Kirby Air Riders confirmed to release in November 20, 2025
Kirby Air Riders confirmed to release in November 20, 2025
by Xanek
41 Comments
Hilarial
next Mario Kart has a stack of homework to copy from now
MuptonBossman
Unless Metroid Prime 4 is releasing in December, I don’t see it hitting in 2025 now.
Michi2801
No idea how I feel about Kirby Air Riders – it seems super chaotic and I can’t imagine enjoying it, but at the same time I’m intrigued and would love to try it out. Hopefully there will be a demo.
mrmivo
Glad we got a release date!
I had guessed September, but that was wrong. Interesting, though, I thought that MP4 might be the November game.
Desperate-Response75
Looks more like a bit of me than Mario kart especially city trial
Flynn_22
I used to play City Trial for hours with my friends when I was a child, so this was an amazing nostalgia trip tbh a very faithful sequel but with fun additions!
schuey_08
This Switch 2 launch window has been pretty weird.
Rarewear_fan
Kirbros…..we won
SakuraPanko
This was everything I’ve wanted for the last 20 years so I’m happy. Although it didn’t seem clear if split screen was possible?
Shlitzohr
As a fan of the original Kirby Air Ride, I feel served
vanKessZak
I wasn’t really paying much attention to this game but Sakurai is charming af so now I’m sold lol
agarret83
Idk what these comments are on. I’m very excited for this, especially after Mario Kart World just isn’t clicking for me the way I hoped it would
BlankFroost
I’m really excited tbh, the timing is perfect to play this game with my siblings over Christmas.
montybo2
I didn’t see any mention of the Dragoon or Hydra which is fine, I bet they are still in the game… Just hope they add at least one more secret machine
LiquifiedSpam
Kinda crazy how much it looks like smash in its presentation
Glowingtomato
Very hyped for this. It looks great and like the old game just with more which is all I really wanted. I’m definitely going to play as Waddle Dee and Starman. Can’t wait to play the 16 player trial mode solo and online
Also all that footage of the ’03 game makes me wish it was on NSO.
Matmanreturns
Not sure why this makes people think MP4 isn’t coming out this year all of a sudden.
TyleNightwisp
What’s with all the negative comments, this is exactly the game Air Ride fans have been waiting for years lol… these Nintendo tourists are insufferable
VianArdene
As long time time GCN Kirby Air Ride fan, I’m happy to just to have something comparable with online capabilities. New riders and new stars are both welcome additions, new city trial map looks great. The idea of mini competitions in the middle are really smart for keeping it engaging. In the OG, City Trial can sometimes feel like aimless wandering for 5+ minutes that ends in a 30 second lap.
But either Sakurai is holding out on us or the scope of this game was pretty small. Probably one of the most frequent complaints/wishlist elements of Air Ride was that there is only one City Trial map and after you’ve mastered it, a lot of the novelty wears off. I’m holding out hope for extra maps eventually, even if not at launch. Some additional game modes that work for extended play sessions would also be great, though that goes against some of the “light snacking” style play that the game is designed around.
It’s a great start, but it’s not “I need to buy a switch 2 on launch day to play” yet.
AssaultMonkey150
Surprised they didn’t shadow drop air rider on GameCube today
polezo
Regarding the question of split-screen people are asking, while I wish it was formally confirmed as well, the top right of this screen (where it says “[Press] A 2P/3P/4P JOIN”) to me strongly suggests local mp/split-screen will be possible.
Seems neat. I never played the original. I do find it a strange choice to release two themed kart racers in the same year while the Switch 2 library is still so lite.
mgeeezer
Fine I’ll buy a Switch 2 🙄
Pakmanjosh
Man it feels crazy seeing Masahiro Sakurai still going strong in 2025. I remember when he did all those announcements for Smash Bros during the Wii U / 3DS days.
dewittless
Big upgrade for Kirby to be the big holiday title.
