mario lart tour

Mario Kart Tour 4+

Race around the world‪‬, nintendo co., ltd..

• #10 in Racing
• 4.6 • 116.5K Ratings
• Offers In-App Purchases

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Description.

■Challenge players worldwide in multiplayer! You can race against up to seven other players, whether they're registered as in-game friends, nearby, or scattered around the world. Multiplayer races can be customized with a variety of rules, such as individual or team races, kart speed, and number of item slots. You can play however you want! ■Mario Kart takes a world tour! Mario and friends go global in this new Mario Kart as they race around courses inspired by real-world cities in addition to classic Mario Kart courses! These destinations will be featured in tours that rotate every two weeks! In addition to courses based on iconic locales, some of your favourite Mario Kart characters will get variations that incorporate the local flavour of cities featured in the game! ■Endless Mario Kart fun at your fingertips! The Mario Kart series known and loved by many is ready to take the world by storm – one smart device at a time! With just one finger, you can steer and drift with ease and sling devastating items as you go for the gold in cups filled with new and classic Mario Kart courses. ■Nab 1st place with items and Frenzy mode! In Mario Kart Tour you have access to an arsenal of powerful items that can mix things up on the racetrack! Turn up the heat by activating the new Frenzy mode, which gives an unlimited supply of a certain item and makes you invincible! Make the most of the ensuing chaos, as Frenzy mode only lasts a short time! ■Collect drivers, karts, badges, and more! Earn Grand Stars by racing! You can also fire off the featured pipe to receive more drivers, karts, and gliders! You can also proudly display badges, earned by completing certain challenges, next to your in-game name! ■Bonus challenge courses put a twist on traditional races! In certain races, 1st place isn't always the goal. With names like "Vs. Mega Bowser" and "Goomba Takedown," these bonus challenge courses demand a different approach to gameplay and strategy! ■Race to increase your online rank! Boost with the best of 'em! Your high scores will determine how you compare to other players all over the world. Keep practising and trying out different combinations of drivers, karts, and gliders to increase your score and rise to the top! ■To start and play this game, you must create or link a Nintendo Account and accept the Nintendo Account Agreement. The Nintendo Account Privacy Policy applies. * This game is free to start, with in-app purchases available. * Internet connectivity is required to play. Data charges may apply. * May include advertising. © 2019 Nintendo Mario Kart is a trademark of Nintendo.

Version 3.6.1

・Addressed known issues.

Ratings and Reviews

116.5K Ratings

Honestly amazing but one problem

This game is great for any Mario fan. I can imagine so many other mobile apps out there which have pretty much half of the content available from the main console or PC version. But this app changes it all. First off, Mario Kart is completely free, meaning that you don’t need to pay to play the game which is something everyone loves! There are also a vast variety of different cups to choose from, allowing hours of fun gameplay. The fact that Nintendo managed to fully incorporate the same character, glider and kart customisation is one of the most brilliant aspects of this app. So already a massive well done for all that! One new thing that has been introduced in this game that wasn’t actually in the previous console version is prize pods. Note that these are completely dependent on luck, so don’t expect anything too great, however, you can unlock all sorts of rewards from these-whether it be characters, gliders, or even karts! There also in app purchases which I would say are slightly over priced, but I don’t want to go into this since it isn’t that much big of a deal. The last point I want to mention is that you need to link a Nintendo account to play the game, and you need to pay £5 a month for multiplayer. This is obviously annoying since everyone would want to be able to play multiplayer without paying but this is the only flaw. Otherwise I highly recommend you download this game!

I just don’t get the hate anymore.

The hate was at least SOMEWHAT understandable when gacha pipes were still a thing but now it’s just unnecessary. The game has the most courses,characters,items,music,karts,gliders,missions,challenges,etc out of any Mario kart game. The characters are easy to access if you just get good (and not very good just below average good) No money is required to unlock most things and if it is then it will come back in a later tour and won’t require money. Battle mode is here now and so is multiplayer, Grand Prix mode and time trials. Reverse, trick and reverse trick variants of courses now exist and some remix courses. Many past game tracks have returned and some have higher resolution than mario kart 8 deluxe’s base game tracks (eg. Rainbow road 3ds) the new courses are amazing in both the music and the tracks. My personal favourites are Singapore speedway, Vancouver velocity, ninja hideaway, merry mountain, Berlin byways, Los Angeles laps, London loop, Bangkok rush, Sydney sprint, Amsterdam drift, Tokyo blur, New York minute, sky high sundae and Paris promenade. Not all new courses have even released yet. It is very easy to get everything in a tour and the only bad part is the controls which you get used to quickly if you play for two-three tours. Also, could you please add toad’s factory? I really miss that course from Wii. Thank you in advance.

