Mario Kart Tour's First Event Now Live, Features Two Special Unlockable Characters

Mario Kart Tour has finally arrived on iOS and Android devices. To coincide with its launch, Nintendo has kicked off the game's first "Tour"--a biweekly event that will take place in different locations and give players a chance to unlock special characters.

Unlike past games in the series, Mario Kart Tour features a handful of courses inspired by real-world locations, and the first Tour will be based on New York City. The event will run from September 25 to October 9. During each Tour, you'll be able to earn Grand Stars based on how many points you accumulate in a race. These in turn will unlock new cups and Tour gifts, which include new drivers, karts, gliders, and other items.

There are a number of unlockable characters in Mario Kart Tour, but some will only be available during Tour events. During the New York Tour, you'll have a chance to unlock two unique drivers: Musician Mario and Pauline from Super Mario Odyssey. Each driver in the title is able to use a special item: Musician Mario can throw two Bob-ombs at once, while Pauline can use the Lucky 7.

In addition to the real-world locations, Mario Kart Tour features a variety of courses from throughout the series' history; we've gotten glimpses at Rainbow Road and Choco Island from the SNES game, as well as Dino Dino Jungle from Double Dash. The game also features 30 racers, who you'll be able to unlock via a gacha mechanic.

Mario Kart Tour is free to download and features microtransactions. To play the game, you'll need to have a Nintendo Account. You can create one of those for free on Nintendo's website. For more details on Mario Kart Tour and its first event, check out the video above.