Nintendo confirms Kirby Air Riders is out in November, and it's only $70, leaving no question which Switch 2 racer is better

Kirby air riders screensot showing kirby driving — (Image credit: Nintendo)

Nintendo has confirmed that its new Switch 2 racer Kirby Air Riders will release on November 20, 2025.

Kirby Air Riders has been a pretty consistently shocking game. Not only is Nintendo releasing a sequel to the cult-classic GameCube racing game in the first place, but it was Nintendo who asked Smash Bros. creator Masahiro Sakurai to make it, not the other way around. Despite the fact that it had no gameplay during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct, when Metroid Prime 4 was playable directly after it back in April, Nintendo confirmed the game's release date before Metroid.

Kirby Air Riders Direct 8.19.2025 - YouTube

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This came after 45 minutes of info about the game, hosted by Kirby and Smash Bros creator Masahiro Sakurai, which, if you have ever watched a Smash Bros. Direct, you know how in-depth that guy gets on even the tiniest of details.

The direct went over details like all the weird little guys from Kirby's enemy roster (including a Mushroom and a Blob) making an appearance as racers (in a move similar to Mario Kart World, letting you play as a Sidestepper), and all the unique gliders available.

There were also new tracks shown off, with races now supporting six players. Plus, there was an in-depth look at the return of the GOAT: City Trial mode, which now has 16-player online play, which has me recreating that "I don't want to play with you anymore" scene from Toy Story 2 with Mario Kart World's Knockout Tour mode.

Plus, some of the soundtrack was shown off, with some tunes on the Nintendo Music app now.

The ending of the direct also showed what appears to be a potential story mode cutscene as one final teaser. Considering Sakurai just spent 45 minutes talking about the game and still maintained there's even more to show, I wouldn't be surprised if Kirby Air Riders is a Smash Bros-level behemoth of a game.

Kirby Air Riders director Masahiro Sakurai says those who haven't already played the GameCube racer might ask themselves "if it's basically Mario Kart," and, uh, yeah, "it basically is like Mario Kart."

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