When I first started playing Mario kart, didn’t much like it but came back to it and really got into and started to play it a lot. I’ve started over a few times as it’s fun to be a beginner again. Anyway since adding multiplayer my opinion is the games has lowered drastically😒 and for this reason only I have not given full marks. Firstly I understand that it’s a new part of the game and needs a bit of work done but it’s not always the easiest to win the races so to win and then through no fault of your own have the game crash etc on you (which happens quite a lot during multiplayer) it still takes off your points. Also why do I seem to be the only one in the races I’m in that I seen to receive all the rubbish items towards the ends of races?! It’s incredibly frustrating to not even be in with a chance of winning very many now that I’m on level D! And lastly why are some people hit with items and they clearly have nothing on the back of their karts yet seem to have the ability to spring quite a bit forward without even needing a seconds recovery?? Why do I feel like I drag all the way round but people seem to be bombing their way through every race? Please fix this quickly so I can get back to loving MARIO kart again🤞🏻

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• Gold Pass £4.99
• Special Offer £1.99
• Premium Challenge £4.99
• Special Offer £19.99
• Special Offer £3.99
• Ruby Pack £1.99
• Special Offer £39.99
• Ruby Pack £5.99
• Premium Challenge £9.99
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Mario Kart Tour

Put your pedal to the metal in courses inspired by real-world locations as well as Mario Kart series favourites!

Visit the  official Mario Kart Tour website .

Mario Kart takes a world tour!

Mario and friends go global in this new Mario Kart as they race around courses inspired by real-world cities in addition to classic Mario Kart courses! These destinations will be featured in tours that rotate every two weeks! In addition to courses based on iconic locales, some of your favourite Mario Kart characters will get variations that incorporate the local flavour of cities featured in the game!

Endless Mario Kart fun at your fingertips!

The Mario Kart series known and loved by many is ready to take the world by storm – one smart device at a time! With just one finger, you can steer and drift with ease, sling devastating items as you go for the gold in cups filled with new and classic Mario Kart courses.

Nab 1st place with items and Frenzy mode!

In Mario Kart Tour you have access to an arsenal of powerful items that can mix things up on the racetrack! Turn up the heat by activating the new Frenzy mode, which gives an unlimited supply of a certain item and makes you invincible! Make the most of the ensuing chaos, as Frenzy mode only lasts a short time!

Collect drivers, karts, badges, and more!

Earn Grand Stars by racing or fire off the featured pipe to receive more drivers, karts, and gliders! You can also proudly display badges, earned by completing certain challenges, next to your in-game name!

Bonus challenge courses put a twist on traditional races!

In certain races, 1st place isn't always the goal. With names like "Vs. Mega Bowser" and "Goomba Takedown," these bonus challenge courses demand a different approach to gameplay and strategy!

Race to increase your online rank!

Boost with the best of 'em! Your high scores will determine how you compare to other players all over the world. Keep practicing and trying out different combinations of drivers, karts, and gliders to increase your score and rise to the top!

A Nintendo Account is required to play

Game specifications

Note: This game is free to start, with in-app purchases available.

Internet connectivity required to play; data charges may apply.

May include advertising.

Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc.

Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

© 2019 Nintendo

List of tours in Mario Kart Tour

The tours in Mario Kart Tour are the main events of the game, each one consisting of a number of cups and lasting for two weeks, with a new tour starting between every other Tuesday or Wednesday depending on the time zone. To progress through a tour, players collect Grand Stars by achieving points in the cups. Interspersed between the cups are tour gifts and free pipe launches that reward the player with various items. For the duration of a tour, the player can complete two sets of challenges (three if the player has a Gold Pass) to earn extra Grand Stars, although the second set is not available until the second week of the tour. Until the 2023 Anniversary Tour , tours would introduce new content to the game, such as new drivers, karts , gliders , and courses.

• 1 List of tours
• 2 Unlocking criteria
• 4 References

List of tours [ edit ]

Unlocking criteria [ edit ].

Up until the Mario Bros. Tour , the next cup would not be unlocked until the latest cup had been cleared, regardless of whether or not the player had the required number of Grand Stars, although tour gifts were available immediately after meeting the required count. From the Baby Rosalina Tour onward, tour gifts are still unlockable, although all cups no longer require Grand Stars to unlock, meaning they can be played in any order.

In all tours, there is a time availability system for the later cups. Up until the 2019 Halloween Tour , by default, the ninth and tenth cups of each tour were not available until the second day, the eleventh and twelfth not until the fourth day, the thirteenth and fourteenth not until the sixth day, and the fifteenth and sixteenth not until the second week, although players could unlock them faster by using quick tickets . From the 2019 Paris Tour onward, the availability time was changed to one cup being unlocked every successive day (the ninth cup on the second day, the tenth on the third, and so on). From the Baby Rosalina Tour onward, the eighth cup was the first unlockable cup instead due to the reduced number of cups.

Also introduced in the Baby Rosalina Tour, the player can unlock at least two free pipe launches from the first week's pipe with Grand Stars. From the Wild West Tour to the 2022 Anniversary Tour , the second half of the free pipe launches are from the second week's pipe (except in the New Year's 2021 Tour , where only the last two were from the second week's pipe). Following the removal of weekly pipes after the 2022 Anniversary Tour, free pipe launches for non-spotlight items are instead included as tour gifts as of the Battle Tour .

The following tables list the number of Grand Stars required to unlock each cup, tour gift, and pipe.

Tour details [ edit ]

2019 [ edit ].

The first tour of 2019, the New York Tour , began on September 25 with the game's launch, while the last tour, the 2019 Holiday Tour , began on December 18 and ended on December 31.

