By 
The promised Kirby Air Riders reveal is here, as the Nintendo Direct dedicated to it just aired on YouTube and shared a release date for the Switch 2 game. We’ll see it on November 20, 2025. Masahiro Sakurai, who created the original game, appeared as the host. He also explained Nintendo Board Member Shinya Takahashi and HAL Head Satoshi Mitsuhara both asked for the game to be made. So Sora and Bandai Namco are working on it together.
Just like the original Kirby Air Ride on the GameCube, Kirby Air Riders is going to be a racing game. However, it won’t play like Mario Kart World, which was the Switch 2 launch game. Unlike the original, Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight, Chef Kawasaki, Cappy, Magolor, Gooey, Waddle Doo, Knuckle Joe, Susie, Starman, and Waddle Dee are all among the riders who will show up on the vehicles in this entry. Each one has different traits. So do the Air Ride Machines they ride on.
As for gameplay, Masahiro Sakurai even joked about the similarities between the Kirby Air Ride series and Mario Kart, but then was told to go ahead and work on the new Kirby Air Riders. Unlike Mario Kart, the vehicles automatically constantly go forward. You just need to move left and right and use the one-button Boost Charge to control speed or brake. This means drifting becomes important for taking turns. You can tilt the machine toward you to rise or press down to dive after going over a ramp. Y also acts as a Special Charge button, which lets you use a Special Move. Each rider has one, though Kirby does have four. Each one can use Copy Abilities, however.
The different modes were confirmed too. Lessons teach you how to play. These are divided into Basics, City Trial, Copy Basics, and Advanced. In a regular race, you see the track first, so you can choose your rider and vehicle based on that. Air Ride is the standard race mode, with up to six riders racing. Game Tempo, VS Format, the ability to destroy machines, and other elements of a race can be adjusted. City Trial will be back too. This is the mode in which you explore a sandbox style map to find a Vehicle and power ups for a race. Skyah is the name of the floating island, with different biomes around it. After five minutes, everything you collected will be used when you go to a Stadium to compete in racing experiences. Short Race and Dust Up Derby events can also happen while gathering. Bosses like Kracko and Dyna Blade can appear too. 16 people can play City Trial at once online, and both online and local wireless are supported. Local only supports eight players, however. It can be played solo with NPC players as well.
Here is the full Kirby Air Riders Direct showcase, with the release date for the new Switch 2 game in the Kirby Air Ride series appearing at the end:
We also already learned Kirby Air Riders music would come to the Nintendo Music app. Ahead of this Direct, Nintendo teased tracks arriving early. That will also show up today.
Kirby Air Riders will come to the Nintendo Switch 2, and its release date is November 20, 2025. The original Kirby Air Ride game appeared on the GameCube.
