The Kirby Air Riders: Global Test Ride was a free, limited-time demo event for Nintendo Switch 2, held across Nov. 8–9 and Nov. 15–16, 2025. It has ended. Nintendo announced six online-play sessions in Pacific Time; downloading the demo earlier did not make its scheduled online modes available outside those windows.
When were the Global Test Ride sessions?
Nintendo of America’s schedule listed six six-hour sessions in Pacific Time (PT). These are the official US times, not a universal local-time schedule.
| # | Preview | Product | Price | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |
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Kirby Air Riders - Nintendo Switch 2 | $48.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 2 |
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Kirby Air Riders Standard - Nintendo Switch 2 [Digital Code] | $69.99 | Buy on Amazon |
| 3 |
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Kirby Star Allies - Nintendo Switch | $52.89 | Buy on Amazon |
| 4 |
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Minecraft - Nintendo Switch | $29.83 | Buy on Amazon |
| Session | Pacific Time (PT) |
|---|---|
| Weekend 1 | Nov. 8, 2025, 12 a.m.–6 a.m. |
| Weekend 1 | Nov. 8, 2025, 4 p.m.–10 p.m. |
| Weekend 1 | Nov. 9, 2025, 7 a.m.–1 p.m. |
| Weekend 2 | Nov. 15, 2025, 12 a.m.–6 a.m. |
| Weekend 2 | Nov. 15, 2025, 4 p.m.–10 p.m. |
| Weekend 2 | Nov. 16, 2025, 7 a.m.–1 p.m. |
For the final weekend, Nintendo Life’s Nov. 14, 2025 guide published these conversions. The dates below are local dates; the second session crossed into the next day in GMT and CET.
| Pacific session | Eastern Time (ET) | Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) | Central European Time (CET) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov. 15, 12 a.m.–6 a.m. PT | Nov. 15, 3 a.m.–9 a.m. | Nov. 15, 8 a.m.–2 p.m. | Nov. 15, 9 a.m.–3 p.m. |
| Nov. 15, 4 p.m.–10 p.m. PT | Nov. 15, 7 p.m.–Nov. 16, 1 a.m. | Nov. 16, midnight–6 a.m. | Nov. 16, 1 a.m.–7 a.m. |
| Nov. 16, 7 a.m.–1 p.m. PT | Nov. 16, 10 a.m.–4 p.m. | Nov. 16, 3 p.m.–9 p.m. | Nov. 16, 4 p.m.–10 p.m. |
Nintendo Life’s final-weekend time conversions are an independent guide, not a complete official Nintendo conversion table for every country. Players in other time zones would have needed to convert from Nintendo’s PT schedule.
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- Ready, set, battle! Charge, boost, and spin to attack your rivals in Kirby Air Riders, a fast-paced vehicle action featuring Kirby and crew – only on Nintendo Switch 2.
- Riders at the ready! 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!
- Ready, set, battle! Charge, boost, and spin to attack your rivals in Kirby Air Riders, a fast-paced vehicle action featuring Kirby and crew – only on Nintendo Switch 2.
- Roam around Skyah to find machines, collect power-ups, and survive through unpredictable Field Events ranging from falling meteors to powerful boss battles. After five minutes of powering up, you and your rivals will compete in one of a whole host of different Stadium contests, each with its own objective. These include drag races, battle arenas, skydiving for points and more, so it helps to be ready for anything!
- Race to the finish in Air Ride If straightforward racing is more your speed, check out Air Ride: a frantic dash where you can race against five other riders, or compete online or via local wireless. Attack opposing riders, or trail close behind their wake, to gather up stars – and use the speed boost they provide to beat your rivals to the finish line!
When could players download the demo?
Nintendo said the demo software could be downloaded from Nintendo eShop beginning the afternoon of Friday, Nov. 7, 2025. That download window was separate from the scheduled online sessions: having the software installed did not open the online modes ahead of their event times. Lessons, however, could be played throughout each event weekend, including between sessions.
What could players do in the demo?
The event offered Lessons, Air Ride, and City Trial. Nintendo listed three Air Ride courses: Floria Fields, Waveflow Waters, and Mount Amberfalls. City Trial was a 16-player online free-for-all. During the demo, the paddock could hold up to 16 people; Nintendo said the retail game would allow up to 32 players in a paddock.
Rank #2
- Charge, boost, and spin to attack your rivals in this vehicle action game featuring Kirby and crew
- Use the Boost Charge button to brake and control your turns as your machine fights for top speed
- Fill up your Boost Charge Gauge and then release to trigger an explosive dash
- Choose from a variety of riders like Kirby and Meta Knight, each with their own stats and Specials
- Zip around Skyah in City Trial: a free-for-all battle for 16 players online or 8 players via local wireless
What did players need to access it?
- Platform: Nintendo Switch 2. The event was exclusive to that system.
- For Lessons or Air Ride: Nintendo Switch Online was not required.
- For online features such as City Trial: A Nintendo Account, internet access, and a Nintendo Switch Online membership or free trial were required. Nintendo noted that online feature availability could vary by country and was subject to terms.
Nintendo’s US event announcement gives the session schedule and access requirements. Its Direct announcement details the download timing and demo content.
Did the demo receive an update?
Nintendo Support’s Nov. 13, 2025 record lists demo version 1.0.1 and says it “Improved communication stability during online play.” The same update included fixes related to City Trial matching and match starts. Nintendo also cautioned that communication issues could still occur, so the update was not a guarantee of uninterrupted online play. Nintendo Support’s update instructions and version notes document the changes.
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Rank #3
- Use friend hearts to charm enemies and they'll fight alongside you! drop-in/drop-out co-op: up to three other players can take control of Kirby's new friends
- Play through the entire game with up to four players or with CPU friends Kirby and his friends have fresh moves thanks to new and expanded Copy abilities
- Combine abilities with elements such as wind and water to create new friend abilities some bosses and enemies are weak to certain elemental attacks, so remember to Strategize
- Battery: no battery used;Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB) Content Description: Cartoon violence
What happened after the event?
The Global Test Ride was a time-limited event, not an ongoing online demo. Nintendo’s US listing gave the full game a Nov. 20, 2025 release date and a regular price of $69.99; those are historical US listing details, not a current price check. The demo event itself ended after the Nov. 15–16 sessions.
Quick Recap
Rank #4
- Minecraft is a game about placing blocks and going on adventures
- Explore randomly generated worlds and build amazing things from the simplest of homes to the grandest of castles
- Play in creative mode with unlimited resources or mine deep into the world in survival mode, crafting weapons and armor to fend off the dangerous mobs
- Play on the go in handheld or tabletop modes
- Includes Super Mario Mash-Up, Natural Texture Pack, Biome Settlers Skin Pack, Battle & Beasts Skin Pack, Campfire Tales Skin Pack; Compatible with Nintendo Switch only
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