Geordi14er
Haven’t finished watching the stream but this seems like such a fucking blast. My son absolutely loves Kirby. We got all the Kirby games on Switch and played through them all together. We’re looking forward to Star Crossed World. I can’t wait to show him this video… although not looking forward to reading the text out loud to him for 45 minutes, lol.
AnnoyingToDeath
I will be honest. I am not really a fan of Mario Kart. Its an ok game to play with friends some times but thats it.
When this presentation started i thought
“Oh ok, this is a kirby mario kart. Pass.”
As it went on I kinda understood its unique concept of it being a hybrid racing-fighting game and it actually looks really good. It is not great timing wise though. Its way too close to mario kart. I would have prefered something else in its place and kirby being moved to 2026.
Obviously I dont know what nintendo has in store but an rpg, metroid prime 4 or even a 2d mario game would be a better fit hit here. A zelda remaster for twilight princess or a remake of ocarina would also be really good here since the next mainline zelda is propably about 2-3 years way.
Squirtle_Nuggets
The game look incredible. I feel it may be better off if it were less than $70 but that’s my only complaint.
bonecollector5
Switch 2 is really hitting all the vehicles. You can now drive a kart, a machine and a wheelchair.
BritzBeef
On one hand: Very happy to see them stay incredibly true to the original. Nothing was missed from the original game.
On the other hand: They stayed INCREDIBLY true to the original. This almost looks closer to a remaster. Was really hoping for slightly more impressive visuals than we saw, more than the 4 or so maps (even if racing isn’t the focus), more stuff added to the city or even multiple different cities, and more stuff added to the city trials mode.
UgandanPeter
So far this is the only game that makes me want to buy a switch 2, unfortunately that means I probably won’t be buying it 🙁
The first air ride is super underrated and we would spend hours playing city trial alone, taking breaks every once in a while with the air ride/top ride races as a palette cleanser. I still never managed to beat Dedede
MrCovell
So fucking hyped for this. Looked amazing!!
Chewbacca319
As someone who has probably poured hundreds if not thousands of hours into the original air ride this direct was amazing.
I know for a fact there is still tons of content Sakurai hasn’t shown off yet (seems there is two types of currency players can earn in the game) not to mention things like secret machines, challenges, etc.
The only gripe I have is that again there is only one city trial map. It is more varied and bigger but it really would help with replayability factor If there was just a couple more, or even a remaster of the original. I’m hopeful that we get more in the future via DLC cause other than that this is everything I ever wanted out of a sequel
Pixel_Nation92
The game looks gorgeous. It has the look down pat, and while I’ve never been a fan in general for the looks, it’s got a great style. Love the looks of new courses overall. It has finesse, so I’m glad Namco is coming in with Sakurai again with a project that isn’t Smash. Looks good aesthetically.
I think, overall, I still have expectations tempered since the additions in terms of different modes feels very, small. I know the City Trial is the cream of the crop, so I have no doubt that it is the main highlight, but I can’t help but just crave something completely off-the-wall new. Which, maybe we’re not there yet, as indicated by the very end of the presentation. 2 modes feels limiting, which is my biggest concern for the games replayability. City Trial feels too similar to my liking for the last game, though there is a little more added to the recipe. It doesn’t feel enough, at least for me. I might be too judgemental or stingy.
The new machines and character selection however, feels like it’s going to be bringing some tremendous variety, so maybe that will balance out the lack of new modes currently presented. Doesn’t need anything too crazy to still exemplify what it introduced 20+ years ago, but I think it’s introduced enough in regards to mechanics to make the experience feel fresh at a glance.
mgd09292007
Im surprised Nintendo prioritized 2 racing games so close to the launch of Switch 2.
emeraldbar77
“As you can see, we just casually revealed a new character”
AquaAtia
As a fan of the OG game, I am so excited for this game. It’s the perfect sequel building on the base of the OG. Excited to try out the different characters, new city trial course, new air ride types and more! Loved the remixes of the old music.
