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Kirby Air Riders is the sequel no one ever expected to see, yet here it is, only a scant three months away from releasing on Nintendo Switch 2. During today’s Kirby Air Riders Direct showcase, Nintendo revealed a bunch of details about the game. Masahiro Sakurai is the director, which has been known, but it was confirmed that Sora Ltd. and Bandai Namco are on the development side of things. Let’s get right into all of it—first, here’s the presentation if you’d like to give it a watch:
Kirby Air Riders is a racing game, yes, but it’s a lot more than that, too. There are multiple modes to engage in, including:
- City Trial: Sakurai describes this as “the main event” of the game. In City Trial, players freely roam a large, open environment where they can pull resources in order to enhance and customize their Air Ride Machines. Machines are the main source of transport in the game, and in City Trial players will scour Skyah (a huge, floating island) for power-ups, attack opponents, and swap other machines, all to upgrade their rides. There’s plenty to see and do in City Trial, including Dustup Derby, Short Race, and Field Events.
- Stadiums: Compete to be the winner by taking on a variety of different, specialized challenges. Players can strategize based on the current build of their Machine.
- Air Ride Mode: This is essentially Kirby Air Riders’ racing mode. Up to six riders compete to cross the finish line first. Attack opponents and you can increase your speed. In fact, that’s the whole point here: attack the other riders to get ahead!
- Lessons: In this mode, players can learn everything they need to know to play well. There is a lot to cover, so Lessons should help get everyone up to speed.
Along with the Machines there are, naturally, a host of riders to choose from. Here’s who has been confirmed so far:
- Kirby
- King Dedede
- Meta Knight
- Bandana Waddle Dee
- Chef Kawasaki
- Cappy
- Magolor
- Gooey
- Waddle Doo
- Knuckle Joe
- Susie
- Starman
Characters all have unique Specials that they can utilize during races. These moves provide things like speed boosts and other benefits that might help turn the tide in a pinch. King Dedede can perform Jet Hammer, Meta Knight Night Wing, and plain, old pink Kirby can wield Ultra Sword. Players will be able to experiment with combos of Machines and riders to find the ones that work best for them.
In an interesting twist, all riders can utilize Copy Abilities. Here are the abilities that have been spotted so far:
- Sword
- Wheel
- Fire
- Bomb
- Mike
- Steel Ball
- Jet
- Cutter
- Plasma
Kirby is going to have the tables turned on him when it comes to superpowers, for a change!
Finally, as Sakurai is wont to do, Kirby Air Riders is host to a unique, approachable control scheme. Machines automatically accelerate and move towards wherever they’re facing. This frees things up for players to focus on other aspects of the racing, including launching attacks. Here’s a breakdown:
- B: Boost Charge
- Y: Special
- Left Control Stick: Tilt up/down to change glide height
Fans will get to try out all of this for themselves when Kirby Air Riders comes to Nintendo Switch 2 on November 20, 2025. Before that, there will also be an opportunity to play a hands-on demo at PAX West 2025 in Seattle from August 29 to September 1.
KIRBY AIR RIDERS!!!!!!!!!