Nintendo opens registrations for Mario Kart Tour closed beta on Android

By Aaron Mamiit April 27, 2019

Mario Kart Tour, which will bring the beloved Nintendo racing franchise to mobile, has opened registrations for its closed beta.

Mario Kart fans who would be interested in joining the closed beta testing may sign up through the QR code on the game’s official website. Sending in an application does not guarantee a spot in the closed beta test, as there are only a limited number of slots. As the number of applications will likely exceed the number of possible participants, Nintendo will be randomly selecting who will get the first peek at Mario Kart Tour.

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The application period runs until May 7, while the beta test will last for two weeks from May 22 to June 4. The program is only open to the U.S. and Japan, and applicants should have their Nintendo Account linked to a Gmail account.

The game will also be released for iOS, but unfortunately, only Android device owners will be able to join the closed beta. It is unclear, but unlikely, that iOS device owners will be able to join a closed beta for Mario Kart Tour before it is launched.

Mario Kart Tour was first announced in January last year, and was expected to be released before March this year. The game has been delayed to this summer, but aside from this information, Nintendo has been very secretive about the project. No screenshots have been revealed for the game, nor details about its mechanics.

A report from last year claimed that Mario Kart Tour, like Super Mario Run, will be a “free-to-start” game. Super Mario Run was a free download, but players had to pay $10 after the first world to continue. Mario Kart Tour may follow the same model of allowing players to race on a limited number of tracks, with everything else unlocked after a fee.

Mario Kart Tour is scheduled to launch at the same time as Dr. Mario World, another mobile game by Nintendo. Similar to Mario Kart Tour, Nintendo has not released any screenshots or gameplay details for the free-to-play puzzle game, though fans of the Dr. Mario franchise are expecting the same core gameplay found on the 1990 NES Classic and all its successors.

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