TylerThrowAway99
It’s funny that a Kirby racing game has so much more depth than Mario kart. I’m ready to experience this
NormTheStorm
Show us Top Ride or we riot!
HoleintheSpeaker
Smash Bros on wheels
Cjgraham3589
I have been waiting for this game since 2003. I can’t wait for this. As long as there’s a Battle Mode where I can get the Dragoon or Hydra pieces and wipe the floor with my friends.
41 Comments
next Mario Kart has a stack of homework to copy from now
Unless Metroid Prime 4 is releasing in December, I don’t see it hitting in 2025 now.
No idea how I feel about Kirby Air Riders – it seems super chaotic and I can’t imagine enjoying it, but at the same time I’m intrigued and would love to try it out. Hopefully there will be a demo.
Glad we got a release date!
I had guessed September, but that was wrong. Interesting, though, I thought that MP4 might be the November game.
Looks more like a bit of me than Mario kart especially city trial
I used to play City Trial for hours with my friends when I was a child, so this was an amazing nostalgia trip tbh a very faithful sequel but with fun additions!
This Switch 2 launch window has been pretty weird.
Kirbros…..we won
This was everything I’ve wanted for the last 20 years so I’m happy. Although it didn’t seem clear if split screen was possible?
As a fan of the original Kirby Air Ride, I feel served
I wasn’t really paying much attention to this game but Sakurai is charming af so now I’m sold lol
Idk what these comments are on. I’m very excited for this, especially after Mario Kart World just isn’t clicking for me the way I hoped it would
I’m really excited tbh, the timing is perfect to play this game with my siblings over Christmas.
I didn’t see any mention of the Dragoon or Hydra which is fine, I bet they are still in the game… Just hope they add at least one more secret machine
Kinda crazy how much it looks like smash in its presentation
Very hyped for this. It looks great and like the old game just with more which is all I really wanted. I’m definitely going to play as Waddle Dee and Starman. Can’t wait to play the 16 player trial mode solo and online
Also all that footage of the ’03 game makes me wish it was on NSO.
Not sure why this makes people think MP4 isn’t coming out this year all of a sudden.
What’s with all the negative comments, this is exactly the game Air Ride fans have been waiting for years lol… these Nintendo tourists are insufferable
As long time time GCN Kirby Air Ride fan, I’m happy to just to have something comparable with online capabilities. New riders and new stars are both welcome additions, new city trial map looks great. The idea of mini competitions in the middle are really smart for keeping it engaging. In the OG, City Trial can sometimes feel like aimless wandering for 5+ minutes that ends in a 30 second lap.
But either Sakurai is holding out on us or the scope of this game was pretty small. Probably one of the most frequent complaints/wishlist elements of Air Ride was that there is only one City Trial map and after you’ve mastered it, a lot of the novelty wears off. I’m holding out hope for extra maps eventually, even if not at launch. Some additional game modes that work for extended play sessions would also be great, though that goes against some of the “light snacking” style play that the game is designed around.
It’s a great start, but it’s not “I need to buy a switch 2 on launch day to play” yet.
Surprised they didn’t shadow drop air rider on GameCube today
Regarding the question of split-screen people are asking, while I wish it was formally confirmed as well, the top right of this screen (where it says “[Press] A 2P/3P/4P JOIN”) to me strongly suggests local mp/split-screen will be possible.
https://i.imgur.com/3vXVYnS.jpeg
Seems neat. I never played the original. I do find it a strange choice to release two themed kart racers in the same year while the Switch 2 library is still so lite.
Fine I’ll buy a Switch 2 🙄
Man it feels crazy seeing Masahiro Sakurai still going strong in 2025. I remember when he did all those announcements for Smash Bros during the Wii U / 3DS days.
Big upgrade for Kirby to be the big holiday title.
