Nintendo has revealed the release date and price for the upcoming Switch 2 exclusive Kirby Air Riders. The sequel to the 2003 GameCube hit Kirby Air Ride warps onto Nintendo’s new console November 20. Kirby Air Riders is available to preorder for $70 in physical and digital formats.
No bonuses have been announced for Kirby Air Riders, but if any become available, they will likely be retailer-exclusive collectibles similar to the goodies being offered for preordering Pokemon Legends: Z-A. Kirby Air Riders costs $10 less than the soon-to-be-released Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Kirby and the Forgotten Land.
$70 | Releases November 20
The physical edition of Kirby Air Riders is available to preorder at Best Buy and GameStop. Preorders should open soon at Amazon, Walmart, and Target.
Like all Nintendo-published games for Switch 2 (so far), Kirby Air Riders is a true physical edition with the full game file on the card. If you opt for the digital edition, just be aware that the download size is currently estimated at 25GB, which is over 10% of the Switch 2’s usable storage space.
If you’re worried about storage space for the digital version of Air Riders, you can double your Switch 2 storage for $35.77 with the Walmart-exclusive Onn 256GB microSD Express Card. The officially licensed Samsung 256GB microSD Express is in stock for $59 at Walmart.
Kirby Air Riders is developed by Bandai Namco and Sora Ltd, the independent studio helmed by Masahiro Sakurai. These days, Sakurai is best known as the director of the Super Smash Bros. series, but he’s also the creator of the Kirby franchise. Kirby Air Riders is the first game in the series directed by Sakurai since Kirby Air Ride. Since Kirby is in every Smash Bros. game, Sakurai has never truly left the character behind, but he hasn’t worked on a dedicated Kirby game since supervising the 2004 Game Boy Advance metroidvania Kirby & the Amazing Mirror.
The Mario Kart-esque racing game expands marquee modes from Kirby Air Ride and adds new ones. The controversial single-button control scheme from the original has been replaced by a two-button layout where B is for boosting and Y activates special moves, perform tricks, and switch machines. New abilities and characters have been added to the roster. Along with Kirby, you’ll be able to play as King Dedede, Bandana Waddle Dee, Meta Knight, Cappy, Starman, Chef Kawasaki, Magolor, Gooey, Susie, and Knuckle Joe.
The main game mode from the original, City Trial, is back with a bevy of new features. This time around, you’ll be tasked with finding machine upgrades scattered across a large floating island. You only have five minutes to secure your upgrades before heading to the Stadium to compete against computer players or friends in races and battles.
Kirby Air Riders supports local multiplayer for up to four players on one console and eight players wirelessly. Switch Online members can compete in online events for up to 16 players. Need extra Joy-Con Controllers for multiplayer? Amazon has Switch 2 Joy-Con 2-Packs for $95 (was $100).
Kirby Air Riders’ $70 price point matches other recent and upcoming Switch 2 titles, including Donkey Kong Bananza and Pokemon Legends: Z-A, which is scheduled to launch in October. Outside of Mario Kart World, the only $80 Switch 2 games so far are updated versions of original Switch exclusives with new content. Notably, this includes Kirby and the Forgotten Land + Star-Crossed World, the Switch 2-exclusive version of the superb 3D platformer. Along with overhauled graphics, the Switch 2 Edition has the new Star-Crossed World story campaign. You’re essentially paying for the $60 base game and the new $20 DLC as a bundle, so the comparison to Kirby Air Riders isn’t exactly 1:1.
Nintendo Switch 2 Exclusives
Kirby games for Nintendo Switch 1/2
If you’re looking forward to Kirby Air Riders and want to spend some time with the series before its November release, there are plenty of options on Nintendo Switch. In addition to Forgotten Land–the first 3D platformer for the franchise–there are two traditional side-scrolling-platformers with physical editions: Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe and Kirby Star Allies. Kirby has also starred in multiple digital-only Switch games and numerous classic titles are on Nintendo Switch Online. One of the best Kirby spin-offs in recent years is Kirby’s Dream Buffet ($15), which also happened to inspire a couple of the cutest Club Mocchi-Mocchi Kirby plushies around.
If you’re interested in the Nintendo Switch 2 Edition of Forgotten Land, existing owners can buy the DLC and upgrade for $20. Newcomers can also save $15 by picking up the Switch edition and Star-Crossed World separately. Multiple of the best Kirby game deals right now are for UK editions at Amazon-owned retailer Woot. Switch consoles can play games from any region, so the only difference with these Kirby games is the ratings board logo on the cover is PEGI instead of ESRB.
Kirby Game Deals
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