Mario Kart: Grand Tour

Mario Kart: Grand Tour is a racing game developed by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch. It is the ninth installment in the main Mario Kart series and, including the arcade games and port, the sixteenth overall. Like other Nintendo Switch games, this game can be purchased both physically at retail and digitally through the Nintendo eShop.

A prominent new addition is the addition of the plane vehicle, which transforms track for the use of planes and challenges the players to race with other mechanics. Elements from previous Mario Kart games also return. Anti-Gravity, and ATVS from Mario Kart 8; gliding, underwater driving, and kart customizing from Mario Kart 7; 12-racer fields, bikes and tricks from Mario Kart Wii; online-play from Mario Kart DS; character-specific items, and two-player karts from Mario Kart: Double Dash!!.

In similar vein to Mario Kart 8, the game also features redesigned retro tracks. Many of the items return, including the Coin which now serves another purpose. Coins can be collected during races for in-game currency to purchase special outfits and other additions.

Gameplay

The gameplay maintains the traditional elements of previous Mario Kart games. Players pick a character from one of five weight classes (XS, S, M, L, XL) which are separated in Feather and Cruiser classes. They choose one of four customizable vehicles of varying stats, strengths, and weaknesses to drive around an obstacle course-like racetrack, in an attempt to finish first of the twelve racers. During the race, racers can pick up items from Item Boxes, where the probability of receiving items is dependent on the racers' distance from the frontrunner. Players receive an amount of points depending on the position they end up with. Whichever player has the most amount of points wins the entire race.

Performing tricks returns from Mario Kart Wii, alongside the half-pipe tricks that were absent in previous installments. These ramps are now purple-colored as opposed to blue. Performing a trick gives the racers short speed-boost. Gliding and underwater driving also return from Mario Kart 7, as well as anti-gravity from Mario Kart 8, alongside the spin boost.

Racers can carry up to two items at once and have the ability to switch between these items when playing doubles. Coins now double as an in-game currency when collecting them during racing and can be used to purchase special outfits and other additional perks. Red Coins are mission objective collectables and the overworld has hidden Moons that unlock battle arenas. Grand Stars appear as the main collectibles in the Grand Tour mode.

Vehicles

Racers can choose from four different vehicles. Returning are the kart, bike and ATV. The bike still has the standard and sport variants. Newly is the plane which previously have appeared in Diddy Kong Racing. However when choosing the plane, the track gets transformed to an unique plane version of it. Other vehicles can't be used in this case and basically plays as a separate game mode.

Kart	The kart is a simple-to-control vehicle. It has the best drifting and spin boost and starts up faster after being hit. It however is affected much more by off-road.
Bike	The bike is more aerodynamic than the kart as it gets a larger boost from performing tricks but has a worse drift boost. The standard bikes, that perform regular drifts, and sport bikes, that lean toward the inside of the turn instead of drifting. While leaning instead of drifting, sport bikes lose less speed, but have a lower turning capability with respect to outside drifting vehicles
ATV	The ATV is a vehicle is a bit harder to control than the regular kart and will often require the player to hop to make turns. They are much better to use off-road and don't suffer the same slow-down that regular karts and bikes have.
Plane	Planes can fly over any terrain. They can turn the most sharply and players can perform stunts with them. If players are hit by items or bump into obstacles, however, the plane crashes into the ground, losing speed and altitude, making them more costly than hits on a car or hovercraft. Planes don't have gliders and thus can't use gliding ramps.

Game Modes

There are various game modes for Mario Kart: Grand Tour. All modes available on single player (some also on local and online multiplayer) are listed here.

Grand Prix

Like past games the 50cc, 100cc, and 150cc engine classes are available by default, and completing 150cc unlocks Mirror and Reverse; for the former three, however, Grand Prix rankings carry over to the lower engine classes after being completed on a higher engine class. 200cc is unlocked by purchasing it with in-game currency. Players choose a cup, which takes them through four consecutive races of set order in that cup. Only the Mushroom and Shell Cups are available at the start of the game, with the others being unlocked after completing the cup before, and are available in every engine class after being unlocked. Grand Prix can be played up to four players locally.

Grand Tour

Newly added to the game is the Grand Tour mode which acts as the story campaign in the game, the first time a story is incorporated in the Mario Kart series. Here, the players must win a number of Grand Stars to defeat Fawful. In order to find them, they must win races. After the players win all the races in one of the five worlds, they will fight a boss.

