Everything you need to know about playing Mario Kart's mobile beta test.

The Mario Kart Tour beta gives players a chance to experience the Mario Kart mobile debut ahead of the full release later this year.

Mario Kart Tour beta access is surprisingly limited though - not only is it a closed beta, but it's only being made available on certain platforms and regions - at least for now.

The bottom line is if you haven't signed up for Mario Kart Tour beta access already, then you're out of luck. If you have, then you still might not get full access depending on your hardware set up. We explain exactly what Mario Kart Tour specs you need.

Mario Kart Tour beta dates and beta access explained The Mario Kart Tour beta dates are Wednesday, May 22nd to Tuesday, June 4th - that's just under two weeks' of access. Note that you need to fulfill the following criteria to get Mario Kart Tour beta access: Have pre-registered by May 7th

Be in Japan or the USA

Have an Android device In other words - if you haven't already signed up to be part of the Mario Kart Tour beta, are in the above countries and have the right device, you won't have access to Mario Kart Tour pre-release - unless Nintendo changes the criteria!

How to get Mario Kart Tour beta access on Android, Android specs explained If you have applied for the Mario Kart Tour beta, there's no guarantee you'll be part of the test. Will Mario Kart Tour be anything like Mario Kart 8? We'll have to wait and see! Nintendo is currently emailing all successful applicants right now. Provided you are successful, you will be able to download the Mario Kart Tour beta client from the Google Play store, and use the same Nintendo Account you used to register to get playing. As well as this, you need to have certain Android specs to play the Mario Kart Tour beta. This includes: Android 4.4 or later

1.5 GB RAM

A mobile device, not tablets or Android Q Fingers crossed you tick those boxes!

Will there be Mario Kart Tour beta access on iOS? As of writing, Mario Kart Tour beta access on iOS (in other words, iPhone or iPad) has yet to be confirmed by Nintendo. There is a chance that a second test will provide Mario Kart Tour beta access to iOS, and also other regions (such as Europe), though with a "summer" release date, time is looking short to squeeze one in. In other words - don't hold your breath!