Nintendo's upcoming Switch 2 exclusive Kirby Air Riders will launch on November 20, 2025, the company has announced during its latest Direct presentation.
Today's 45-minute look offered a deep dive at Kirby's new racer and its various modes, including circuit-based tracks and a sandbox offering. And, right at the end, we learned when Kirby Air Riders would arrive, as Nintendo's second exclusive racing game for its new console in just five months.
There was no word today on Kirby Air Riders' price, which will be of interest to Nintendo fans after comments from the company on Switch 2 games launching with more of a "dynamic pricing" model than Nintendo has used previously. Mario Kart World arrived priced $80, while the console's upcoming Drag x Drive is just $20. Will Kirby's racer be cheaper than Mario's?
Kirby Air Riders is a long-awaited sequel to the original Kirby Air Ride on GameCube, launched back in 2003. It's also a rare project for Super Smash Bros. boss Masahiro Sakurai that's not yet another new entry in the Smash Bros. series, with the director on something of a break from the franchise he's most associated with... at least for now.
Nintendo's Switch 2 line-up for the remainder of 2025 now looks like this: Kirby and the Forgotten Land – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition + Star-Crossed World arrives on August 28, before Pokémon Legends: Z-A – Nintendo Switch 2 Edition launches on October 16, before Kirby Air Riders on November 20.
The big unknown for Nintendo fans now is when the long-awaited Metroid Prime 4: Beyond will launch, and slot into the above. We've seen curiously little of the much-delayed game in recent months. Currently it sits with a vague 2025 launch window.
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Tom Phillips is IGN's News Editor. You can reach Tom at tom_phillips@ign.com or find him on Bluesky @tomphillipseg.bsky.social