Hidden moons are scattered in the overworld. Collecting these will unlock a battle course with a special mission attached to it. Completing them will unlock a new character.

Another way to unlock certain characters are the various missions inside of the racing tracks, namely;

• Time Trials: defeat the champion (ghost data) of that track by setting the fastest time possible. After completing this the player can upload their own ghost data. An online leaderboard is also present.
• Collect the Red Coins: collect all the red coins within the time limit.
• Trick Tracks: the tracks gets remodeled to feature many additional ramps and trickable obstacles, and are otherwise the same. The player must have a certain score after completing the track.
• Pass Through the Rings: racers have to race to the finish in a very short amount of time. Each time they pass through a ring they get a small speed boost and additional time. Missing a ring most likely cause the racer to fail the mission.
• Take Down the Goomba's: with an unlimited amount of Green Shells, the racer must get rid of all the Goomba's on the racetrack.
• Smash Small Dry Bones: within the duration of a Mega Mushroom, the player must crush a certain amount of Dry Bones.

VS Race

VS mode can be played locally with up to four players. Players can set rules such as which items appear, the difficulty level of the CPUs, how many races to play, and whether to race on a Team or race Solo. Players can also set how the courses appear, choose a course after one is finished, or play all tracks randomly or in order. In this game, Mirror Mode appears as a default engine class, even if it isn't unlocked in Grand Prix. The point system is the same as the Grand Prix.

Doubles Mode

Returning from Mario Kart: Double Dash!! is the Doubles Mode, which was the default mode in said game. It works exactly like a regular versus race only now there are two players in the kart. When playing doubles you have the option to switch between the two characters which also switches the stats. When holding an item this will also switch along with the character.

Although categorized as a separate mode, the option is available in each other mode except Battle Mode and Grand Tour. The latter however will have certain tracks/missions which require the racers to pick two characters to race in doubles. The overworld however will always have only one racer.

Plane Mode

Newly added to the game is the Plane Mode which is reminiscent from Diddy Kong Racing. The regular tracks will see some changes (much like it does in Trick Tacks) allowing it only be used by planes. For example a Bowser's Castle track has most of the track being gone and allows the player to fly over lava. Not every track has a plane option however. Certain plane tracks will also appear as default in the Grand Tour mode.

Battle Mode

Battle Mode can be played with up to four players locally and features up to five different minigames. Players have five balloons which represent their lives, everyone starts with zero points and the goal is to have the highest score. The character in the lead is indicated with a crown above their head. After losing all your lives there is an option to respawn but with your points cut in half and only three balloons. The player can see which player hit them and have an invincibility frame of 1.5 seconds after being hit. Like in the previous game there are the options of Frantic Items or Skilled Items which reduces the amount of powerful items coming from item boxes.

There are five different Battle Mode types:

• Balloon Battle: The classic mode where players use items to pop opponents' balloons or steal them in order to score points. This mode now uses the point-based set-up seen in Mario Kart Wii, and Mario Kart 7, rather than the survival set-up of Mario Kart 8 and earlier installments prior to Mario Kart Wii.
• Renegade Roundup: Racers are divided into two teams. One team, known as "The Authorities", has to use the Piranha Plant attached to their kart in order to capture players from the other team, known as "The Renegades". Captured Renegades are placed into one of several jail cells floating above various points on the stage. Remaining Renegades can free their teammates by driving over a key switch placed below the jail cells. The Renegades win if at least one member is still running free when time runs out, and the Authorities win if all of the Renegades get captured. All Authority team members also temporarily lose their ability to capture after being hit by an item and Renegades receive a speed boost when they are freed from the cells.
• Bob-omb Blast: Players attack one another using Bob-ombs to score points and can carry up to 10 Bob-ombs. This version follows all of the same rules as Balloon Battle, the difference being that the only items are Bob-ombs.
• Coin Runners: Players must collect Coins scattered across the course in order to have the most by the end of the match. There is no limit to how many coins a player can hold.
• Shine Thief: One player must retrieve a Shine Sprite and keep hold of it for about 20 seconds, while the opponents use items against whoever has the Shine to force that player to drop it. The driver holding the shine sprite has a slightly reduced top speed. In Team play, one team must collectively manage to hold on to the Shine for about 30 seconds.

