Overnight, Nintendo hosted a Kirby Air Riders Direct, where they dropped a lot of information about the game, 60 minutes worth in fact. With everything they showed off, this could be the most Kirby you are ever going to get in a single game.

One of the big things announced was that of a Kirby Air Riders: Global Test Ride, where folks can give the game a shot, as they help pressure test the network for the games full lunch. These are the times the event is happening here:

Weekend 1:

8th November, 19:00 – 9th November, 01:00 AEDT
9th November, 11:00 – 17:00 AEDT
10th November, 02:00 – 08:00 AEDT

Weekend 2:

15th November, 19:00 – 16th November, 01:00 AEDT
16th November, 11:00 – 17:00 AEDT
17th November, 02:00 – 08:00 AEDT

During the Global Test Ride event, players can check out Lessons, Air Ride, and City Trial. For Air Ride, the following courses will be playable: Floria Fields, Waveflow Waters and Mount Amberfalls. Players can also jump into a paddock, in which they can create a room, invite friends to a City Trial or play with others worldwide. The paddock can accommodate up to 16 people during the Global Test Ride, while the retail version will allow up to 32 players.

For everything else, here is all the information:

Top Ride: A game mode originally introduced in Kirby Air Ride, Top Ride is all about racing from a top-down perspective and includes courses inspired by those available in Air Ride mode. Just as in other game modes, you can choose your riders and machines separately. You can also use Quick Spins and Boost Charges, plus Copy Abilities such as Flash, which causes the rider to surge forward with electricity – rivals that are hit will be in for a shocking surprise. There are also items exclusive to Top Ride to help you gain even more of an advantage over your opponents, including Kaboomb, Drift Flames, Drill Driver and more. Up to eight players can play Top Ride online, or up to four players and four CPU can play offline on a single console.

Road Trip: In today’s presentation, Mr Sakurai introduced a new mode called Road Trip. Hit the road and complete different challenges from Air Ride, City Trial and Top Ride including races, battles, and Field Events – all the while collecting machines and items you can use between challenges. But this is no random Road Trip. There is a story behind why Kirby, King Dedede, Bandana Waddle Dee, Starman and other riders are embarking on this journey.

Paddock: In Kirby Air Riders, there is a new way for friends to gather for online play in the paddock. Acting like a lobby, this area lets players move around as a rider and set up matches, interact with friends and pick and choose which mode they’d like to play. It’s even possible for several matches to be happening within a single paddock. Players can also change the music, send emotes, and work on character poses using the control sticks in combination.
Swap Relay: The presentation dove deeper into Air Ride mode, introducing a new type of race called Swap Relay. Here, you’ll select a machine for each individual lap and automatically swap machines as you complete laps. Find the right combos and experiment with different pairings of rider and machine. You can even relay with other players locally by handing off the controller like a baton.
Transform Star: The Transform Star is both a star type flying machine and a bike type driving machine, and is one of the new machines introduced in Kirby Air Riders. By rapidly moving the Left Stick you can swap between both types to keep your opponents on their toes.
Checklist: The Checklist from Kirby Air Ride is back as well. As you clear certain objectives, a Checklist box gets flipped over. The more you achieve, the more unlockable content you can access. There are five Checklist tabs, representing Air Ride, Top Ride, City Trial, Road Trip and Online. Clicking on an unopened box which is next to an opened one will take you right to that objective, all set up and ready to play. Rest assured that there are no riders or machines locked behind the Online tab, so completing that tab is not required. You can jump in immediately and start filling up your Checklist.
amiibo: The presentation presented more of the Kirby Air Riders amiibo figures, which are significantly larger than typical amiibo. Mr Sakurai showcased Meta Knight & Shadow Star, King Dedede & Tank Star and Chef Kawasaki & Hop Star. They, too, can swap riders and machines. Each rider, including those revealed in the three new two-part amiibo packs, is attached magnetically to their machine, and you can swap them out with other Kirby Air Riders amiibo, with the new combo appearing in the game as well. You will also be able to train up your amiibo Figure Player and increase their experience levels.

These figures will be available on the following dates:

Meta Knight & Shadow Star: 5th March, 2026
King Dedede & Tank Star: 2026
Chef Kawasaki & Hop Star: 2026

More content: The presentation confirmed the return of all nine Air Ride courses from the original game, from Fantasy Meadows to Nebula Belt, bringing the total number of courses to 18. The presentation later offered details on a new City Trial power-up item called the Mega Cannon. It also covered Stadiums, as well as boss battles which teased the debut of a boss battle exclusive opponent called Robo Dedede – a boss who can transform between Dedede mode and Car mode. There are also returning Copy Abilities and even ways to collect and rebuild the legendary machines Dragoon and Hydra.

There was even so much more beyond all the above, from 16 player Team Battles, and Miles which are used to decorate your rides, that you really need to watch the full presentation for the game. Something that is great to see are even more riders, including Lolo and Lala, from my all time personal favourite puzzle series, The Adventures of Lolo or Eggerland if you are in Japan.