Mario Kart Tour has been one of the most successful mobile games this year, surpassing 90 million downloads in its first week after release. Adapted from the Mario Kart games across Nintendo consoles, one major feature the app didn’t have at launch was a multiplayer mode that would allow players to race their friends. Now that appears to be changing as Nintendo has opened a beta test for a real-time multiplayer mode in the app.
Available to players with Gold Pass subscriptions—which gives players special gifts, badges, and access to 200cc mode for $4.99 per month—the beta will run from December 19 to 27. Nintendo plans to make real-time multiplayer mode available to all in the future, but has clarified that any save data players generate through their participation in the beta test will not be carried over to the full release.
Nintendo has warned beta participants that they may experience some issues when testing the mode, depending on their devices and the quality of their internet connections. These issues include the game’s connection becoming unstable or failing altogether, the game freezing or crashing, and input lag that will make steering difficult. There is also a chance that the beta can cause players’ devices’ batteries to drain more quickly than usual or make the device heat up “in rare cases.”
Though the beta is currently only available to Gold Pass subscribers, players who haven’t yet redeemed their two-week free trial for the subscription can use it now to access the beta.
In addition to the beta, Nintendo has updated Mario Kart Tour for the holidays.
The update introduced Rainbow Road from the 3DS’ Mario Kart 7 as a new course, Reindeer Yoshi, Party Pauline, and Birdo as new playable characters, and the Jingle Bell kart as a new vehicle option, all showcased in the video above.