Track Builder

New to the franchise is track builder. Players can choose from three format sizes and attach one of the eight classic Mario Kart themes to it; Mario Circuit, Donut Plains, Ghost Valley, Bowser's Castle, Choco Island, Koopa Beach, Vanilla Lake and Rainbow Road.

Mario Circuit

Donut Plains

Ghost Valley

Bowser Castle

Choco Island

Koopa Beach

Vanilla Lake

Rainbow Road

After choosing the size and theme players are free to design their track to their heart's desire. They start by making the layout of their track and can select which sections they wish to have underwater or in anti-gravity. They can decorate the track by placing (gliding) ramps, boost panels and item boxes. Obstacles can be placed in any theme, meaning a pipe can be in Bowser's Castle and a Thwomp in the Donut Plains for example. Much like in Mario Maker there is a limit to how much can be placed on a track.

The list of obstacles is:

Static Item boxes Ramps Gliding ramps Boost panels Wall blocks Falling walls Destructible blocks Pipes Oil slicks

Enemies Goomba's Monty Moles Thwomps Piranha Plants Cheep Cheeps

Ground alterations Dirt Mud Ice Water Deep Water Lava Abyss Anti-Gravity

Online

One or two local players can play over the Internet against other remote players. Players can race and battle with up to eleven other players from around the world or in their region, and can join and race with friends from the Friends menu. Finally, players are able to join a worldwide room using custom rules. Players can also set up their own rooms for friends and can race with custom rules, such as engine class, whether items are on or off, vehicle types available, control method, whether to play with computer players or not.

Players can also create their own tournaments. When creating a tournament, players can choose an icon and a name for their tournament as well as set the rules, including engine class, whether to play in teams or not, whether to have items or not, vehicle types, whether there are computer players or not. Players can also set times in which the tournament is available (weekly, daily, or between a fixed period and at what day and time the tournament begins and ends), the number of races before scores are totaled, and whether the groups shuffle after every four matches or not. Finally, the availability can be set, including whether a code is required, or if it is open to anybody worldwide or regional, and whether only players of certain ratings can play. When looking for a tournament, players can enter a code, search by type, or look at active tournaments.

After entering a room, players can choose one of three predetermined tracks or "Random", which chooses one of any of the game's tracks at random if the player's option is ultimately chosen (this is to prevent people from selecting the same course repeatedly). When playing with friends, however, players can select from any of the tracks available depending on the settings. Once every player has selected a track, a roulette selects one of these options as the track to be raced on.

Story

Mario and Luigi just finished a race in front of Peach's Castle, with Mario just finishing as the winner. They come to a halt and see Toad working on his kart as Peach applauds Mario's victory. Bowser and his entourage appear with the challenge to defeat him in a tournament with the Mushroom Kingdom at stake. In order to challenge him they must first prove they can by defeating his fastest racers. Mario agrees to this challenge.

We see Wario and Waluigi filling up their karts with Bob-ombs and seem to have something mischievous going on. Luma's are working on Rosalina's kart as she nods in agreement. Diddy Kong drags Donkey Kong along with him to show his kart. Daisy examines her kart as Birdo is sleeping on the background. Toad is still working on his kart and looks over to Toadette who finished hers already. Bowser Jr. commands Koopa to bring him the required parts accidentally crashing into Dry Bones who falls apart. Yoshi picks up Baby Mario and Baby Luigi and throws them into their cars. Mario, Peach and Luigi nod to each other and race into the distance.

Worlds

There are a total of six worlds in the game. Each world has four obligatory tracks to complete with a boss battle opening up at the end. The four tracks can be completed in any order. Each world also has a battle arena mission which has to be unlocked by finding the hidden Power Moon. After completing the world additional tracks will open up.

Donut Plains

The Donut Plains has the most neutral environmental tracks. Peach's Castle is also located here as well as Toadsworth's shop. Paths have been blocked by walls that can be pushed back with a speed boost panel which needs to be unlocked. At the end King Bob-Omb needs to be defeated in a battle arena where he needs to defeated with his own bombs.

