Nintendo is jumping back into the mobile market following the mixed success of Animal Crossing Pocket Camp and Super Mario Run with another installment in a very beloved franchise: Mario Kart. Despite Mario Kart mobile game releasing later than fans were anticipating, it seems Mario Kart Tour is finally making its way to mobile platforms soon. Nintendo has officially announced that there will be a closed beta for the upcoming mobile racer, and they are offering some fans a chance to get in on the high-speed action a little early.

The Mario Kart Tour closed beta will run from May 22 through June 4, though the dates are subject to change. Those interested in signing up for the beta can visit the official site for Mario Kart Tour or scan the QR code below. Applications for the beta will be available until May 7 and will be available to Android device owners in the United States and Japan. At this time, there are no details on what content will be available in the beta, or if any progress will carry over to the full release of the game. Nintendo did state that in-app purchases will be disabled for the beta.

Mario Kart Tour will reportedly be free to start like previous mobile Nintendo titles, though the microtransaction model will be more in-line with Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp rather than Super Mario Run. Pocket Camp allowed players to purchase additional upgrades or characters through microtransactions, but did not force players to pay for them to have fun in the game. Super Mario Run, on the other hand, implemented a hard paywall of $10 to unlock the rest of the game's levels. Perhaps the microtransactions in Mario Kart Tour will unlock additional characters and courses, but if it's like Pocket Camp then there may be other ways to unlock them as well.

Mario Kart is one of Nintendo's most beloved properties, so many fans have high hopes for a mobile Mario Kart game that remains true to the spirit of the series. While there is little information out about the game right now, Android users will get to have some first-hand experience this May. It seems that everyone else will have to wait a bit longer, perhaps even after Nintendo's big E3 presentation this year.

Mario Kart Tour is currently in development with a beta planned for Android devices this Summer.

Source: Mario Kart Tour