In a year full of awesome new game releases (many of which were Nintendo Switch 2 exclusives), many agreed Kirby Air Riders was one of 2025’s top bangers. Now, a new surprise patch has made it even better.
Players were hoping for meatier post-launch support than what Kirby creator Masahiro Sakurai teased with his no DLC comments back in October. Moreover, he said post-launch development on Kirby Air Riders would end soon as the development team planned to disband.
This is why the 1.3.0 patch is such a pleasant surprise. It dropped on 26th January and added several big new features to the game, with GameShare, a Grand Prix mode, and online matchmaking for two local players being the biggest additions.
Nintendo Switch 2’s GameShare feature has been a strange one so far, with the game giant and some third-party developers adding it to some multiplayer-oriented games and skipping others. It essentially allows Switch 2 owners to “share” their game with other Switch systems close by or via GameChat (though there are restrictions for Switch 1 players who are limited to local GameShare). Casual racers are typically go-to games for local play, so Kirby Air Riders getting this extra is a welcome addition.
The Grand Prix mode is exactly what you think it is, but a bit of a bigger deal for Kirby Air Riders, since the game’s regular racers are characterized by how blazing fast they are. A longer “match” that chains a bunch of them together is a great way to allow players to go sweatier and develop rivalries with random racers. Similarly, online play is also gaining a boost by allowing two local players to queue up for quick matches; hopefully, other online modes will be supported at a later date.
The full patch notes are rather substantial and include many balance adjustments and fixes, with the market, customisation, and the central-show City Trial mode receiving the most love after the aforementioned additions.