2020 [ edit ]

The first tour of 2020, the 2020 New Year's Tour , began on January 1, while the last tour, the New Year's 2021 Tour , began on December 30 and ended on January 12, 2021.

2021 [ edit ]

The first tour of 2021, the Berlin Tour , began on January 13, while the last tour, the New Year's 2022 Tour , began on December 29 and ended on January 11, 2022.

2022 [ edit ]

The first tour of 2022, the Singapore Tour , began on January 12, while the last tour, the 2023 New Year's Tour , began on December 28 and ended on January 10, 2023.

2023 [ edit ]

The first tour of 2023, the 2023 Space Tour , began on January 11. The last original tour, the Anniversary Tour , began on September 20. Following tours are reruns of previous tours, starting with the Battle Tour from 2022, beginning on October 4.

References [ edit ]

• ^ GaplekBehemoth (June 26, 2020). All Volumes of Mario Kart Tour News - Mario Kart Tour . YouTube . Retrieved September 4, 2021.
• Mario Kart Tour tours

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You can put the pedal to the metal in courses inspired by real-world locations—and Mario Kart series favorites, too—in the Mario Kart Tour game, available now as a free-to-start mobile game.

• All News & Tips
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Mario and friends go global in this new addition to the Mario Kart series! They’re racing around on courses inspired by real-world cities, as well as classic Mario Kart courses.

With just one finger, you can steer and drift with ease, and sling items as you go for the gold in cups filled with new and classic Mario Kart courses.

• Put powerful items to use as you tear up the track and go for a high score
• A variety of drivers, karts, and gliders can be collected and upgraded
• Bonus challenge courses put a twist on traditional races

Note: A Nintendo Account is required to play Mario Kart Tour . Parents and guardians, you can visit the Play Nintendo for Parents site to learn how to create Nintendo Accounts for kids .

The Mario Kart Tour game is now available for free download for iOS and Android users on the App Store and Google Play.

Free-to-start; optional in-game purchases available. Persistent Internet, compatible smartphone, and Nintendo Account required. Data charges may apply.

Apple and the Apple logo are trademarks of Apple Inc., registered in the U.S. and other countries. App Store is a service mark of Apple Inc. iOS is a trademark or registered trademark of Cisco in the U.S. and other countries and is used under license. Android, Google Play and the Google Play logo are trademarks of Google LLC.

ESRB Rating: Everyone / In-Game Purchases

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Mario Kart Tour: tricks, tips, and how collect all the characters and karts

Here's how to master Mario Kart Tour's gameplay

Mario Kart Tour is a mobile version of the popular and long-running Mario Kart series, released in late 2019 for Android and iOS smartphones, and it's proven popular ever since.

The main Mario Kart Tour game is centered around the race seasons mode, which offers a variety of incentives to keep you coming back to race for each new season. While you don't race other real players live in this mode, your device will still require an internet connection so you can play.

Since launch, an online multiplayer mode has also been added to Mario Kart Tour, so you can compete in live online races against other drivers from around the world.

The basics How to win races and earn points How to win multiplayer How to collect gold coins How to collect rubies How to collect Grand Stars How to unlock all characters, karts and gliders How to level up your gear Should you buy Gold Pass?

Plus, the selection of playable characters, karts, gliders and courses have been greatly expanded since launch, providing you with new ways and places to race.

While Mario Kart Tour is centered around a very simple premise - winning races - it can get very complicated. There are three different types of currency that do different things, the characters, karts and gliders have different stats that you can improve in different ways, and there are a few mechanics in the races that can make the difference between winning and losing.

We've come up with this comprehensive list detailing the different parts of the game,  helping you work out how to win races both online and offline, how to collect and spend the different types of in-game currency, and how to bulk out your collection of characters, karts and gliders, as well as level them all up.

Hopefully soon, you'll be decked out with all the best kit, winning every race and racking up huge amounts of points.

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• How to download Mario Kart Tour

What is Mario Kart Tour? The basics, explained

Most of what you'll be doing in Mario Kart Tour is racing. You'll be charging around courses collecting items and coins, and (hopefully) overtaking your opponents, while finding shortcuts, using those items to get ahead and taunting your digital opponents.

Most races are against AI bots (albeit ones with player-sounding names), but after Mario Kart Tour's launch a multiplayer mode was added that lets you play against real people online.

Outside the races, the game is organized by Tours which last two weeks. These dictate the theme of lots of the courses as well as any new character costumes and karts available during the season.

Each tour is a series of 'Cups', each one consisting of three core races and a bonus race. At the start of the tour only some of the Cups are available to play, but one new one opens each day up to a total of 12.

If you just want to drive cartoonish karts and races around cartoonish tracks, you can ignore Tours and Cups, and many of the intricate details of character levels, score multipliers and the currencies too, but if you want to experience all facets of the game, and collect all the characters and pieces of gear, it's worth playing through the Tours.

• Back to top

How to win races and earn loads of points

There are some key things to remember in order to win your Mario Kart Tour races.

Firstly, learn how to drift. This is an invaluable skill that lets you turn corners quicker and earn small boosts as you do, and when you get really good you can use drifting to quickly shift to the side to pick up coins and item boxes. 