Haven’t finished watching the stream but this seems like such a fucking blast. My son absolutely loves Kirby. We got all the Kirby games on Switch and played through them all together. We’re looking forward to Star Crossed World. I can’t wait to show him this video… although not looking forward to reading the text out loud to him for 45 minutes, lol.
I will be honest. I am not really a fan of Mario Kart. Its an ok game to play with friends some times but thats it.
When this presentation started i thought
“Oh ok, this is a kirby mario kart. Pass.”
As it went on I kinda understood its unique concept of it being a hybrid racing-fighting game and it actually looks really good. It is not great timing wise though. Its way too close to mario kart. I would have prefered something else in its place and kirby being moved to 2026.
Obviously I dont know what nintendo has in store but an rpg, metroid prime 4 or even a 2d mario game would be a better fit hit here. A zelda remaster for twilight princess or a remake of ocarina would also be really good here since the next mainline zelda is propably about 2-3 years way.
The game look incredible. I feel it may be better off if it were less than $70 but that’s my only complaint.
Switch 2 is really hitting all the vehicles. You can now drive a kart, a machine and a wheelchair.
On one hand: Very happy to see them stay incredibly true to the original. Nothing was missed from the original game.
On the other hand: They stayed INCREDIBLY true to the original. This almost looks closer to a remaster. Was really hoping for slightly more impressive visuals than we saw, more than the 4 or so maps (even if racing isn’t the focus), more stuff added to the city or even multiple different cities, and more stuff added to the city trials mode.
So far this is the only game that makes me want to buy a switch 2, unfortunately that means I probably won’t be buying it 🙁
The first air ride is super underrated and we would spend hours playing city trial alone, taking breaks every once in a while with the air ride/top ride races as a palette cleanser. I still never managed to beat Dedede
So fucking hyped for this. Looked amazing!!
As someone who has probably poured hundreds if not thousands of hours into the original air ride this direct was amazing.
I know for a fact there is still tons of content Sakurai hasn’t shown off yet (seems there is two types of currency players can earn in the game) not to mention things like secret machines, challenges, etc.
The only gripe I have is that again there is only one city trial map. It is more varied and bigger but it really would help with replayability factor If there was just a couple more, or even a remaster of the original. I’m hopeful that we get more in the future via DLC cause other than that this is everything I ever wanted out of a sequel
The game looks gorgeous. It has the look down pat, and while I’ve never been a fan in general for the looks, it’s got a great style. Love the looks of new courses overall. It has finesse, so I’m glad Namco is coming in with Sakurai again with a project that isn’t Smash. Looks good aesthetically.
I think, overall, I still have expectations tempered since the additions in terms of different modes feels very, small. I know the City Trial is the cream of the crop, so I have no doubt that it is the main highlight, but I can’t help but just crave something completely off-the-wall new. Which, maybe we’re not there yet, as indicated by the very end of the presentation. 2 modes feels limiting, which is my biggest concern for the games replayability. City Trial feels too similar to my liking for the last game, though there is a little more added to the recipe. It doesn’t feel enough, at least for me. I might be too judgemental or stingy.
The new machines and character selection however, feels like it’s going to be bringing some tremendous variety, so maybe that will balance out the lack of new modes currently presented. Doesn’t need anything too crazy to still exemplify what it introduced 20+ years ago, but I think it’s introduced enough in regards to mechanics to make the experience feel fresh at a glance.
Im surprised Nintendo prioritized 2 racing games so close to the launch of Switch 2.
“As you can see, we just casually revealed a new character”
As a fan of the OG game, I am so excited for this game. It’s the perfect sequel building on the base of the OG. Excited to try out the different characters, new city trial course, new air ride types and more! Loved the remixes of the old music.
It’s funny that a Kirby racing game has so much more depth than Mario kart. I’m ready to experience this
Show us Top Ride or we riot!
Smash Bros on wheels
I have been waiting for this game since 2003. I can’t wait for this. As long as there’s a Battle Mode where I can get the Dragoon or Hydra pieces and wipe the floor with my friends.