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2025-10-23T14:09:21.008Z
Final teaser shows off the Fountain of Dreams
2025-10-23T14:02:59.495Z
That’s a wrap!
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Wow, that was a lot to take in. For me, the headline announcements were the Road Trip story mode, the inclusion of old tracks, and the total course list being 18 at launch. An online demo event is on the way too. You can check out the dates above.
2025-10-23T13:59:12.198Z
Story Mode unveiled
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Road Trip is the main Story mode in Kirby Air Riders. We’re now seeing a cutscene that’ll play at the beginning of the adventure. It’s showing off some very nice visuals, highlighting Machines and Riders.
2025-10-23T13:57:01.567Z
amiibo can be trained in-game
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Just like in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, amiibo can be scanned into Kirby Air Riders to be trained as Riders. There’s brand new Meta Knight, Chef Kawasaki, and Dedede amiibo too.
2025-10-23T13:54:59.287Z
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Almost an hour in, the Kirby Air Riders Direct is now guiding us through the options menu. There’s some Accessibility features too, which is very good to see. Color filters and UI element options are available.
2025-10-23T13:51:24.230Z
My Music can be used to choose your own soundtrack
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There’s a My Music feature where you can adjust how often certain Music appears while playing. There’s a Music Player too, where you can listen to the game’s soundtrack whenever you like.
2025-10-23T13:49:06.600Z
Headwear can be purchased with Miles
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Kirby Air Riders features a currency called Miles. These are earned as you play, and can be spent in the Miles Shop in exchange for Headwear, Stickers and other items.
2025-10-23T13:46:11.258Z
You can share custom Machine designs
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Once you’ve customized via My Machine, you can share them with others. I think I saw an auction system, so perhaps there’s incentive to create good designs. We’ll have to confirm this later on.
2025-10-23T13:43:56.397Z
I cannot believe how much is in this game!
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Checklists, color variants, a robotic Dedede boss fight? I truly cannot keep up. We’re now seeing My Machine, that let’s you customize your own vehicle.
2025-10-23T13:40:44.026Z
Vs. Boss mode lets you battle tough foes
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Robo Dedede is just one of the bosses that’s featured in Vs. Boss mode. You’ll race around and battle a large enemy, using items and locking on for attacks.
2025-10-23T13:36:28.493Z
Flight Star is exclusive to Free Run
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There’s an exclusive machine called Flight Star that’s included in Free Run. You can use this to fly around tracks, perfect for solo play and learning the game mechanics.
2025-10-23T13:32:11.537Z
You can change the voice announcer
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The in-game voice announcer can be changed to different options, including several different languages. There’s German, Italian, Japanese, Portuguese, and more options.
2025-10-23T13:30:12.419Z
Machines are being showcased
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Formula Star, Hop Star and Transform Star are available to use in Kirby Air Riders. There’s a Wheelie Scooter too with a giant eye in the wheel, and a Bull Tank that looks straight out of Robot Wars.
2025-10-23T13:28:40.268Z
New Riders include Taranza and Daroach
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There’s new Riders in Kirby Air Riders including Lololo & Lalala, Daroach and Taranza. There’s a heavy hamster called Rick, and Marx is here too.
2025-10-23T13:26:09.241Z
Team Battles split players into two teams for City Trial
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More info on City Trial now, as Team Battle will split players into two teams. You’ll share certain items between teammates. Looks like great fun for up to 16 players!
2025-10-23T13:22:02.298Z
City Trial details announced
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Now there’s a breakdown of City Trial, which is the fan-favorite mode. There’s new items, including Fireworks, Item Catcher and Laser Swiper.
2025-10-23T13:19:55.637Z
18 courses in total!
2025-10-23T13:19:10.919Z
Races includes tracks from the previous game
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Tracks from Kirby Air Ride are available in Kirby Air Riders. This includes Sky Sands, Frozen Hillside, and Magma Flows.
2025-10-23T13:16:43.445Z
Ranking is determined by the Class system
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Online ranking comes in the form of Class. This is similar to how things worked in Super Smash Bros. Ultimate, in that you’re ranked above and below certain players, identified by a color. This hopes to match you with other players of the same skill level.
2025-10-23T13:14:23.709Z
There’s a lobby that you can explore before races
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There’s a lobby area filled with things to do before a game. You can walk and jump around, spectate, change music, and emote with other players.
2025-10-23T13:12:50.544Z
You’ll make your own drivers license
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When playing online in Kirby Air Riders, you’ll make a profile in the form of a drivers license. Backgrounds, titles and other visuals can be tweaked.