When you're drifting, look at your tires - a blue flame will appear, when you let go, you'll get a small boost forward - gold and purple flames respectively will give you longer charges, but you have to drift for longer to get them.

You can't fall off the map in Mario Kart Tour, so feel free to drift more aggressively than you otherwise would. You can drift quicker by moving your finger nearer to the side of the screen you're drifting too - this'll help you earn boost quicker, but you'll turn the corner faster too.

Moving your finger the other way will be good if you're turning a wider corner (or aren't turning a corner, just drifting cleverly to build boost), as it stops you turning as quickly.

Next, you can easily get a boost when you're starting by holding down the screen on the countdown when '2' appears. Long time Mario Kart series fans will know this already as it's a stalwart feature of the games, and it's really good for starting the race ahead of everyone else (except in later CCs or multiplayer where everyone else does it too).

Learn how to earn boosts, and where they are on each track, as they can help you get ahead. Jumps, however minor, will give you boosts, as will drifting, certain areas of floor (shown by arrows pointing forwards), and some rewards in item boxes.

Finally, be smart about shortcuts and ramps off the side of the course, as not all of them will actually help you. 

Many will actually slow you down in order to get to them, like ramps in grassy areas, so only approach these if you have a boost to get over the slow patch, and some are actually longer detours that offer more coins or item boxes instead. If coming first is your goal, usually following the track is ideal - but sometimes you don't want to win.

In Mario Kart Tour winning isn't the whole point of each race - but it is the most fun part of it. You see, you're given a score after each race that takes into account three things - the points of your character and gear (these can be leveled up, which we'll explore later on), what position you came in the race, and how many points you earned through tricks in the race.

Position is easy - you get more points for winning than you do coming second place, and more for second than third, and so on. The amount of points you get for coming each position depends on your level and what CC - what difficulty of race - you're in. 

50CC is pretty slow and easy, and thus the points are lower, 100CC is medium difficulty and speed, and 150CC is hardest and fastest, with more points awarded as a result. When you get Gold Pass, you can play 200CC too.

Your gear is something that's predetermined, based on which character, kart and glider you choose, and what points level they're at. Don't worry, we'll explain all about Base Points later on.

Finally, there are Bonus Points which are points you earn over the course of the race. There are many actions that earn these like collecting coins, hitting opponents with items and drifting well - the Mario Wiki has a more succinct breakdown - and if you pick the right kart you'll get a multiplier on these. 

You can get combos during the race if you earn Bonus Points for different things in a row, which is a really great way to collect more points, and the glider you pick can make the combo even more effective.

Together your Bonus Points, Base Points and Position Points will create your score for each course, which is a way of comparing your skills to your friends. You also want to get points because this score will reward you some extra coins (one for each thousand points) and Grand Stars, depending on how well you performed.

Mario Kart Tour: how to win in multiplayer

Points work the same way in multiplayer as they do in the offline game, and you should utilize similar tactics to win, but there are some extra things to bear in mind.

First, drifting isn't just important in online multiplayer - it's vital. Everyone does it, and you generally won't have a chance at winning if you aren't a master at it.

When you're playing 'offline' you can generally use items whenever you want, because there are so many other racers you're bound to hit one, but there are often fewer players in a multiplayer race, so it's worth being clever about when you use items.

Only throw a red shell if there's definitely someone ahead of you, and if you're first try and save a banana until someone's directly behind you. It's always worth saving an item to act as your shield as well, because most of the time if someone attacks you, it'll bounce off an item you have in reserve.

What are gold coins and how do you collect them?

Coins are the basic currency in Mario Kart Tour, and you'll be spending them in the shop on new characters, karts and gliders. Generally basic karts and gliders cost 500 coins, while characters cost 800, and that price goes up for gold or purple-tier as well as rarer pieces of gear. Coins can be collected in a variety of ways, but many of them are pretty slow.

Firstly, you can collect physical coins in races, and generally you'll pick up between five and 15 depending on the course. You lose coins if you're hit, so try and make sure that doesn't happen much, though this works for your opponents too so if you play aggressively you can pick more up. 

In addition, as we've already said, you get a course bonus based on points, though this won't net you many coins.

Each 'Cup' in the game consists of three levels and a bonus round with different rules - some of these bonus rounds can be particularly lucrative for picking up coins, so always make sure to do them.

Leveling up is an easy way to get coins in Mario Kart Tour, as you tend to get 100 coins every time you level up in the game. This will happen naturally as you play, and will keep your bank account getting bigger.

Another way of getting 100-coin jackpots is by completing challenges (you can find these from the menu) as when you complete a line of the multiplayer or standard challenges, you'll get a 100-coin combo care package. 

When you're playing online, if you ever find yourself waiting around for other players to join, you're actually slowly amassing coins - look at the animation at the bottom, as this tells you how many you've earned. You can get up to 100 a day just through waiting for online games.

Finally, Coin Rush is a special mode accessed in the shop where you play a race as Gold Mario, picking up as many coins as possible, and if you play well you can amass upwards of 300 coins just from the race. 

To play this mode, you need to spend rubies, the second form of currency, which we'll look at next.

What are rubies and how do you collect them?

