Breaking News: Kirby Air Riders Coming in 2025!
At long last, it's finally happened! Kirby Air Ride is getting a sequel: Kirby Air Riders for the Nintendo Switch 2, set to release in 2025.
While details are still emerging, the newly refreshed graphics look stunning. Most exciting of all, the project is being directed by the legendary Masahiro Sakurai, Kirby's original creator who also directed the original GameCube game. This marks Sakurai's return to directing a Kirby title after focusing on the Super Smash Bros. series since 2008.
Game Preview
Kirby Air Ride (2003)
Kirby Air Ride is a racing game developed by HAL Laboratory and published by Nintendo in 2003 for the GameCube. It's the first racing game in the Kirby series, attracting many players with its simple control scheme and colorful content.
The game's most unique feature is that most actions can be performed with just a single button! Your vehicles accelerate automatically, and you only need to steer and use abilities - making the game very easy to pick up, but with a surprisingly high skill ceiling.
Game Modes
Kirby Air Ride offers three different game modes:
Air Ride
The traditional racing mode where players race on various tracks while riding air machines and absorbing enemies to gain abilities.
Top Ride
A top-down perspective racing mode with compact tracks and more intense competition.
City Trial
The crown jewel of Kirby Air Ride! Players explore a large open city map for five minutes, collecting power-ups and possibly finding parts for legendary air ride machines. After time expires, players compete in a random mini-game challenge - which could be a race, battle, or special event. The unpredictability of not knowing which challenge will appear is part of the excitement!
Game Features
- Simple one-button control system, easy to learn
- Multiple unlockable air ride machines, each with unique characteristics
- Colorful and varied tracks and environments
- Support for up to 4-player split-screen multiplayer
- Signature Kirby copy ability system
- Hidden challenges and unlockable content
Kirby Air Riders (Coming 2025)
After more than 20 years since the original game, Kirby's racing spinoff is making a tremendous comeback with Kirby Air Riders for Nintendo Switch 2.
The project was announced during a special Nintendo Switch 2 presentation, revealing a cast of colorful Kirbys and exciting new spacey vehicles. While no extensive gameplay was shown, the cinematic trailer gave fans a glimpse of what's to come.
While details are still limited, we expect Kirby Air Riders to feature new maps, more Kirby color variations, enhanced multiplayer features, and possibly a dedicated story mode that could unlock new characters.
What We Know So Far
- Release Window: 2025
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2
- Director: Masahiro Sakurai (original Kirby creator)
- Enhanced visuals with modern graphics
- Likely to include a refreshed version of the beloved "City Trial" mode
While it's unclear exactly how Kirby Air Riders will shake up the formula, fans are eagerly anticipating more details in future Nintendo presentations. After two decades of waiting, the return of this beloved racing spinoff is already generating excitement among longtime Kirby fans.
Main Characters
Kirby
A small pink spherical creature who is the main protagonist of the game.
King Dedede
Kirby's arch-rival, a penguin king who wields a large hammer.
Meta Knight
A mysterious caped warrior who wears a mask.