There’s still time to use Mario Kart on the Google Maps app, but you better act fast.
Earlier this week Google announced there is a secret Mario Kart game you can play on their Google Maps App in honor of Mar. 10 or National Mario Day.
National Mario day is a gamer holiday recognized each year on March 10 because of the date. When you abbreviate Mar. 10 it looks like the name Mario. The day is a celebration of the popular Nintendo video game character that was first introduced to us in the 1980s.
To give a nod to National Mario Day, UX engineers over at Google created a Mario Kart Google Maps Easter egg game for users to unlock on the Google Maps app and turn your position indicator into Mario Kart while you’re navigating the road.
Google reminds users to practice safe driving and not to throw any bananas or shells at drivers in real life in a blog post announcing the release of the feature.
How to load Mario Kart on Google Maps app
Below are instructions to turn the navigation icon in Google Maps app into Mario Kart.
1. Download the latest version of the Google Maps app from the Apple App store or Google Play.
2. Type in the address of your destination.
3. Click “Directions.”
4. Instead of pressing “Start” to begin your journey, click on the gray “?” box on the bottom right corner of your screen.
5. You should be prompted with a message that says “Oh yeah! Mario time!” When you see that message click “Let’s-a-go!” and your navigation icon will turn into Mario for a limited time.
How long will Mario be on Google Maps app?
Google launched the game on March 10 Mario Day and encouraged users to share their locations on social media using the hashtag #MarioMaps. Although the game was to celebrate all things Mario on National Mario Day, Google will allow users to use Mario Maps until March 17.