Rubies are Mario Kart Tour's premium currency, and they're much harder to acquire, but they have a bigger variety of uses. 

You can use them to play Coin Rush and launch the Peach Pipe to win a random selection of characters, karts and gliders (this is basically a lootbox), and this latter method is the best for getting new gear.

Rubies (or gems, as some call them) are generally hard to acquire, but you can easily buy them if you want. This is what 'premium currency' tends to mean in mobile gaming, and if you're enjoying Mario Kart Tour you can put money in to it to get rubies for the Peach Pipe. Saying that, there are some ways of getting them in-game too.

The best way of winning rubies is through the weekly rankings. Each week, a certain cup will play host to a ranking, where you'll be lumped with 20 strangers, and ranked by how many points you get in the three races of the cup. The person with the most points overall gets 20 rubies, second place gets 15, third gets 10 and players 4-6 all get five.

If you're good at the game you can get loads of rubies easily this way, however depending on your performance you get bumped into higher tiers, competing with better players, so each week it'll be harder to win that top spot.

There are other ways to get rubies though. One is through challenges, as completing these will net you one, two or three rubies depending on the challenge, and these will slowly add up.

Finally, you can get rubies as a reward for earning Grand Stars in each tour. The Grand Stars you earn in each tour slowly earn you reward boxes as well as access to free Peach Pipe uses, and sometimes these boxes can get you some rubies. Want to know more about Grand Stars? Well good, because that's the next section of this article.

What are Grand Stars and how do you collect them?

When you're on the Mario Kart Tour menu, you can see your coins and rubies at the top but you can't see your grand stars, so some players don't realize they're actually a key part of the rewards you get as part of a Tour.

On the main Tour menu, if you scroll along past the cups, you'll see various Tour Gift icons and Pipes, each one with a figure of grand stars next to it. As you play the Tours, and collect stars, you'll earn some of these, though it's worth pointing out looking at these figures on the reward icons is the only way you can figure out how many stars you've actually got.

It's not too hard to collect Grand Stars when you work out what they are and how to collect them. The main way of getting them is in each race, as you'll earn up to five depending on how many points you score, although three is the max in bonus levels. 

Generally if you don't lose horribly, you can get three or four stars per level with the gear you start the game with, but to reach that fifth star you'll need a fair mix of skill and top-tier gear. You can replay races once you get better gear to improve your scores.

You can collect one Grand Star per day by completing a daily challenge, which you'll be notified of when you turn the app on each morning. One challenge appears each day, though you can store up to three, but then you’ll need to complete one to get any more.

Finally, some of the challenges reward Grand Stars, not rubies - these are the Tour Challenges, which reset every time the tour changes. You'll probably collect a fair few of these naturally over the course of a tour, but if not you can check them out from the menu to find which you missed. It's worth pointing out half the challenges only unlock after the tour has been running for a week, so keep checking back to the app.

How to collect all the characters, karts and gliders in Mario Kart Tour

Now you've worked out how to collect all the different forms of currency, it's time to look at how you can collect as many characters, karts and gliders as possible, so you can get more points and in turn win more races and collect more coins.

The reason you'll want plenty of different types of gear - well, other than so you can play as your favorites - is because each one has a few 'favored' race tracks, and the higher-level pieces of gear have more. Using the optimal piece of gear can transform your racing experience.

A character will offer you three items instead of one from an item box on their favored courses, and two items in a selection of other courses. Karts will give you a 1.5x multiplier on bonus points on some courses and a 2x multiplier on their favored ones. 

Gliders will give you 2x combo bonus for some courses, and a more lenient time restriction between tricks before your combo is dropped, and on some others they'll offer you 3x bonus and an even longer combo-time boost.

The easiest way to collect gear is to buy them with real money - certain timely karts, characters and gliders can be bought in bundles, which sometimes include rubies too, and this can be the quickest way to get rarer items. You can earn plenty of things through gameplay though, so you don't always need to spend real cash.

One of the best ways to get gear is through Peach Pipes - when you spend 5 rubies you get a random character, kart or glider, though you can spend 45 rubies to get 10 spins - we'd recommend saving up your rubies to be able to do this, as that works out as you getting one for free.

The other way to buy items is through the main store, which lets you buy them with gold coins, though the prices can be a little steep, especially for higher-tier items.

When you start playing Mario Kart Tour, you're only allowed to see one row of store items at once (so one character, one glider, and one kart), but when you reach level 7, then 12, you unlock a second and third row. We'd recommend saving your money for then, so you can see more of your options, and also because these subsequent rows tend to offer rarer items.

The items in the shop change daily, but given the huge number of characters, karts and gliders in the game, it'll take you a long time to unlock them all, especially given the price. 

How to improve characters, karts and gliders

Characters, karts and gliders have two different metrics to show how well they perform - a score, which indicates how many points you get per race just for choosing it, and a level, which functions as a form of multiplier for bonus points in races.

There's only one way to improve the level, that second stat, and that's by getting duplicate pieces of gear in the shop or peach pipes. Since the former is random, you may sometimes feel irked that you picked a duplicate instead of getting an entirely new piece of gear, so the level up and subsequent point multiplier might make that a little bit less galling.

