The race is on.
With Kirby Air Riders available now on Nintendo Switch 2, Nintendo Switch Online is dedicating five new waves of icons to the long-awaited sequel. The distribution is said to run until December 26, 2025, with new waves arriving weekly, every Thursday, from November 20, 2025. Wave 1 is available from now until November 27, 2025, at 00:59 UTC and consists of the following:
- 25 Characters (10 Platinum Points each)
- Of the 25 Characters, all 25 are NEW
- 8 Backgrounds (5 Platinum Points each)
- Of the 8 Backgrounds, all 8 are NEW
- 4 Frames (5 Platinum Points each)
- Of the 4 Frames, all 4 are NEW
Images of the new icons can be seen pictured here:
About Kirby Air Riders:
Charge up for action with Kirby and crew—download the free demo for a limited time!
Start with some basic lessons to learn how to navigate battles and fast-paced races on the ground and in the air—and then choose from Kirby, Meta Knight, King Dedede, and more to Boost Charge your way into the action online* with City Trial or offline with Air Ride. Download the free demo and play at specified times during the weekends of November 8-9 and November 15-16.
Fast-paced vehicular action: Pick your rider, pick your machine, and mount up for competition! Take on your rivals in frantic arena battles or fast-paced races on the ground and in the air. Use the Boost Charge button to brake and control your turns as your machine automatically fights for top speed. Fill your Boost Charge Gauge as you drift around the bend and release it to trigger an explosive dash!
RIDER BASICS:
- Boost into the fray: Ride and battle with just two buttons. Press the Boost Charge button to brake, drift, and fill your Boost Charge Gauge as your machine moves forward automatically. Once it’s full, dash forward with gusto!
- Battle with Quick Spin: Wiggle the control stick to perform a spin attack. Slam into enemies to send them flying!
- Turn the tide with Specials: Drive and fight to fill your Special Gauge. Once it’s full, you can activate your rider’s Special to edge out the competition.
- Grab Copy Abilities: Inhale or capture an enemy to receive their Copy Ability. Some Copy Abilities let you attack, while others give you bonuses like a speed increase.
RIDERS:
- Kirby: A light and floaty friend to all! This well-balanced hero has no clear weaknesses.
- King Dedede: A heavyweight rider who rules the raceway! Hits hard with his powerful hammer.
- Meta Knight: A shadowy defender who slashes rivals with his sword and slices through the air on dark wings.
- Bandana Waddle Dee: A sturdy rider who builds Boost Charge quickly. His trusty spear stings rivals like a hornet!
- Knuckle Joe: A fierce fighter who jabs at riders that come too close. Charge up fully for a flurry of punches!
- Cappy: The mushroom cap doubles as a protective cushion. Race ahead of rivals before it falls apart!
- Star Man: Excels at airborne maneuvers. Jump for a burst of speed and soar right over your rivals!
- Magolor: A sly spell caster who accelerates a lot after Star Slides. Attack rivals ahead of you with perfect landings!
- Susie: A smug, shiny entrepreneur. Deploys a propeller to take off and float gently through the air.
MACHINES:
- Warp Star: Both drives and glides perfectly well. An easy ride with no clear weaknesses.
- Winged Star: Slow when ground-bound, but soars gracefully whenever it takes flight.
- Wheelie Bike: Races ahead on a single wheel. An interesting design compared to star-type machines.
- Paper Star: Light as paper with impressive flight capabilities. Fragile, but offers excellent acceleration.
- Tank Star: Rushes forward on Boost Dashes. Boost Charges help it tackle turns at a rapid pace.
CITY TRIAL:
- Explore Skyah: Zip around the city of Skyah in City Trial: a free-for-all battle for 16 players online* or 8 players via local wireless.** You have 5 minutes to collect power-ups and prepare your machine for a Stadium contest.
- Power up your machine: Find items scattered all over Skyah to raise your machine’s stats.
- Battle!: Clash with rivals in a competition to claim power-ups! Watch out for opponents looking to thwart you by destroying your machine…
- Field Events: Survive unpredictable Field Events like fearsome boss battles, falling meteors, and more!
- Stadium: The final challenge takes place at the Stadium! The challenge is chosen from one of four randomly selected options. Try and pick one that suits your powered-up machine.
AIR RIDE:
- Race to the finish: Drive, fight, and aim to cross the finish line first. Compete against a medley of riders in local and online matches with up to 5 other players.
Play with amiibo: Mix and match in-game Figure Players with the new rider-machine dual pack amiibo™ figures! Each pack comes with one rider and machine, which together form a figure. You can change the combination of your riders and machines to make different figures, too.
- Tap them into your game to play with your Figure Players! By racing together with them, their level and machine’s proficiency will increase.
