I was lucky enough to be invited to the Nintendo suite at PAX West 2025 to see all they had on offer, but I had my eyes locked on Kirby Air Riders. Just the week before, our team at CGM was discussing how we hadn’t seen or heard much about it, only to see the Kirby Air Riders Direct announced right after, with the PAX invite to follow. It was meant to be!
I was not familiar with the original Kirby Air Ride from 2003. I was more focused on the Xbox after moving away from the GameCube. Don’t tell anyone. Even when I did swap back to Nintendo, I was always very stuck on the Mario Party titles. Super Smash Bros. took over our lives in high school, not even Mario Kart, so Kirby Air Ride just never came up.
After playing the new title for about 30 minutes with a team of other journalists, it became clear that we should have been battling it out in high school, too. Kirby Air Riders is fast, frantic and perfectly suited for friendly competition. The team at Nintendo did not call it a racing game, however. Kirby Air Riders was described as a “vehicle action game,” and I can see why.
To begin, Nintendo walked us through a series of tutorials to learn moves such as the Charge Boost and Spin Attack. Getting used to the controls in Kirby Air Riders was no small feat. Machines automatically move forward, and I kept trying to use the control stick to push ahead, which actually hurt my performance. The staff beside me kept gently reminding me to stop, but I never quite learned my lesson during the session.
The Spin Attack was also difficult to master, and again, I struggled. Moving the stick side to side quickly triggers a spin that can break items or attack enemies. With more time, this will likely become easier, but in the moment, it felt messy. I would have preferred a simple button press, combo or even spinning the stick in a full circle, since that seemed to match what I was seeing on screen. It did not feel intuitive, though I clearly need more practice.
From there, we moved on to racing. The game launches with 12 riders, including Kirby, King Dedede, Meta Knight, Bandana Waddle Dee, Chef Kawasaki, Magolor, Gooey, Waddle Doo, Knuckle Joe, Susie, Cappy and Starman. Some characters come with alternate colours or styles. Kirby’s different colours each grant a special ability, while the others simply look stylish and retain their original powers—for example, Chef Kawasaki’s “Super Spicy Cooking.”
Our first area played like a straightforward race to the finish, similar to Mario Kart or Sonic Racing: Crossworlds. With these kinds of games, there is often so much happening at once—I felt like such an old lady—that it can be tough to get a handle on everything during a short demo session. Players can select their track, rider and machine.
The lineup of machines includes both new and returning ones, such as the Chariot, Paper Star, Wheelie Bike and Warp Star. Each machine handles differently, making it worthwhile to test them all. The City Trial mode we played was a perfect opportunity to experiment. In this mode, you roam freely through a city, collecting floating items. You can swap machines, survive random world events and stack up boosts and bonuses, which makes the mode feel like all-out chaos.
As I said before, things move very fast in Kirby Air Riders, and sometimes those items make things even faster. At one point, I must have picked something up, because I was moving so fast that even the Nintendo rep was having trouble keeping up with what I was doing. The good news is, though I couldn’t switch machines, I certainly hoarded the most items.
After five minutes of utter insanity collecting power-ups, we were ported to a stadium to battle it out. This mode features 16 players online, or eight locally, and in our case, we went to whatever stadium we chose. If you chose with the group, you played together. If you didn’t, you played on your own. Something to note: If you were on a ground machine, you do NOT want to pick an air stadium and vice versa. You go in with whatever you have.
Luckily, we were enjoying the friendly competition, so we were often choosing the same stadium to play in. I even came close to winning once—that says a lot for me! Stadiums can include sky diving, drag races, battle arenas and more, and we saw quite a few different options pop up during our play time, meaning it wasn’t the same four over and over.
I think the biggest thing I took away from my Kirby Air Riders playtime with Nintendo at PAX West 2025 was how much fun it was with a group. I jumped in with three men I didn’t know, and we were all shouting, laughing and getting competitive, so much so that we chose to keep competing against each other. I’ll be honest, Kirby Air Riders moves extremely fast, and it can definitely be overwhelming, but I think that sense of urgency and panic is a major part of what makes it fun. It will be the ultimate party game!
Kirby Air Riders will release on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 20th, 2025, for $99.99 CAD or $69.99 USD. Preorders are available now.
Thanks for sharing your experience at PAX West 2025! It sounds like Kirby Air Riders is shaping up to be an exciting addition. I love seeing how games evolve, and your preview gives a great glimpse into the fun ahead!
Thanks for your comment! Kirby Air Riders really does bring a unique blend of excitement and strategy, especially with its multiplayer features. I think the dynamic environments they showcased will add an extra layer of fun to the gameplay.
You’re welcome! I agree, the mix of excitement and strategy is really captivating. It’s interesting how the game encourages teamwork while also allowing for individual skill to shine through. Can’t wait to see how players will adapt their strategies in multiplayer mode!
that the game seems to encourage both teamwork and individual skill. I think that balance could lead to some really dynamic gameplay experiences, especially in multiplayer modes!
You’re right about the balance of teamwork and individual skill! It’s interesting how games like this can create dynamic interactions between players, making each match feel fresh. I’m excited to see how that balance plays out in actual gameplay.
Absolutely, the blend of teamwork and individual skill really makes the gameplay dynamic. It’s fascinating how each character in Kirby Air Riders has unique abilities that can complement different play styles, adding another layer to that teamwork aspect. Can’t wait to see how players adapt their strategies!
You’re right! That mix of teamwork and individual skill definitely adds layers to the gameplay. It’s interesting to see how different strategies can emerge based on player combinations, which keeps each match feeling fresh and exciting!
Absolutely! The way the game encourages both collaboration and competition really keeps things exciting. Plus, the vibrant visuals and music enhance the overall chaos, making each match feel dynamic and fun!