It's easy to improve the base score of a character, kart or glider in Mario Kart Tour. Simply using the gear in a race will grant it some experience points which help it increase levels, so a trusty kart or your favored character can quickly become a high level powerhouse.

If you've just drawn a new super-rare character but they’re a much lower level than your favorites, you can use vouchers to level them up without using them. These Tickets, as they're called, can be gained in a huge variety of ways, including daily log-in bonuses, tour rewards, challenge rewards and more.

Using Tickets on a piece of gear will grant it some experience points, so if you use a few you can quickly use them to get your new character, kart or glider to a high level. 

It's worth pointing out there's a max base level dictated by which piece of equipment it is (characters can have more than karts or gliders) and the rarity (purple items have a higher limit than gold, which has a higher limit than the base pieces of kit).

When you have a top-level purple item, especially a top-level character, kart and glider all in use at once, you're going in to races with 2,800 base points already, which will ensure you plenty of grand stars and gold coins, and you'll get even more if any of those have high levels from duplicates.

What is the Gold Pass and should I buy it?

Mario Kart Tour has a season-pass-style item called the Gold Pass, which you can buy monthly if you really want to get the most out of the game. It gives you a few extra rewards and unlocks a new game mode.

Gold Pass gives you extra gift rewards in tours, including sometimes gold-tier and purple-tier character, karts and gliders, as well as extra rubies - frequent players will find it a lucrative way of boosting their gear count.

A new round of challenges is available to Gold Pass members too, which gives you an extra way of earning grand stars to help you get those extra rewards.

Finally, the Gold Pass unlocks 200CC mode, which is a faster and harder version of racing which ensures you more position points. 

If you play Mario Kart Tour frequently and are invested in getting as many characters, karts and gliders as possible, Gold Pass will likely help you get them faster, and let you enjoy them more. 

However if you just like to pick up Mario Kart Tour for some fun racing action from time-to-time, you might not feel the need to get Gold Pass.

It’s worth pointing out there's a two-week free trial for Gold Pass so if you're not sure whether it's for you, you can test it out for free.

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Tom Bedford was deputy phones editor on TechRadar until late 2022, having worked his way up from staff writer. Though he specialized in phones and tablets, he also took on other tech like electric scooters, smartwatches, fitness, mobile gaming and more. He is based in London, UK and now works for the entertainment site What To Watch.

He graduated in American Literature and Creative Writing from the University of East Anglia. Prior to working on TechRadar, he freelanced in tech, gaming and entertainment, and also spent many years working as a mixologist.

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Visiting Russia - Nalchik, Capital of Kabardino-Balkaria

By Koryo Tours

Nalchik, capital of Kabardino-Balkaria

Visiting Russia – Nalchik

Yoshkar-ola | cheboksary  |  astrakhan | elista | stalingrad (volograd)  | abakan  |  nalchik  | validkavkaz  | makhachkala  |  grozny.

Nalchik is a small city of around 240,000 people and serves as the capital of Kabardino-Balkaria, one of the lesser-known republics spread across the beautiful North Caucasus area of Russia, the mountain range that separates the former soviet states of Georgia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan from the Russian Federation.

This region has incredible diversity in ethnic groups and is a melting pot at the edge of empire. While there have been civilisations in the Caucasus for millennia Nalchik as a city is only a century old, having been a Russian fort since 1724. Today’s Nalchik is a mostly peaceful and relaxing place, being in the foothills of the mountains it has many areas of great beauty and multiple sanatoria for people looking to take the waters, over the last century it has certainly had its share of turbulence though, being occupied by Romanian troops fighting on the side of the Nazis, who embarked on an effort to exterminate the ancient community of Mountain Jews in the area (unsuccessfully), plus a 2005 Islamic militant attack on Russian security forces.

These days Nalchik is known as a clean city, a place for relaxing, and the starting point of expeditions to summit Mt. Elbrus, the tallest mountain in Europe, which lies within Kabardino-Balkaria.

Kabardians make up the largest ethnic group at just under 50% of the city’s population, followed by Russians, Balkars, other Caucasian nationalities as well as Ukrainians, Mountain Jews still live in the area but in very small numbers now, most having emigrated to Israel.

Arriving/Departing

Nalchik Airport (NAL) is a small one but is fully functional for getting in and out, usually the foreigners arriving here will be mountaineers heading for Elbrus.

The Airport is only 3km from the city centre so you could even walk into town from here, otherwise, there are taxis and marshrutkas waiting for arrivals. Flights arrive only from Moscow and St. Petersburg usually, the Caucasus has other larger airports for other international flights (such as those to Sochi). Nalchik has a railway station, dating from 1915, with links to Moscow and across the Caucasus. A good option for travelling around the region in a relaxing manner (usually slower than taking a marshrutka between cities though) For getting around inside Nalchik there are public buses all over the place, easy to use and very cheap. Otherwise most of the centre is very walkable, the main ‘high street’ is Lenin Avenue, which runs for several km through the centre of the city.

Concord Square

The centre of Nalchik and a good place to start a walking tour of the city, with the Kabardino-Balkaria parliament building on one side and Lenin stands at the other, fountains in the middle and Lenin Avenue cutting through the square

Religious Buildings

The central buildings of the main religions practised in Nalchik are both fine examples of their respective architectural styles; the Central Mosque and the Cathedral of Mary Magdalene are both worth visiting. Dress codes apply.

