Kirby Air Riders to get dedicated 45-minute Nintendo Direct showcase

Nintendo has revealed new plans for a dedicated Kirby Air Riders Nintendo Direct Presentation, which is set to air on Tuesday. The dedicated Nintendo Direct will start on August 19, 2025, at 6:00 am PT / 9:00 am ET / 2:00 pm BST.

The announcement was first shared via the Nintendo Today smartphone app before it flooded across social media. The livestream is slated to be hosted by legendary game director Masahiro Sakurai, marking his first non-Super Smash Bros. project in years.

In a post on the official Kirby Air Riders account on X: “The livestreamed presentation will last roughly 45 minutes and provide an in-depth look at the upcoming #NintendoSwitch2 game.”

The event is accessible via Nintendo’s regional YouTube channels, which strategically coincide with the start of Gamescom 2025’s Opening Night Live in Cologne, Germany. It’s expected that Kirby Air Riders will be a playable event at the Cologne Fair.

Kirby Air Riders is a sequel to the GameCube era’s 2003 cult classic Kirby Air Ride, was first unveiled during the Nintendo Switch 2 Direct on April 2, 2025, with a cinematic trailer showcasing Kirby and his friends racing on vibrant, star-shaped vehicles.

Of course, the game is directed by Sakurai, who returns to the Kirby franchise for the first time since Kirby & The Amazing Mirror in 2004. The game is a joint venture between his studio, Sora Ltd., and Bandai Namco, promising to leverage the Switch 2’s enhanced hardware for improved graphics and gameplay.

The original Kirby Air Ride was received exceptionally for its innovative simplicity, using minimal controls to deliver a fast-paced racing experience. 

The upcoming Direct, which runs for 45 minutes, is expected to showcase extensive gameplay footage, new mechanics, and potentially, a firm release date in 2025, given the game’s Nintendo holiday lineup alongside titles like Mario Kart World.

The 45-minute runtime is particularly long for a single-game Nintendo Direct, which predicts that the Direct will feature a comprehensive showcase akin to Sakurai’s famous “Mr. Sakurai Presents” style of presentations.

Nintendo Switch 2 owners are expecting some high-octane Air Ride Machines, tracks reminiscent of the GameCube’s Fantasy Meadows. Most will be curious to see how the game builds on the original’s gameplay, which was one of the first few titles to support LAN gameplay across as many as 4 GameCube consoles simultaneously.