Default courses Mario Circuit Mushroom Farms New Donk Avenue Sunshine Airport

Extra courses Momo Carnival Mushroom City Cloudtop Cruise

Battle Arenas Cornfield Maze Block Stadium

Crystal Caverns

Entering a pipe brings you to the Crystal Caverns which has a wide variety of tracks, some also leading back up to the surface. Toadsworth also has his shop placed here. There are ramps missing to jump over gaps underground to reach other parts. General Monty needs to be defeated in a battle arena where you need to direct the homing Bullet Bills back at them.

Default courses Monty Catacombs Twisted Mansion Hardrock Boulevard Bowser's Castle 3

Extra courses Wario Stadium Shy Guy Bazaar

Battle Arenas Pipeline Sewers

Koopa Beach

Entering the blue pipe underground brings you to the Koopa Beach. Many of the beach and underwater tracks are located here. Kammy owns a shop here, but might act a bit hostile. Secrets are everywhere on this beach. Chef Porcupuffer needs to be defeated in a battle arena where you need to jump through all the rings to activate the water level while avoiding them and hit them when the water is low.

Default courses Junior's Sandcastle Nabbit's Treasure Grotto Marine Bay Peach Beach

Extra courses Cheep Cheep Island Vanilla Lake 1 Rainbow Road (DS)

Battle Arenas Honeybee Hive Yoshi Desert

Piranha Jungle

In this thick jungle the roads may be confusing. Cranky Kong has set up his shop somewhere in the trees. Certain paths have been blocked by thorns and need fire to burn them away. The boss of this world is Petey Piranha who needs to be defeated knocking him out of the air.

Default courses Hallowed Woods Diddy's Hiking Trail Thwomp Ruins Kremling Jungle

Extra courses Wario Colosseum Lakeside Park

Battle Arenas Fawful Factory Funky Stadium

Flutter Canyon

Inside of a canyon the roads ascend and descend. Toadsworth is here once again with his shop. The roads might be blocked with rocks, but nothing a Bob-omb can't destroy. When going high one might even reach some snowy peaks. The boss of this world is Wiggler who needs to be defeated in a race to the finish.

Default courses Rock Rock Mountain Choco Mountain Daisy's Ski Resort Sky Temple

Extra courses Cheese Planet Wario Estate DK Summit

Battle Arenas Roquefort Castle Lunar Colony

Bowser's Kingdom

The volcanic landscape in front of Bowser's Castle. This is the last world of the game. Kammy has set up her shop here as well, returning from Koopa Beach. The roads can be flooded with lava. The last boss of this world is Bowser who you have to beat in a simple race in Bowser's Castle. After beating him he says it isn't over and transforms into Giga Bowser in which you have to drive away from him.

Default courses Kamek's Library Storms Highway Airship Fortress Bowser's Castle

Extra courses Waluigi Pinball Bowser's Castle Wii Rainbow Road

Battle Arenas Twilight House (King Boo boss)

Characters

Drivers

There are a total of 41 playable characters in Mario Kart: Grand Tour, consisting out of 18 starting racers and 23 unlockable characters. There are 12 new playable characters, being Luma, Plessie, Tiny Kong (who previously did appear in Diddy Kong Racing), Kamek, Boom Boom, Flutter, Spike, Chargin' Chuck, Professor E. Gadd, Polterpup, Fawful & Popple.

The characters are divided in five weight classes: Extra Small, Small, Medium, Large and Extra Large. Within these weight classes there are also the Feather and Cruiser variants, causing there to be four character per weight class.

In addition each character has a special costume that can be purchased with in-game currency. Yoshi, Shy Guy and Luma also have eight color variants by default.

Starting Drivers

Mario

Luigi

Peach

Daisy

Toad

Toadette

Yoshi

Birdo

Bowser

Bowser Jr.

Donkey Kong

Diddy Kong

Koopa Troopa

Dry Bones

Wario

Waluigi

Baby Mario

Baby Luigi

Unlockable Drivers

Rosalina

Luma*

Plessie*

Nabbit

Dixie Kong

Tiny Kong**

Funky Kong

Pauline

Kamek*

Boom Boom*

Shy Guy

Flutter*

Spike*

Chargin' Chuck*

Professor E. Gadd*

Polterpup*

King Boo

Petey Piranha

Fawful*

Popple*

Baby Peach

Baby Daisy

Mii***

* - debut as a playable character
** - while a new character in Mario Kart, she appeared in Diddy Kong Racing DS
*** - Mii's weight is determined by the height and weight of the Mii the player chooses to race as.