Not actually in Nalchik, but only 50km or so away so the city is the ideal base for starting an expedition. This is Europe’s highest mountain and a dormant volcano. There are cable car/chairlift options to get t the top for those who don’t wish to do it the hard way. It is possible to get up and down this mountain n a single day, making it certainly the simplest of the 7 continental highest peaks to climb.

Museum of the Kabardino-Balkar Republic

Great for explaining where you are and the history of the area. Mostly in Russian only though and does tend to assume some knowledge in advance. Still a good stop to get some intro into the complex history of this city and area in general.

Atazhukin Garden

A large park complex running for more than 2km along the eastern side of the city, alongside the Nalchik River. A very pleasant place with so much to see and do. The basic Nalchik Zoo is here, walking trails, restaurants and cafes, theatres, a very retro funfair, and a rickety but reliable cable car running up to a lovely viewpoint to see over the city and out to Mt. Elbrus.

Topped by a restaurant building built in the shape of a Kabardian warrior. An excellent few hours can be spent exploring this park and mingling with the locals of all ages who do their relaxing here.

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9 places in Kabardino-Balkaria every adventurer needs to visit (PHOTOS)

An amazing journey through the mountains of Kabardino-Balkaria.

Together with local tour guide Artyem Babaritsky, we show you why this is one of the most underrated regions of Russia. According to Artem, the nature on the territory of Kabardino Balkaria is more “rigid” and “serious” than in the neighboring republics of the Caucasus. This is comparable to a human face: one moment it is kind and smiling (while we are in the Karachay-Cherkessia) and then suddenly this kind face starts to frown and becomes more severe.

The most famous attraction of the republic – and the Caucasus in general – is Mount Elbrus, the highest peak of the European continent. With a mighty height of 5,642 meters above sea level, Elbrus is actually a dormant volcano. Its permanent icecap feeds 22 glaciers, which, in turn, give rise to the Baksan, Kuban and Malka rivers.

Naturally, if you’re into mountain climbing, this is a peak that you will want to conquer at least once in your lifetime. Here are some detailed accounts of what it entails.

And this is what you’ll see along the way.

Not into mountain climbing? Not to worry! In summer, you can still reach an altitude of 3,658 meters from the bottom of the Azau Valley, thanks to a small network of cable cars and ski lifts. This will give you a bird’s eye view of the entire Main Caucasus Ridge – an extremely impressive sight to behold. And, of course, you’ll be right at the foot of the Elbrus glacier.

In winter, skiers and snowboarders can shred some sweet gnar on 23 kilometers of slopes serviced by 6 ski lifts. The winter sports area is situated between the elevations of 2,350 and 3,840 meters. There are plenty of accommodation options for a comfortable stay and a good selection of cafes and restaurants to refuel your energy supplies.

2. Dzhily-su

Translated from the local language, “Dzhily-su” means “warm waters”. The Tract is located on the slopes of the heart of the Caucasus at an altitude of about 2,400 meters above sea level, where you can enjoy the breathtaking view of Mount Elbrus on a clear day. On the territory of Dzhily-su, there are many unique mineral springs that aid in healing from various diseases and strengthening the body.

“It’s an amazing sensation when you lie in a warm mineral bath and dozens of small bubbles rise around you. Also, Dzhily-su is the land of waterfalls that bear beautiful male names like Sultan, Emir and Shah. Thanks to the unusual energy, esoterics are particularly fond of this place, because there are natural sand castles, amazing stone mushrooms and the energetic mountains Sirkh and Tuzluk,” Artyem says.

The road to Dzhily-su is considered one of the most beautiful in all of Russia: It’s a serpentine-like asphalt mountain road that follows along a huge cliff, over which you will see many eagles circling. If you decide to do the trip on your own, Artyem warns that you must get hold of an off road vehicle, because many of the roads that you will need to take are dusty gravel roads. 

3. Chegem Canyon, Gorge, Waterfalls and Paragliding 

This is one of the main tourist attractions of Kabardino-Balkaria and it’s not hard to see why.

“The views that stretch along the Chegem gorge are simply amazing. The Chegem gorge is quite big. You will begin your encounter with this area with the beautiful Chegem waterfalls that cascade down the rocky slope. Right at the foot of the rocks, there is a small market where local women sell various hand woven wool products. There is a ‘ladder of happiness’ consisting of two 222 steps, leading to the source of the waterfalls at the top of the cliff. Climbing it is not at all difficult, the views are amazing and there is a cozy cafe at the top, as well as at the bottom, where you can enjoy dishes of national cuisine,” Artyem says.

In winter, the Chegem waterfalls freeze and have a certain wild beauty to them. Some locals say that, perhaps, they are even more beautiful than in the summer. Ice pillars and columns of frozen jets and streams of water, like giant twisted candles, or stalactites, hang down all the way to the river.

There is no more asphalt road beyond the waterfalls, but you can still continue along the gorge on gravel, along the turbulent Chegem River. The road is very dusty, so Artyem advises visitors to drive along it in a car with closed windows and the air conditioning on. After about 30 kilometers, you will arrive at a paragliding station.

