new subscriptions can be purchased. All players, including those without a current subscription, will receive Gold Pass benefits for free starting August 4 until the service ends.

Launched in September 2019, Mario Kart Tour was a central part of Nintendo's earlier push into the mobile gaming market. The free-to-play title adapted the core Mario Kart experience for smartphones but was criticized at launch for...