Nintendo is shutting Mario Kart Tour down permanently at 11:00 p.m. Pacific time on 29 September 2026, seven years after it launched. No offline version is planned, so the app stops working that night. Ruby sales and Gold Pass renewals ended when Nintendo announced the closure on 8 July 2026.
When Exactly Does Mario Kart Tour Shut Down?
One moment, one worldwide switch-off, but it falls on two different calendar days depending on where you are.
Nintendo’s support page gives the time as 11:00 p.m. PT on 29 September 2026. Outside North America that lands on Wednesday 30 September, which is why some reports name the 29th and others the 30th. They are describing the same instant.
| Where you are | Local shutdown time |
|---|---|
| US Pacific | 11:00 p.m., Tuesday 29 September |
| US Eastern | 2:00 a.m., Wednesday 30 September |
| UTC | 06:00, Wednesday 30 September |
| London | 7:00 a.m., Wednesday 30 September |
| Central Europe | 8:00 a.m., Wednesday 30 September |
| India | 11:30 a.m., Wednesday 30 September |
| Japan | 3:00 p.m., Wednesday 30 September |
What Happens to the App Afterwards?
It stops working entirely. This is not a case of losing multiplayer while single-player carries on.
Mario Kart Tour requires a server connection to start, so once the servers are off the game cannot be played at all. Nintendo’s notice stated plainly that an offline version “is not scheduled for release”. Every driver, kart, glider and badge collected over seven years goes with it, and there is no export tool and no way to move progress to another game.
Anyone who followed the end of Warzone Mobile will recognise the pattern: a large mobile title with a server dependency simply stops existing on the announced date.
Do Players Get a Refund?
That depends entirely on which country you bought your rubies in.
Players in Japan are covered by the country’s Payment Services Act, and Nintendo said it will refund paid rubies that remain unused after service ends. Rubies handed out as a bonus alongside a purchase do not qualify, only the ones actually paid for.
Everywhere else, there is no refund. Unused rubies and any remaining Gold Pass value are written off when the servers go down. If you are outside Japan and still holding a balance, spending it before the deadline is the only way to get anything for it.
What Can You Still Do Before the Deadline?
Three things are still available in the weeks before shutdown, and all of them expire at the same moment.
- Spend remaining rubies: they can still be used in the Spotlight Shop, the Mii Racing Suit Shop and on Coin Rush refills.
- Use Gold Pass free: since 4 August 2026 every player has had Gold Pass benefits at no cost, whether or not they ever subscribed.
- Record what you want to keep: screenshots are the only form of preservation available, because nothing can be exported.
New ruby purchases and Gold Pass renewals were switched off at the time of the July announcement and have not returned.
Why Is Nintendo Closing It Now?
The game had effectively been in maintenance mode for nearly three years before the announcement.
Mario Kart Tour stopped receiving new content after the Anniversary Tour in October 2023. No new courses, drivers, karts or gliders were added after that, and subsequent tours recycled material already in the game. The closure ends a title that had been coasting rather than one that was still being developed.
Nintendo’s attention has moved to the Switch 2. Mario Kart World, the console’s flagship racer, had sold 14.7 million copies by 31 March 2026 and was the best-selling game on the system.
How Big Was Mario Kart Tour, and Why Are the Numbers Old?
The last published figures are more than five years out of date and should not be read as a final total.
Sensor Tower reported in April 2021 that the game had passed 200 million downloads and 200 million dollars in lifetime player spending, with the United States accounting for roughly 38 percent of that revenue and Japan about 28 percent. Those remain the most recent public figures.
Nintendo has not released download or revenue totals for the game since, and does not break out individual mobile titles in its financial reporting. Any total circulating for the full seven-year run is an estimate, not a disclosed number.
What Survives the Shutdown?
The courses do, on a different console.
Many of the city tracks built for Mario Kart Tour were rebuilt for the Mario Kart 8 Deluxe Booster Course Pass, including Paris Promenade and Tokyo Blur. That pass delivered 48 remastered courses across six waves between March 2022 and the end of 2023, and the Tour city courses were folded in with their multiple route variants merged into a single course that changes layout each lap.
That content is unaffected by the shutdown. It sits on Nintendo Switch hardware and does not depend on the mobile servers.
Why Did Pocket Camp Get an Offline Version and This One Did Not?
Nintendo has done it before, which is precisely why the decision here stands out.
When Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp closed in late 2024, Nintendo released a paid standalone replacement, Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp Complete, priced at about ten dollars. It let existing players carry their saves across and keep playing without a connection or in-app purchases.
No equivalent has been offered for Mario Kart Tour, and Nintendo has not explained the difference in approach. As of 11 September 2026, with 18 days left before the servers close, the company’s position remains that an offline version is not scheduled.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I Still Download Mario Kart Tour?
Downloading it now serves no purpose beyond the remaining days. The game becomes unplayable at 11:00 p.m. PT on 29 September 2026 regardless of when it was installed.
Will Mario Kart Tour Come Back?
Nintendo has announced no return and no replacement mobile version. The closure was described as a discontinuation of service, not a pause.
Do I Lose My Rubies?
Outside Japan, yes, unless you spend them first. Japanese players can claim refunds on unused paid rubies under the Payment Services Act.
Why Did Mario Kart Tour Stop Getting Updates?
New content ended with the Anniversary Tour in October 2023. Later tours reused existing courses and characters rather than adding any.
What Should Mario Kart Tour Players Move To?
Mario Kart World on Switch 2 is the current entry, and Mario Kart 8 Deluxe carries the rebuilt versions of many Tour city courses through its Booster Course Pass.
