A little bit of Mario Kart trivia for you — what is the one Nintendo track you can't play anywhere but the series' smartphone spin-off Mario Kart Tour?
The answer is Piranha Plant Pipeline, a fun, waterslide-esque level set within the bowels of various Mushroom Kingdom warp pipes that for some reason never got ported over into Switch entry Mario Kart 8 Deluxe.
Mario Kart Tour's lengthy track roster is a mix of classic tracks and new courses that also arrived in Mario Kart 8 Deluxe as part of the game's Booster Course Pass. These included Squeaky Clean Sprint, a level partially set in a toilet, and Sky-High Sundae, which was immediately brought back for Switch 2 as part of Mario Kart World's open-world map.
For unknown reasons, Piranha Plant Pipeline never made the jump to Mario Kart 8 Deluxe, and because of Mario Kart Tour's rotating track selection it is only rarely playable. Indeed, Nintendo celebrated the track's return with a post today on X/Twitter, while Nintendo Life notes that the course's reappearance now marks only the third time it has ever been playable, and its first appearance this year.
"Well hello Piranha Plant Pipeline," one fan wrote. "Missed you so much."
If you want to try out what may be Mario Kart's rarest track, you have until 22nd July to do it, before Piranha Plant Pipeline goes back in Nintendo's content vault.
Could we ever see it return in another Mario Kart game? Much will likely depend on Nintendo's plans to keep Mario Kart World fresh over the coming years — something the company is currently keeping schtum on. Fans strongly suspect that Nintendo will at some point detail a post-launch content roadmap for its hugely-popular Switch 2 launch title, though Nintendo is yet to say anything of how it may keep its racer refreshed over the coming generation.
The Pipe Tour starts today and it features Piranha Plant Pipeline! #MarioKartTour pic.twitter.com/6X76J0X7w0
— Mario Kart Tour (@mariokarttourEN) July 9, 2025
Indeed, Nintendo's only major update to Mario Kart World so far has been its unpopular move to further limit the chances of racing on the franchise's standard looped courses, rather than so-called open-world 'intermission tracks'.
While Nintendo wrapped up launching new content for Mario Kart Tour back in 2023, the game remains playable on iPhone and Android devices. Originally launched in 2019, Mario Kart Tour made millions for Nintendo, though its gacha-style system for unlocking characters and karts was heavily criticised, and was later removed.
Nintendo smartphone has a mixed track record on keeping its smartphone games online, with several notable titles such as Miitomo, Draglia Lost and Dr. Mario World no longer playable. The original free-to-play version of Animal Crossing: Pocket Camp was shutdown, meanwhile, but replaced with a pricey paid-for alternative. Should Mario Kart Tour ever get retired, Piranha Plant Pipeline will disappear forever with it — so maybe give it a go now, while you can.
Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at [email protected] or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