Bosses

Donut Plains: King Bob-Omb

Crystal Caverns: General Monty

Koopa Beach: Chef Porcupuffer

Piranha Jungle: Petey Piranha

Flutter Hills: Wiggler

Bowser's Kingdom: Giga Bowser

Ghost House: King Boo (secret)

Non-Playable

These characters appear as car shop owners in the overworld. They can be talked to concerning buying new parts, special costumes and additional things.

Toadsworth

Cranky Kong

Kammy

Unlocking criteria

The game requires all the characters to be unlocked through the Grand Prix mode or by racing a certain amount of races.

Rosalina	Win gold in the Koopa Beach's extra race on Rainbow Road DS
Luma	Complete all Reverse track races in Donut Plains
Plessie	Complete all the Red Coin missions in Koopa Beach
Nabbit	Unlock Expert Staff Ghost Data on Nabbit's Treasure Grotto
Dixie Kong	Obtain the Grand Star in Kritter Jungle at Piranha Jungle
Tiny Kong	Take down all the Goomba's in Diddy's Hiking Trail
Funky Kong	Rank 1 Star or higher in all tracks in Piranha Jungle
Pauline	Unlock Expert Staff Ghost Data on New Donk Avenue
Kamek	Collect all the Red Coins in Kamek's Library
Boom Boom	Smash all the small Dry Bones in Bowser's Castle 3
Shy Guy	Purchase the special outfits of all the default characters
Flutter	Unlock Expert Staff Ghost Data on Rock Rock Mountain
Spike	Pass through all the rings in Monty Catacombs
Chargin' Chuck	Complete the Ring Mission on Bowser's Castle
Professor E. Gadd	Collect all Red Coins in the Twisted Mansion track
Polterpup	Take down all the Goomba's on Mushroom Farms
Petey Piranha	Defeat Petey Piranha a second time after ranking 1 Star or higher on every Piranha Jungle track
King Boo	Win the final battle course in Grand Tour by beating King Boo in Coin Runners
Fawful	Rank 1 Star or higher on every default reverse track in the story
Popple	Win gold as the Fawful Factory battle course
Baby Peach	Unlock Expert Staff Ghost Data on Peach Beach
Baby Daisy	Pass through all the rings in Daisy's Ski Resort
Mii	Create your Mii to unlock them.

Doubles partners

When playing doubles the CPU players always team-up with their doubles partner unless they are already taken, much like as in Mario Kart: Double Dash!!

Mario Bros	Power Princesses	Space Guardians	Treasure Hunters	Dino Companions
DK Crew	Kong Crashers	Street Musicians	Speedrunners	Ghost Hunters
Royal Koopas	Tower Defenders	Loyal Minions	Partners in Crime	Menacing Bosses
Beanish Squad	Quarterback Throw	Flutter Guys	Baby Bros	Toddlers & Tiaras

Vehicle Parts

There are XX karts, XX standard bikes, XX sport bikes, XX hovercrafts and XX planes, XX sets of tires, and XX gliders available to use in Mario Kart: Grand Tour. Some parts can change colors either for every character, a specific group of characters, or based on a limited number of color schemes.

Vehicle bodies can be customized with a personal emblem just like in Mario Kart DS. This function can be bought with in-game currency.

WIP

Drivers' and vehicle parts' statistics

Statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen

To calculate the final values of the game's statistics, the game uses points (PT) which are conferred by characters and vehicle parts. In each statistics, the points given by the character, body, tires, and glider are summed to obtain a final value called Level (Lv) which is then used by a table to convert the level into appropriate physical parameters used by the game. The Level of five statistics is displayed in the vehicle customization screen:

• Speed: The top speed of the vehicle on land with normal gravity.
• Acceleration: The rate of speed increase when holding the acceleration button.
• Weight: The weight of the vehicle. Vehicles with higher weight knock away vehicles with lower weight.
• Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle on land with normal gravity. A higher stat means vehicles turn sharper, and will continue turning normally for longer before automatically initiating a drift.
• Traction (Grip in Europe and Oceania): The grasp of the vehicle. Vehicles with higher traction slip less on certain terrain and can stay stable on the road better. Not to be confused with handling.

Said Level is represented through bars by adding three points to the sum of points, then dividing the result by four, resulting in values ranging from 1.0 to 5.75.

