Mario Kart DS (Japanese: マリオカートDS Mariokāto DS) (マリオカーDS Mario Kāto Dī Esu) often abbreviated to MKDS, is a racing game for the Nintendo DS. It is the fifth installment in the Mario Kart series, and the second installment to have been released for a handheld game console, following Mario Kart: Super Circuit. Mario Kart DS was the first Mario Kart game, let alone Mario in general, to use an online play feature. It was released in November 2005 in the United States, Europe, and Australia, in Japan