Mario Kart Could Be Coming To PC

We're on the starting line, as Mario Kart could be coming to PC for the first time. Sadly, it's not the Mario Kart game you were hoping for - well, not really.

Way back in 1992, Super Mario Kart came racing onto the Super Nintendo and changed the racing scene forever. Across eight main games and numerous spin-offs, we've moved far beyond Bowser chasing Mario around Donut Plains. While we refuel in the wait for Mario Kart 9, the franchise could finally be coming to PC. 

How Is Mario Kart Coming To PC?

There's been a recent push for Sony exclusives to make the leap to PC, as the likes of God of War and The Last of Us are finally moving off the PlayStation. Even as Sony and Microsoft learn to share their toys, Nintendo remains a black sheep of the family that does its own thing for a completely different demographic.

As spotted on ResetEra (via My Nintendo News), a PC port of Mario Kart Tour could be on the way. The free-to-play mobile title launched in 2019 as an Apple and Android release on the App Store and Google Play. Diving into the Mario Kart Tour data files, there's a reference to mouse compatibility that has us revving our engines.

Then again, @kart_tour claims this could be to do with Nintendo switching between game engines. Mentions of emulation could also point toward Mario Kart Tour's inclusion in the Google Play Games PC program that puts certain mobile games on PC. If this is the case, Mario Kart Tour might be playable on Windows 11 in the near future. 

Will Mario Kart Tour Arrive On PC?

Before you get too excited, it's likely that Mario Kart Tour would be emulated from phone to PC rather than getting a full PC port. The game has been a huge hit on mobile platforms alone, so it would seem like a lot of resources to build a whole new version just for PC. At least the datamine hints at new tracks and the introduction of anti-gravity features that first arrived in Mario Kart 8. 

We've previously covered how Super Mario 64 and The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time are playable on PC, but this has taken some serious reverse engineering and building a whole new code from scratch. Even then, the Nintendo lawyers are pretty hot on it and likely to axe these wherever they can find them. If (and it's a big if) Nintendo was willing to port any Mario Kart to PC, it would open the doors to anything and everything following suit. Still, it'll be a cold day in Grumble Volcano before that happens.