Drivers' statistics

The following table shows the statistics of the various drivers. In addition to the statistics shown in the vehicle customization screen, there are the following statistics:

• Water Speed: The top speed of the vehicle while driving underwater.
• Air Speed: The top speed of the vehicle while gliding.
• Anti-Gravity Speed: The top speed of the vehicle in anti-gravity mode.
• Water Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle while driving underwater.
• Air Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle while gliding.
• Anti-Gravity Handling: The turning ability of the vehicle in anti-gravity mode.
• Mini-Turbo: The length of the vehicle's mini-turbo speed boosts.

Just like in previous games, Miis can be Light, Medium, or Heavy, depending on their height and weight.

The following tables report the statistics in points.

Drivers' statistics
Vehicle size	Character	Speed				Acceleration	Weight	Handling				Traction	Mini-Turbo
		Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity			Ground	Water	Air	Anti-Gravity
XS Feather		0	0	0	0	5	0	10	10	10	10	5	5
XS Cruiser		0	0	0	0	4	1	10	10	10	10	4	5
S Feather		2	2	2	2	4	2	8	8	8	8	4	4
S Cruiser		2	2	2	2	3	3	8	8	8	8	3	4
M Feather		4	4	4	4	3	4	6	6	6	6	3	3
M Cruiser		4	4	4	4	2	5	6	6	6	6	2	3
L Feather		6	6	6	6	2	6	4	4	4	4	2	2
L Cruiser		8	8	8	8	1	8	2	2	2	2	1	2
EL Feather		10	10	10	10	1	8	0	0	0	0	1	1
XL Cruiser		10	10	10	10	0	10	0	0	0	0	0	0

Courses

There are 40 tracks in the main game; 20 new and 20 retro. As with the retro tracks from the Mario Kart 8, those in this game feature altered sections that incorporate the game's hang-glider, underwater, and anti-gravity features. The game features orchestrated music for all of the new tracks and most of the retro tracks.

Two new cups have been added to both the Nitro and Retro courses; the Cherry and Freezie cup respectively. Both are placed as the fourth Grand Prix cup.

Nitro Courses

Mushroom Cup

Flower Cup

Star Cup

Cherry Cup

Special Cup

Retro Courses

Banana Cup

Shell Cup

Leaf Cup

Freezie Cup

Lightning Cup

Battle Stages

Ten battle courses are present in Mario Kart: Grand Tour; four new and six retro.

Items

As with the previous installments, Mario Kart: Grand Tour keeps the use of items during racing. It introduces one new common item; the Freezie.

The game also brings back the use of special items like in Mario Kart: Double Dash!! and Mario Kart Tour. A special item is unique to four players, two doubles. Only the Lucky Block has been added as a new item but replaces the Crazy Eight item in essence.

