Nintendo confirms a new Direct presentation seemingly out of the blue, though the surprising announcement will be showcasing only 1 game for 45 minutes instead of a variety of content. One of the big questions surrounding Nintendo is the rest of its planned Switch 2 launch schedule for 2025, which is currently pretty mysterious.
After launching the Nintendo Switch 2 to massive sales numbers, Nintendo was able to support the console with first-party titles like Donkey Kong Bananza and Mario Kart World. However, the rest of 2025 is still a bit more vague, with Nintendo yet to provide actual dates for planned 2025 releases, including the highly anticipated Metroid Prime 4: Beyond. However, that plan may be beginning to slowly change as the company has made a big announcement regarding one of its planned game releases for later this year.
Nintendo is Going to Be at Gamescom
After missing last year's show, Nintendo confirms it will appear at the annual Gamescom video game trade fair in Cologne, Germany, later this summer.
Nintendo Direct August 2025 Date and Time
- Tuesday, August 19 (6am Pacific, 9am Eastern, or 2pm UK)
In a surprising announcement, Nintendo confirmed through its Today app that a new Nintendo Direct is planned for Tuesday, August 19 and will run for approximately 45 minutes. However, this Direct is solely focused on Masahiro Sakurai's Kirby Air Ride. While the game continues to have a vague 2025 launch date, this direct presentation could provide a bit of clarity to exactly when the game will launch, while also officially showcasing new gameplay and features.
Supporting the announcement is the creation of a dedicated Kirby Air Riders social media account. The first post highlights that the account will be used to detail updates for the game, so those who can't tune in can follow the account to see posted reveals from the presentation, similar to what the main Nintendo account does during other Direct announcements. The sudden reveal could possibly be linked to an upcoming appearance at Gamescom 2025, which officially kicks off a day later on August 20.
While Nintendo's original announcement of the smart app wasn't a major reveal that many fans were hoping for at the time, the company has made sure to leverage it in a handful of big reveals already. In June, Nintendo revealed Splatoon Riders through the Today app, a brand new game coming to the Switch 2. The reveal included a teaser trailer, screenshots of the spinoff, and a bit of story details such as the player character and Deep Cut getting stranded on the Spirhalite Islands after crashing.
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OpenCritic Reviews
- Top Critic Avg: 82 /100 Critics Rec: 86%
- Released
- November 20, 2025
- ESRB
- Everyone 10+ / Fantasy Violence
- Developer(s)
- Bandai Namco Studios, Sora Ltd.
- Publisher(s)
- Nintendo
WHERE TO PLAY
FAST-PACED VEHICULAR ACTION
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!
PLAY WITH amiibo
Mix and match in-game Figure Players with the new rider-machine dual pack amiibo™ figures! Each pack comes with one rider and machine, which together form a figure. You can change the combination of your riders and machines to make different figures, too.
Tap them into your game to play with your Figure Players!, By racing together with them, their level and machine's proficiency will increase.
- Multiplayer
- Online Multiplayer, Local Multiplayer
- Franchise
- Kirby
- Number of Players
- 1-4 players
- Genre(s)
- Racing
- Platform(s)
- Nintendo Switch 2
