The next big Switch 2 game release lands later this month with the updated version of Kirby on the Forgotten Land, but it’s the other Kirby game many of us are waiting on – the actual new Switch 2 exclusive Kirby game. There’s really only a few truly Switch 2 exclusive games left that are slated for 2025, and Kirby Air Riders is the only one we still know almost nothing about.
Kirby Air Riders was easily one of the more surprising Switch 2 exclusive game reveals that landed as part of the Switch 2 launch. This is not a game franchise many folks had slated as one of the big Switch 2 exclusive launch window titles, but the cult classic GameCube franchise is slated for the next-gen Switch 2 console and is still listed as a 2025 release.
Okay great, but it is a little bit odd that we still haven’t seen anything but a quick reveal trailer at this point isn’t it?
You could say it is the “newest” of the remaining Switch 2 exclusive releases still slated for this year, but we have seen Metroid Prime 4: Beyond gameplay, and quite a lot of it. Nintendo just recently detailed and gave us another good look at Hyrule Warriors: Age of Imprisonment as part of it latest Partner Showcase Direct…but still no Kirby Air Riders.
Is Kirby Air Riders actually going to release this year?
At this point, it really feels like Kirby Air Riders might not release in 2025. But Nintendo still lists it as coming this year and it just mentioned it in its quarterly earnings report as a 2025 Switch 2 release.
Kirby Air Riders comes from the venerable Masahiro Sakurai of Super Smash Bros. fame, and the creator recently took to X hinting that gameplay footage for the new Kirby racing game was indeed on the way, and soon at that. This give us a little bit more hope, that’s for sure, but the game has been awfully quiet for a 2025 release and Sakurai was particularly (and likely purposefully) vague:
It doesn’t matter to most people, but today, Sora Co., Ltd. is celebrating its 20th anniversary.
…That’s a long time!
Thank you for your continued support.
The new game *Kirby Air Rider* hasn’t even shown gameplay footage yet, but I think we’ll be able to share some information soon.
Please wait!
When will Nintendo give us Kirby Air Riders gameplay footage?
Despite this year being a bit of an odd one in terms of its usual schedule with the release and delay of Switch 2, Nintendo typically hosts a major Nintendo Direct showcase in September – this seems the most likely candidate to finally show the game off.
But then we also have gamescom next week – we know Nintendo will be there but it did not specially mention Air Riders in the official graphic.
There’s also Tokyo Game Show and PAX West on the horizon, but one would think Nintendo will want to keep its next big Switch 2 exclusive Masahiro Sakurai game close to home, doesn’t it?
If this game is going to release this year, it will almost certainly have to make an appearance at next month’s Nintendo Direct and in a major way. As of right now the only big Switch 2 game slated for an actual release date is Pokemon Legends in October and Nintendo likes to have one big game release per month typically. This leaves November and December left for 2025, and one of those will presumably be all about Metroid Prime 4: Beyond.
Will Nintendo make Kirby Air Riders its big holiday Switch 2 game release? Only time will tell, but something does feel off there. I’m not sure what it is exactly, and it very much could happen, but it just doesn’t feel likely at this point.
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