2025-10-23T13:10:39.462Z
Road Trip mode adds challenges to complete
(Image credit: Nintendo)
A new mode called Road Trip is being shown off. It offers small challenges as you drive around a track. It looks as though this is geared more towards solo play.
2025-10-23T13:09:01.646Z
Top Ride is designed as a more casual, pick up and play experience
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Mr. Sakurai describes Top Ride as a more casual experience, with shorter, more pick up and play races.
2025-10-23T13:06:07.460Z
Courses for Top Ride include Flower and Flow
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We’re now getting a look at some courses that feature in Top Ride. There’s Flower, Air, Flow, Steam, and more. The courses are wider this time around.
2025-10-23T13:03:06.955Z
Top Ride mode announced
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Kirby Air Riders harkens back to its predecessor with a Top Ride Mode, which plays out with a top-down camera view.
2025-10-23T13:01:27.133Z
The show has started! Follow our reactions live, as the reveals happen
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The Kirby Air Riders Direct is now live. Let’s dig into what’s being shown. Looks like we’re kicking off with an overview on key details like release date and platforms.
2025-10-23T12:45:48.453Z
Kirby Air Riders amiibo launch alongside the game
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Two new amiibo will launch alongside Kirby Air Riders. These include a Bandana Waddle Dee & Winged Star amiibo, and the Kirby & Warp Star amiibo. Both have the potential to trigger in-game bonuses when held against the Switch 2’s NFC tag.
2025-10-23T12:30:23.410Z
30 minutes to go
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We’re now just half an hour away from the start of the Kirby Air Riders Direct. It’s set to run for an hour, so expect a hefty amount of detail from the esteemed Mr. Sakurai. Honesty, even if you’re not interested in the game, watching Mr. Sakurai present is an absolute joy.
2025-10-23T12:14:49.305Z
My hopes for the Kirby Air Riders Direct
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Now that we’re just minutes away from the next Kirby Air Riders Direct, I’m thinking about what I’d actually like to see during the show. As someone that never played the first game, I’m finding the deep dives into gameplay mechanics a little bit overwhelming, so some basic overviews of standard races would be nice. I’d also love to see whether there’s any story content tying the game together, even if it’s just small lore drops for each racer, alongside some nice cutscenes.
Mostly, I need to decide whether there’s a broader appeal to Kirby Air Riders, as currently it does look to be a bit of a niche offering. Having enjoyed Mario Kart World, but not as much as I’d expected, I’m definitely up for trying out a new racer on Switch 2, however.
2025-10-23T11:59:58.272Z
Just one hour to go!
(Image credit: Wikimedia Commons)
Boy, that’s crept up on us – there’s only one hour to go before the Kirby Air Riders Direct starts.
Strap in, and let’s hope for a host of cool details and bits of info!
2025-10-23T11:38:31.002Z
Only an hour and a quarter to go!
2025-10-23T11:00:23.533Z
Just two hours to go!
(Image credit: Nintendo)
The Kirby Air Riders Direct will go live in just two hours. I’m expecting some news on story content, and possibly a tease as to whether there will be post-launch support.
2025-10-23T10:43:43.125Z
Where to watch the Kirby Air Riders Direct
Kirby Air Riders Direct #2 10.23.2025 – YouTube
Watch On
You can watch the Kirby Air Riders Direct by heading to the Nintendo official YouTube channels. We’ve even embedded the streaming link above.
2025-10-23T10:41:39.669Z
When does Kirby Air Riders come out?
(Image credit: Nintendo)
We already know that Kirby Air Riders launches November 20, 2025 exclusively for Nintendo Switch 2. It’s likely the very last major Switch 2 exclusive we’ll see this year, as Metroid Prime 4: Beyond also launches on Nintendo Switch.
2025-10-23T10:36:36.478Z
Here’s when today’s Kirby Air Riders Direct starts
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The second Kirby Air Riders Direct begins later today at the times below:
- East Coast (United States): 9AM ET
- West Coast (United States): 6AM PT
- United Kingdom: 2PM BST
- Central Europe: 3PM CEST
- Australia (Sydney): 11PM AEST
- Japan (Tokyo): 10PM JST
2025-10-22T10:05:17.453Z
Welcome to our live build up to today’s Kirby Air Riders Direct
(Image credit: Nintendo)
Welcome in Kirby fans! There’s a Kirby Air Riders Direct airing later today, and it’ll apparently last for a full hour. I’ll be hear covering the build up live, giving you all the info revealed so far, before switching over to live impressions once the Direct begins.
