15 'Always Online' Games That You Can't Play Anymore

11. Mario Kart Tour

mario kart tour
Nintendo

We all love Mario Kart. It's that perfect party game that's sure to cause arguments (hopefully not serious ones), and it's fun to play by yourself to learn each track like the back of your hand. So the idea that you could have Mario Kart in your pocket, to play whenever you wanted, sounds like a dream come true. Now you may be thinking that I'm talking about one of the DS or 3DS Mario Kart games, but no, I could never fit a DS or a 3DS into the pockets of my skinny jeans. I'm talking about Mario Kart Tour for iOS and Android. 

Mario Kart Tour was released in 2019 to mixed reviews, but that simple, addictive gameplay that stole everyone's hearts was still in there; you just had to fight through endless monetisation mechanics to find it. It wasn't perfect, but there was still a lot of fun to be had with the game. It featured bi-weekly updates that came with new tours with different cups, courses and challenges to keep players engaged. 

But it wasn't enough. Plus, with the release of Mario Kart World Tour for the Nintendo Switch 2, everybody's attention moved on from Mario Kart Tour to the new, shiny and, let's be honest, far better Mario Kart game. After 7 years of racing against your friends on your phone or tablet, Mario Kart Tour was shut down in September of 2026, with no offline playability available. 

 
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Hey, I’m Matt. I work full-time at WhatCulture's neighbours, MyVoucherCodes. I first joined MyVoucherCodes as a Deals Expert, scouring the internet, leaving no stone unturned in finding the best discount codes, sales and offers for our customers. Moving into my first home during the worst possible time (during lockdown), I understand the necessity of saving money when the purse strings are tight. Outside of saving money, I’m into video games, movies, books and music. I host and edit a video game podcast called The Retry Hard Podcast, where my friend and I go through news, reviews and video games in general. I love movies and watching how they’re made, and I’ve worked as a set decorator for a few months on His Dark Materials season 3, which gave me a massive insight into how it all comes together. I also put out music as a solo artist named Matt Kiano, where I won the award for Best Male Artist of 2025 for Radio Wigwam and have been nomiated for Best Live Act at the 2026 Radio Wigwam Awards.