Kirby Air Riders Direct reveals new demo, top-down mode, Forza-style customization

Nintendo just wrapped up one of its biggest Directs to date, focused entirely on Kirby Air Riders, the next game from Super Smash Bros. director Masahiro Sakurai. 

The 60-minute-long was a total blowout of information for the game, detailing a host of new modes, vehicles, characters, features, amiibo, and so much more. It’s really well worth a watch, as Sakurai is obviously very passionate about it and there’s a lot of detail to go over, but we’ll go over the big points as best we can here. 

One of the big new announcements was the return of Top Ride, which was a small top-down racing mode – similar to something like the old Micro Machines games – in the original Kirby Air Ride that became something of a fan favorite. Here, it’s back and has been extended quite significantly, with every character and vehicle from the main game playable in Top Ride, too. 

Kirby Air Riders also features full-blown vehicle customization, complete with decals and attachments that can massively change the look of each vehicle, with dozens of available customizations and countless permutations for each and every vehicle in the game. 

If that wasn’t enough, there’s also a Forza Horizon-style online vehicle marketplace, where players can buy and sell their designs for in-game currency. There’s an ever-changing economy based on how well a vehicle sells for, so if one specific vehicle design becomes super popular online, it’s likely to go up in price. 

Finally, players who are interested in checking out the game can try it out early in a couple of weeks, thanks to a Global Test Ride demo that’s set to take place in early November. 12 six-hour sessions will take place starting on the weekend of November 8, 2025, and continuing the following weekend. You can see the full times in the tweet below. 

Kirby Air Riders will be released on Nintendo Switch 2 on November 20, 2025.