Mario Kart Tour Can Finally Be Played In Landscape Mode Soon

Ever since Mario Kart Tour released on phones last year, it has only been playable vertically in portrait mode. Nintendo announced today on its mobile YouTube channel that landscape support is coming in a future update. This will give players a wider and more familiar view akin to past Mario Kart titles and addresses a common gripe that some players had.

The horizontal view will arrive via a free update for both the Android and iOS versions of the arcade racer on July 21, 2020. Players will be able to choose between the two views, so you can continue using portrait mode if you have come to prefer it. There is also a new control scheme to use for the landscape view called "Left/Right Controls." When enabled, it will allow players to steer their kart with the left side of the screen, while using the right side to use items.

The July 21 update brings the latest major change that Nintendo has implemented to the free-to-play mobile game. When it launched in September 2019, it was only playable in single player against computer-controlled opponents. However, an update in March brought in a multiplayer mode that added in the competitive play that the series is best known for. It has also regularly received new characters and karts to unlock and limited-time tours to play that are generally available for half a month.

Mario Kart Tour can be downloaded on both the App Store and Google Play Store.