Nintendo has outlined everything that Masahiro Sakurai covered in today’s hour-long Nintendo Direct, the second that was dedicated to the upcoming Nintendo Switch 2 exclusive Kirby Air Riders.
The presentation covered the story-driven Road Trip mode, the return of Top Ride, how Kirby Air Riders expands on the original GameCube game with a larger roster of riders, the return of legendary machines, customisable features, and more.
The features and gameplay that Masahiro Sakurai spotlighted included:
- Top Ride: A game mode originally introduced in Kirby Air Ride, Top Ride is all about racing from a top-down perspective and includes courses inspired by those available in Air Ride mode. Just as in other game modes, you can choose your riders and machines separately. You can also use Quick Spins and Boost Charges, plus Copy Abilities such as Flash, which causes the rider to surge forward with electricity – rivals that are hit will be in for a shocking surprise. There are also items exclusive to Top Ride to help you gain even more of an advantage over your opponents, including Kaboomb, Drift Flames, Drill Driver and more. Up to eight players can play Top Ride online, or up to four players and four CPU can play offline on a single console.
- Road Trip: In today’s presentation, Mr Sakurai introduced a new mode called Road Trip. Hit the road and complete different challenges from Air Ride, City Trial and Top Ride including races, battles, and Field Events – all the while collecting machines and items you can use between challenges. But this is no random Road Trip. There is a story behind why Kirby, King Dedede, Bandana Waddle Dee, Starman and other riders are embarking on this journey.
- Paddock: In Kirby Air Riders, there is a new way for friends to gather for online play in the paddock. Acting like a lobby, this area lets players move around as a rider and set up matches, interact with friends and pick and choose which mode they’d like to play. It’s even possible for several matches to be happening within a single paddock. Players can also change the music, send emotes, and work on character poses using the control sticks in combination.
- Swap Relay: The presentation dove deeper into Air Ride mode, introducing a new type of race called Swap Relay. Here, you’ll select a machine for each individual lap and automatically swap machines as you complete laps. Find the right combos and experiment with different pairings of rider and machine. You can even relay with other players locally by handing off the controller like a baton.
- Transform Star: The Transform Star is both a star type flying machine and a bike type driving machine, and is one of the new machines introduced in Kirby Air Riders. By rapidly moving the Left Stick you can swap between both types to keep your opponents on their toes.
- Checklist: The Checklist from Kirby Air Ride is back as well. As you clear certain objectives, a Checklist box gets flipped over. The more you achieve, the more unlockable content you can access. There are five Checklist tabs, representing Air Ride, Top Ride, City Trial, Road Trip and Online. Clicking on an unopened box which is next to an opened one will take you right to that objective, all set up and ready to play. Rest assured that there are no riders or machines locked behind the Online tab, so completing that tab is not required. You can jump in immediately and start filling up your Checklist.
- amiibo: The presentation presented more of the Kirby Air Riders amiibo figures, which are significantly larger than typical amiibo. Mr Sakurai showcased Meta Knight & Shadow Star, King Dedede & Tank Star and Chef Kawasaki & Hop Star. They, too, can swap riders and machines. Each rider, including those revealed in the three new two-part amiibo packs, is attached magnetically to their machine, and you can swap them out with other Kirby Air Riders amiibo, with the new combo appearing in the game as well. You will also be able to train up your amiibo Figure Player and increase their experience levels.
- The launch dates for these amiibo were also revealed:
- Meta Knight & Shadow Star: March 5th, 2026
- King Dedede & Tank Star: 2026
- Chef Kawasaki & Hop Star: 2026
- More content: The presentation confirmed the return of all nine Air Ride courses from the original game, from Fantasy Meadows to Nebula Belt, bringing the total number of courses to 18. The presentation later offered details on a new City Trial power-up item called the Mega Cannon. It also covered Stadiums, as well as boss battles which teased the debut of a boss battle exclusive opponent called Robo Dedede – a boss who can transform between Dedede mode and Car mode. There are also returning Copy Abilities and even ways to collect and rebuild the legendary machines Dragoon and Hydra.
Masahiro Sakurai also discussed some new online and multiplayer elements that will be available in Kirby Air Riders, giving players more chances to share the experience with friends and family:
- Global Win Power: Kirby Air Riders will feature a Class system and a new metric called Global Win Power. First, your Class ranking is measured not with a letter grade, but with colours. The seven colours of the rainbow indicate your Class and help match you up with similarly levelled players online. Raising your Class level can inspire changes in City Trial, so keep an eye out. Each multiplayer game mode also has its own Global Win Power ranking, which is based on your total number of wins. Although not directly related to your Class ranking, it will increase the more you play. Your Global Win Power is also displayed on your License.
- Licenses: Your online multiplayer experience starts with creating a License. This is how others will be able to identify you when playing online and is viewable when competing against other players. You can customise it with glitter effects and stickers, as well as your own Street Name by pairing two pre-set terms together.
- Team Battles: Up to 16 players can play City Trial together and with Team Battles, you can now split up the players into two teams of eight. Legendary machine parts can be shared between teammates – and whoever picks up the final piece gets to ride it. When ten or more players are competing, all players will be split into two of the same stadium and teams will compete for the high score.
- Hone your skills: As a single player, play Time Attack in either Air Ride or Top Ride modes and challenge yourself to get your best time over a set number of laps. Or play Free Run in either of those modes, too, and practise your moves or set your own Personal Best in a pressure-free environment without any opponents in your way. In City Trial, you can use Free Run to explore Skyah without any time limits or obstacles.
- Expanded roster: The presentation also revealed a few more of the characters you’ll be seeing in Kirby Air Riders as playable riders. There’s the clever arachnid Taranza, the troublemaking duo of Lololo & Lalala and more.
The presentation further expanded on the ways you can customise your Kirby Air Riders experience, personalising Air Ride machines, garages and even music.
- Miles: How do you acquire customisable accessories? With Miles. You keep earning Miles while you’re playing – the more you play, the more you earn. You can then take this in-game currency to the Miles Shop where you can acquire machines, machine decorations, License decorations, music tracks and even customisable Headwear for your riders.
- My Machine: As you collect machines by playing, purchasing parts at the Miles Shop and completing Checklist challenges, you can add decals, accessories, patterns and effects to turn any machine into My Machine. Then take your personalised My Machine to the Machine Market where you can list it for sale and acquire machines designed by other players. The more your machine sells, the more expensive it gets (but don’t worry, you don’t actually lose the machine if it sells). In addition to decorating your machine, you can create your own custom garage to show off your unique rides. Invite friends from the paddock to come and hang, too.
- Gummies: New to Kirby Air Riders are machine-shaped Gummies collectibles. They are shaped like the machines of opponents you’ve defeated – for every rival you place higher than in a competition, you’ll earn a Gummy of their machine. Inhale them, fire them into the sky and generally hold onto them as trophies of all the opponents you’ve defeated.
- My Music: Mr Sakurai gave special mention to game composers Shogo Sakai and Noriyuki Iwadare, who worked on Kirby Air Ride and the Super Smash Bros. series respectively. Like Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, Kirby Air Riders will have a My Music option that allows you to select what music you’d like to be playing during City Trial while you explore Skyah, including tracks from across the Kirby game series, bonus tracks and hidden tracks. There is also new music available on the Nintendo Music smart device app today.
Kirby Air Riders will be released at retail and digitally on the Nintendo eShop for Nintendo Switch 2 worldwide on 20 November 2025.
