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You can’t unlock additional drivers in Mario Kart Tour now. Nintendo discontinued the mobile game’s service on September 30, 2026, so its former in-game rewards and driver-acquisition features are no longer available.
Can you still unlock drivers in Mario Kart Tour?
No. Nintendo’s service-discontinuation notice says service for Mario Kart Tour ended at 11:00 p.m. PT on September 29, 2026; that is the same shutdown moment as September 30 in Nintendo’s South Africa notice. See Nintendo Support’s discontinuation notice and Nintendo’s South Africa game page.
This answer applies specifically to the discontinued mobile game Mario Kart Tour. If you mean another Mario Kart game, the available drivers and unlock conditions depend on that title and platform.
How drivers were obtained before service ended
When the service was active, drivers could be earned through rotating in-game rewards and features. Nintendo’s game overview described earning Grand Stars by racing and using a featured pipe to receive drivers, karts, and gliders. Tour-specific announcements also showed that rewards changed from one event to another; these are examples of past mechanics, not options available now.
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- Grand Stars and tour gifts: Racing earned Grand Stars, which contributed to tour gifts. In the December 2021 Holiday Tour, for example, Lemmy was listed as a gift for all players, while Bowser was an additional Gold Pass gift for players who earned enough Grand Stars. That announcement also listed Mario, Peach, Bowser, Luigi, Daisy, Donkey Kong, Wario, and Yoshi as first-tour gifts for new players. See Nintendo’s Holiday Tour announcement.
- Challenges: Some tours offered drivers through challenge rewards. Nintendo’s Halloween Tour announcement described a challenge opportunity to add Waluigi (Bus Driver); eligibility and other tour gifts varied. See Nintendo’s Halloween Tour announcement.
- Featured pipes: The featured pipe was a former in-game route to receive drivers, karts, and gliders. Its contents rotated, and it is not a current way to obtain drivers.
Why Gold Pass, rubies, and pipes are no longer options
Gold Pass was a paid monthly subscription that offered additional tour gifts and other benefits while the game operated. Nintendo Japan’s termination announcement says ruby sales and new Gold Pass signups and automatic renewals stopped July 8, 2026. From August 5 until service ended, non-continuation Gold Pass benefits were made available to all players; eligible existing subscribers retained benefits, apart from continuation benefits, until shutdown. These dated arrangements ended with the service and do not offer a way to buy access or unlock drivers now. See Nintendo Japan’s termination announcement and Nintendo’s Gold Pass support information.
Do not buy rubies, subscribe to Gold Pass, wait for a pipe, or complete a challenge expecting to add drivers: those routes depended on the discontinued service.
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