Mario Kart Tour's multiplayer mode opens to all players on March 8th

Mario Kart Tour's long-awaited multiplayer mode is fast approaching. We now know that it'll launch for all players on Sunday, March 8th. It's been a long time coming, and I still can't quite believe the game launched without any multiplayer modes at all, but its impending arrival is nevertheless quite exciting.

Up to eight players are supported, and there are three distinct ways to play with others online, each offering their own unique benefits.

Multiplayer for #MarioKartTour comes out on Mar. 8, 8 PM PT! You can compete against seven other players, whether they're in-game friends, nearby, or around the world. Are you ready to play? pic.twitter.com/IRwBONq560 — Mario Kart Tour (@mariokarttourEN) March 3, 2020

If playing with friends or other nearby racers, you'll be able to meddle with the race settings and choose your own rules. For example, you'll be able to tweak item slot numbers, the speed of karts, and more.

Standard Races see you competing with other players from all over the world to raise your grade. Standard Races don't allow you to pick the rules, however, as these are predetermined and updated on a daily basis.

Then there are Gold Races, exclusive to Gold Pass subscribers only, which are said to give you a chance to compete against "the best of the best for the highest grade". This offers four sets of rules that change daily, the full list of which can be seen in the tweet below.

I'm not overly surprised about the Gold Pass multiplayer mode, especially in light of the original beta being a subscriber-only affair.

Race against players worldwide to raise your grade under rules that change daily in Standard Races and Gold Races. When racing friends or others nearby, Rooms let you pick speed, item slot number, and more. Play your way when #MarioKartTour multiplayer launches Mar. 8, 8 PM PT! pic.twitter.com/ckkekAsbHS — Mario Kart Tour (@mariokarttourEN) March 3, 2020

While I've got you, I should probably mention that we have over 22,000 Mario Kart Tour friends codes for you to add. Could be handy if you're looking for folks to play with now that the game's multiplayer modes are almost here.

If you're yet to take Mario Kart Tour for a spin, you'll find it available as a free-to-play title from both the App Store and Google Play. It's improved considerably since launch, and its post-launch content drops are surprisingly frequent.

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