
Release Date: November 20, 2025
A spin-off of the popular Kirby series, offered in a form of a racing game. Kirby: Air Riders allows us to play as Kirby and other Nintendo characters, participating in crazy races taking place on the ground, above the surface of the water and in the air. The game supports both singleplayer and multiplayer (local or online).
Kirby Air Ride, a racing spin-off of the popular platforming series titled Kirby, was released in 2003 and appeared on the Nintendo GameCube console. Years later, it received a sequel in the form of Kirby: Air Riders. Its development was overseen by the director of the Super Smash Bros. series - Masahiro Sakurai.
In Kirby: Air Riders we watch the action from a third-person perspective (TPP). The gameplay involves crazy racing.
The game gives us a range of characters at our disposal. Apart from various color versions of Kirby, we're talking about such characters as Meta Knight, King Dedede, Bandana Waddle Dee, Cappy, Chef Kawasaki, or Starman.
They were differentiated in terms of unique features of size, weight and durability, strong points that increase their chances of winning, and weaknesses that could potentially hinder them. They were also equipped with unique abilities. In addition to this, each character has a special move (Kirby even has four, depending on the chosen color version), the use of which requires charging of a special bar. All players can also absorb enemies and temporarily copy their abilities.
Machines prepared for the game can not only fly, but also hover above the ground and slide on various surfaces. The tracks we race on are littered with obstacles, jumps (perfect landings give us speed bonuses), barriers, and other structures, the placement of which is worth remembering and using in the fight for victory.
The driving model is purely arcade and vehicles and machines accelerate on their own. Nevertheless, our role is not limited to just turning, as the Boost Charge mechanic has been implemented here, which allows for manual charging of the booster. Thanks to it, we can gain temporary speed increases and drift through turns, overcoming them in spectacular slides.
Kirby: Air Riders can be played alone or in multiplayer mode (on a single console or over the Internet).
City Trial mode is also available, in which we traverse a flying island called Skyah, acquiring machines and upgrades, collecting power-ups and participating in random events such as races and battles with opponents. After moving to the second phase, we gain access to Stadiums, where we face specially prepared challenges.
There is also the Air Ride Mode, in which attacking opponents gives us speed bonuses. Moreover, the Lesson mode serves as an introduction to the intricacies of gameplay and gives us the opportunity to hone our skills.
Platforms:
Switch 2



23GAMES
A series of platformers with a pink, balloon-like hero in the title role. The series was created by the Japanese studio HAL Laboratory, which develops it in cooperation with the Nintendo corporation.
Kirby Air Riders review: Simple controls, surprising depth
Despite its design flaws and City Trial misses, Kirby Air Riders offers enough substance and charm to make it a game you’ll keep coming back to—whether for quick bursts of fun or to teach your friends something new when they come over.
Game Director Masahiro Sakurai hosted a 45-minute livestream for Kirby Air Riders, which revealed a release date planned for this November.
video games
Matt Buckley
August 19, 2025
Nintendo announced a 45-minute Kirby Air Riders Direct for tomorrow, hosted by game director Masahiro Sakurai, which means the length shouldn't be a surprise.
video games
Matt Buckley
August 18, 2025
After 22 years, a new Kirby Air Riders game will be arriving on the Nintendo Switch 2 sometime in 2025. This was the secret project Sakurai was working on.
video games
Matt Buckley
April 2, 2025
Game Ratings for Kirby Air Riders Video Game.
Kirby Air Riders review: Simple controls, surprising depth
Despite its design flaws and City Trial misses, Kirby Air Riders offers enough substance and charm to make it a game you’ll keep coming back to—whether for quick bursts of fun or to teach your friends something new when they come over.
NoobFeed: 80 / 100 by Nusrat Choity
Kirby Air Riders is a thrilling new take on a Kirby idea that fans have been missing for a long time. It successfully combines racing, arena exploration, and ability-driven combat into one experience. It keeps the original idea but brings everything up to date, from physics to visual design. The game lets you play aggressively, defensively, or experimentally, depending on the machine and abilities you choose. It does this by combining freeform combat with competitive racing.
Checkpoint Gaming: 8.5 / 10
Kirby Air Riders is a surprise contender for kart racer of the year. Excelling well beyond its cult predecessor, the pink blob’s latest adventure is filled with some excellent and surprisingly deep racing where your skill, expertise and management are what put you ahead of the pack. Its courses are gorgeous and intricate, City Trial is aptly chaotic, and the brand new Road Trip mode is a thoroughly enjoyable adventure filled with strategy and risk vs reward events. With a lot to see, tick off and do, along with accessibility options to refine your experience, Kirby Air Riders is crafted to be the kart racing event of the year. Eat its dust, Mario Kart World.
Game Informer: 8.5 / 10 by Charles Harte
Kirby Air Riders is an inflexible experience, forcing the player to learn its mechanics and engage with all its modes to get the most out of it, and it's a better game for it. Its gameplay is simple to learn but hard to master, and with such a variety of machines and modes, there are a lot of different definitions of what that mastery looks like. It's a game with a strong, unique identity that likely won't unseat your favorite racing game, but it isn't trying to. Kirby Air Riders is a star shining for no one but itself, and I can't help but respect it for that.