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Kirby Air Riders

Not to be confused with Kirby Air Ride.
Kirby Air Riders
Kirby—a round, pink character—rides his Warp Star—a yellow star-shaped aircraft—with electronic motors in front of a grass background and to the right of the game logo. Other characters are riding separate machines in the background.
Developer(s)
Publisher(s)Nintendo
Director(s)Masahiro Sakurai
SeriesKirby
Platform(s)Nintendo Switch 2
ReleaseNovember 20, 2025
Genre(s)Racing
Mode(s)Single-player, multiplayer

Kirby Air Riders[a] is an upcoming racing video game developed by Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. and published by Nintendo for the Nintendo Switch 2. A spin-off of the Kirby series, it is the sequel to Kirby Air Ride (2003) for the GameCube.[1] It is being directed by Masahiro Sakurai, who has not directed a Kirby game since leading development on its predecessor and leaving HAL Laboratory.[2] Kirby Air Riders is set to be released on November 20, 2025.[3][4]

Gameplay

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Further information: Gameplay of Kirby Air Ride
Gameplay screenshot of the "Air Ride" mode, featuring Kirby, Magolor, Gooey, Waddle Doo, and Knuckle Joe, racing in the ocean-themed track "Waveflow Waters"

Kirby Air Riders, similar to its predecessor Kirby Air Ride, features simplified controls where players focus on steering, boosting, and utilizing the series' signature ability to absorb enemies' powers.[2][5][6] Unlike Air Ride, which only featured Kirby, Meta Knight, and King Dedede as playable characters, Air Riders features at least 12 playable characters (Riders),[7] all of which can use Copy Abilities, and each rider has a unique "Special" ability. Kirby has four Special abilities, with the one used depending on the color of Kirby selected. In addition to choosing a character, Air Riders features multiple vehicles to pick from, each one having different stats. The Air Ride and City Trial modes from Air Ride return, both of which are expanded in both size and depth, and feature both online and local multiplayer. Air Ride races can have up to 6 players, while City Trial allows up to 16 players simultaneously.[3][4]

The gameplay is similar to that of the Mario Kart series.[8] Vehicles in the game move forward automatically without player input, with players simply steering and maintaining balance. Players can also brake, boost, and perform drift maneuvers with the B button and perform special moves and switch machines with the Y button. By attacking other characters, players can fill up a "Special Gauge", which, when full, allows them to use their "Special" ability. Random field events can earn players power-ups based on their performance.[9]

Development and promotion

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Kirby's creator and director of Kirby Air Ride Masahiro Sakurai (pictured in 2021) returned for the sequel.

Kirby Air Riders was announced during a Nintendo Direct presentation focused on the Nintendo Switch 2 on April 2, 2025. Masahiro Sakurai, creator of the Kirby series, was revealed to be serving as director, with his team at Bandai Namco Studios and Sora Ltd. developing.[5] According to Sakurai, pre-production started in 2021 when the idea was proposed by Nintendo EPD executive general manager Shinya Takahashi and HAL Laboratory president Satoshi Mitsuhara, with full production starting in April 2022.

Sakurai teased the game in April 2024 on his YouTube channel, Masahiro Sakurai on Creating Games, as a top secret project that he had been developing after the completion of said YouTube series and development of Super Smash Bros. Ultimate's downloadable content.[10][11]

A 45-minute long Nintendo Direct hosted by Sakurai about Kirby Air Riders aired on August 19, 2025.[12] It revealed the first gameplay footage, new playable characters, and ended by announcing the game's release date. Seven music tracks from the game were added to the Nintendo Music app the same day.[3][4]

Reception

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Pre-release

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After playing a media-exclusive demo at Gamescom, Nintendo Life author Felix Sanchez believed that "Kirby Air Riders is shaping up to be really great", but he "worried that City Trial will get old".[13] After playing the same demo, Leanne Butkovic of IGN heavily praised the game, stating "[t]he maximalism of Kirby Air Riders is its core charm; it feels brewed from impish, chaotic-neutral alchemy."[14]

Notes

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  1. ^ Known in Japan as Kirby's Airrider (カービィのエアライダー, Kābī no Earaidā)

References

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  1. ^ Norman, Jim (April 2, 2025). "Sakurai's 'Kirby Air Riders' Is Speeding Onto Switch 2". Nintendo Life. Archived from the original on April 2, 2025. Retrieved April 2, 2025.
  2. ^ a b Miller, Matt (April 2, 2025). "New Sakurai-Directed Kirby Air Riders Announced". Game Informer. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  3. ^ a b c McWhertor, Michael (August 19, 2025). "Kirby Air Riders comes to Switch 2 in November, brings back City Trial". Polygon. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  4. ^ a b c Cripe, Michael (August 19, 2025). "Kirby Air Riders Nintendo Direct: Everything Announced". IGN. Ziff Davis. Retrieved August 19, 2025.
  5. ^ a b Cripe, Michael (April 2, 2025). "Kirby Air Riders Revealed During Nintendo Switch 2 Direct". IGN. Archived from the original on April 8, 2025. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  6. ^ Lee, Julia (April 2, 2025). "Kirby Air Riders for Switch 2 is the sequel we've been waiting for". Polygon. Retrieved April 3, 2025.
  7. ^ https://www.gamespot.com/gallery/every-character-in-kirby-air-riders/2900-6901/#1
  8. ^ Farokhmanesh, Megan (August 20, 2025). ""Kirby Air Riders" Is Coming to Switch 2, and It's "Basically Like 'Mario Kart'"". Wired. ISSN 1059-1028. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  9. ^ Bonthuys, Darryn (August 19, 2025). "Kirby Air Riders: 16 Things We Just Learned About The Switch 2 Racing Game". GameSpot. Retrieved August 21, 2025.
  10. ^ Yin-Poole, Wesley (October 22, 2024). "Smash Bros. Creator Masahiro Sakurai Quits YouTube With Final Video Teasing Mystery New Game". IGN. Archived from the original on April 8, 2025. Retrieved April 17, 2025.
  11. ^ McCrae, Scott (August 19, 2025). "Mashiro Sakurai says he's making Kirby Air Riders because, well, Nintendo asked him to while he was working on Smash Bros. DLC, ending speculation it was his own doing". GamesRadar+. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  12. ^ Phillips, Tom (August 18, 2025). "Nintendo Direct Announced for Tomorrow Focused on Kirby Air Riders". IGN. Retrieved August 18, 2025.
  13. ^ Sanchez, Felix (August 20, 2025). "Preview: Sakurai's Kirby Air Riders Is A Kaleidoscopic Adrenaline Rush". Nintendo Life. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
  14. ^ Butkovic, Leanne (August 20, 2025). "Kirby Air Riders – The First Preview". IGN. Retrieved August 20, 2025.
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