Collectible Items
Item Box	Coin	Grand Star
These are placed on the track and contain the items you want to use.	Fills your wallet up with in-game currency one at a time. Spend it on fun extra's in the shop!	The grand prize upon winning a race in Grand Tour, collect them all and foil Bowser's plan!
Double Item Box	Red Coin	Power Moon
Wow! These item boxes give you two items, use them wisely.	Collect all the Red Coins on the track and claim your prize!	Hidden collectibles in the overworld of Grand Tour to unlock those special missions.
Common Items
/ Banana	/ Mushroom	Golden Mushroom
Don't let this one give you the slip! Your kart will spin out if you hit one. You can carry one behind your kart to protect yourself from a single attack.	This classic item gives your kart a speed boost. Doesn't get much simpler than that!	This golden version of the mushroom gives you unlimited speed boosts for a limited amount of time. There is a reason why this one wears a crown!
/ Green Shell	/ Red Shell	Blue Shell
Flies straight and crashes any kart it hits. Keep it behind your kart to protect yourself from a single attack.	Homes in on a kart in front of you and crashes whatever it hits. Keep it behind your kart to protect yourself from a single attack.	Chases down the kart in 1st place, crashing through anyone it hits before reaching its target. This will make you regret being in 1st place! Or even near the kart in 1st place...
Blooper	Potted Piranha Plant	Boo
Squirts ink onto the karts in a higher position than yours, blinding the other drivers for a set amount of time. You can wipe the ink off by gaining a speed boost or drive underwater.	Automatically chomps on obstacles and other racers, giving a short speed boost for each bite. Hopefully they brushed their teeth beforehand...	This trickster ghost will steal someone else's item for you to use. When its busy stealing it even turns you invisible for a temporary invincibility!
Bob-omb	Freezie	Bullet Bill
This will walk towards opponents who get too close, and then explode when it touches a kart or when some time has passed. Karts caught in its blast will crash.	When thrown they will glide along the track and will freeze any kart they hit, causing them to slide.	Transforms you into a Bullet Bill for a set amount of time. You'll dash forward with all the power of a Bullet Bill and crash any opponents that you hit.
Boomerang Flower	Starman	Lightning
The boomerang can be used several times when it returns to you. Not only will it spin out any karts it hits, but it will collect any surrounding Coins for you, too.	Turns you invincible for a time. Your kart will be faster and any karts you hit will crash.	Calls down lightning to spin out your opponents and destroy the items they hold. Those struck will be smaller and slower for a set amount of time.
Super Horn	Cape Feather Battle Mode only	Giga Bob-Omb Bob-Omb Blast only
The loudness of this horn will blow away any surrounding items and karts. It can repel Bloopers, and even Spiny Shells!	Lets the player perform a trick, allowing them to jump over obstacles and gaining a speed boots on the ground. They can steal balloons, coins or Shine Sprites when activating or upon landing near an opponent.	This giga-sized Bob-omb can only be thrown forward. after being thrown, it will explode after hitting a kart or bouncing 3 times. It has a larger blast radius than a standard Bob-omb.
Special Items
Fire Flower	Heart	Bowser Shell
Temporarily allows the user to shoot fireballs in rapid succession, when holding the throw button if charges up and shoots five fireballs widespread.	This protective Heart revolves around your kart for a set amount of time, shielding you from attacks. When colliding with an item it becomes yours instead!	This big ol' shell on loan from Bowser will crash any karts it hits and keep on going. It can only be thrown forward.
Rolling Egg	Mega Mushroom	Giant Banana
Homes in on the kart in front of you and crashes once it hits. Three more items will fly out when it breaks. It's the item that keeps on giving!	Increases your kart's size, allowing you to crush any opponents you hit, decreasing their speed. You'll return to regular size after some time.	Not only does this big banana spin out karts that hit it, but after being struck it breaks into three regular-sized Bananas. The only banana split you'll be sad to see!
Bob-omb Cannon	/ Dash Rings/Magic Rings	Bubble
A dangerous cannon fueled by red-hot coals! Continually shoots out Bob-ombs in front of your kart for a set time.	Tosses out three rings in front of you along the track. Pass through them for a speed boost. Be sure to catch the last ring to glide into the air!	Briefly envelops your kart and protects you from damage for a set time. While in the bubble, you will get a speed boost and float in the air. Watch out, because it will vanish upon taking damage!
Lucky Block
Seven items (Red shell, Green shell, Banana, Mushroom, Bob-omb, Freezie and Superhorn) revolve around the racer. Use them separately or all at once to create some chaos!!

Shop

A new feature of Mario Kart: Grand Tour is the shop. Here you can buy additional content for the game with in-game currency. Currency can be earned by collecting coins during races and transferring them into your wallet. They are also earned by completing missions. The shop can be accessed from the main menu, but is also physically present in the overworld of Grand Tour. Toadsworth is the shop owner.

Special Costumes

Builder Mario	Mr. L	Wedding Dress Peach	Yukata Daisy
Dry Bowser	Pirate Bowser Jr.	Hiker Wario	Bus Driver Waluigi
Captain Toad	Midsummer Toadette	Boshi	Robirdo
Champion Donkey Kong	Donkey Kong Jr.	Viking Dixie Kong	Painter Tiny Kong
Rosalina	Birthday Luma	Party Time Pauline	Disco Funky Kong
Koopa Paratroopa	Soldier Dry Bones	Pastry Chef Guy	Explorer Flutter
Witch Kamek	Pom Pom	Mansion King Boo	Overgrown Petey Piranha
Naked Baby Mario	Baby Penguin Luigi	Baby Cherub Peach	Baby Detective Daisy
Ninja Nabbit	Cowboy Plessie	Aerobics Spike	Sumo Wrestler Chuck
Safari E. Gadd	Reindeer Polterpup	Spandex Fawful	Thief Prince Popple