According to Artyem, the Chegem paragliding station is famous for its powerful, ascending wind currents. Thanks to them, paragliders can soar in the sky from morning to evening. On the territory of the station, there is also a zip line and a few other adrenaline-filled activities for those looking for some thrills. 

4. El-TyuByu

If time permits, you can continue moving along the Chegem gorge and arrive at the village of El-TuByu, a place with enormous history. This mysterious ancient Balkarian village is the focal point of the history of the entire Balkaria. Ancient watchtowers, remains of Greek temples and anomalous phenomena attract both adventure seekers and connoisseurs of beauty. The main highrise, the Balkarukov Tower, is also dubbed the ‘Tower of Love’. Legend has it that Akhtugan Balkarukov built it to defend against the relatives of the beautiful Kerime, stolen by him from Dagestan.

Not far from the village, two ancient defensive Greek stairs go up a rocky wall. They rise to a height of about 30 meters and lead to a small area surrounded by walls up to two meters high and about half a meter thick. A bit above the Greek stairs are the ancient Balkar mausoleums, where local nobility were buried in the VIII-XVIII centuries. Artyem advises to go with a tour guide, because there is just so much incredible history in this village. 

5. Valley of the Narzans

The Valley of the Narzans is a balneoclimatic resort area. It is located in the foothills of the northern slope of the Skalisty Ridge of the Greater Caucasus, in the Khasaut River valley, at an altitude of 1,300 meters above sea level (near the border with Karachay-Cherkessia).

What is Narzan water? It takes six years for the water from the melting snow in the mountains to become Narzan water. It needs this time to find its way through the fissures and cracks in the underground rocks, become enriched by more than 20 minerals and salts, congregate in the underground lakes and then appear on the surface as a spring. In the local language, its name sounds like “Nart-san-e”, which means “a drink of brave warriors”.

Visitors can come with empty bottles and fill them with different kinds of mineral water. The territory of the valley also has cafes with local delicacies and plenty of souvenir stands, where the local women sell traditional knitwear, mountain honey and other arts and crafts and delicacies from the region. 

6. Shadkhurei Karst Lakes

The two lakes - Lower and Upper Shadkhuei - are still little researched. Underwater currents, turmoils and a large network of underwater canals prevent scientists from doing deeper research. The estimated depth of each lake is more than 200 meters, though there is no data yet on the actual depth.

“This is a great place to spend some time, especially during the summer months. The water temperature is kept at the same level all year round – about +15 degrees Celsius. The two lakes are located close to each other and fascinate visitors with their magical colors, luring them into their emerald water,” Artyem says.

In Artyem’s experience, only with rare exceptions, no visitor can resist the urge to plunge into the water. Even without bathing accessories, both ladies and gents make it their priority to jump into the turquoise waters. Around the lakes there are a few gazebos so you can easily stay for the whole day, have a picnic and swim in the lakes to your heart’s content.

7. Chateau Erken

A little piece of Europe in the middle of the Caucasus Mountains, Chateau Erken is a majestic pseudo castle in the Romanesque style (it was actually built in the 1990s) surrounded by about 1,000 hectares of vineyards.

“If you want to have a relaxing day, try experiencing the fairy tale that is Chateau Erken. It stands right on the water and is absolutely stunning. There is also the option to do some wine tasting inside,” Artyem says. 

8. Upper Balkaria, Blue Lake and Aushiger Thermal Springs

These three places make for an easy day trip, because of their proximity to one another. Start your journey at the Blue Lake . The deep blue waters of this stunning lake, hidden in Russia’s Caucasus mountains, are shrouded in mystery. It’s uninhabited by fish and avoided by locals, but, in recent years, it’s become a popular site for tourists.

After soaking in the lake’s beauty, continue onwards to Upper Balkaria, which is just several kilometers away along the Cherek gorge. This is a small ancient village that almost seems like it’s hiding from the outside world. Architectural monuments, defensive towers, graves and ground crypts have been preserved there. Upper Balkaria serves as an excellent example of Balkarian life and culture. You’ll learn a lot about the ancient auls (Caucasian mountain or desert settlements) and Balkarian settlements from different historical periods. 

On the left bank of the Cherek River, in the village of Aushiger, there are a few healing hot springs. The territory of the health resort includes a healing lake, an open reservoir and indoor baths.

9. Adyr-su Gorge

“This place can be reached by car, mostly by asphalt road. Then, the car drives into a special lift, together with people and climbs up along the cliff. What a sight this is! There is a border control here, so it’s a good idea to have some ID on you,” Artyem cautions.

After driving along a relatively easy dirt road, you will get to a mountain climbing base. From there, you can take part in some light trekking, 4 kilometers there and back. Adventurers also have the opportunity to make a wish in the Valley of Desires, see waterfalls, go to the glacier and the huge, magical mountain Ulu Tau, which means “Mother Mountain”. Finish up the hike at the Silver Spring.

“Here, you can always encounter wild mustangs, they always come to graze on the beautiful meadows of lush grass and drink the healing water from the spring. The spring is the source of incredible strength - locals say that whoever plunges into it three times will be healed of many diseases,” Artyem boasts.

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