While we wait for his next adventure, we’ve compiled a list of the ten best Kirby games of all time. As always, don’t take this list as pure fact – it’s always just opinion, and if you have your own thoughts on which games should be ranked where, feel free to tell us in the comments down below.
Kirby’s been on more than a handful of adventures. There are over 30 different games to choose from, and each one has its own unique story and gameplay loop. It stands to reason, then, that a few of these games are better than others. We haven’t seen or heard anything from Kirby in 2024 – and even then, the past few years have been great for the pink puffball.
10. Kirby Air Ride
This game isn’t everybody’s cup of tea, but we’re at least partially including Kirby Air Ride on the list as a subtle nudge to Nintendo that we want to see this game again. Though there’s a ton to do in single-player, Kirby Air Ride is an absolutely fantastic multiplayer experience. With both standard races and City Trial to choose from, there’s hours and hours of fun to be had here with a friend or three. Unfortunately, the game is stuck on GameCube; it’s never been re-released in any capacity and it’s rather expensive to play legitimately these days, especially if you wind up having to buy extra controllers for friends. We’d love to see a version of Kirby Air Ride released for Switch with online play – it’s great fun in the right environment, and certainly worth a look.
9. Kirby Star Allies
Let’s make this clear right from the get-go: Kirby Star Allies is good, but it’s not quite excellent. Essentially, Kirby Star Allies released at the wrong time – early 2018. Two years prior, the absolutely excellent Kirby: Planet Robobot made its debut and was at the time considered one of (if not the) best Kirby games ever. It stands to reason, then, that fans expected something even better with Kirby Star Allies – a step forward for the series. Unfortunately, that’s not what we got here. The level design was dulled down from previous entries, making levels feel almost brainlessly easy. It doesn’t help that the game only runs at 30 frames per second, and occasionally dips even lower. That being said, Kirby and the Forgotten Land is now available, and it’s clear that game was the one fans were hoping for in 2018. When you go back to Kirby Star Allies and play it for what it is rather than what it could have been, you’ve still got a good game on your hands. The game looks gorgeous, and employs fancy lighting techniques to make its levels – however easy they may be – look beautiful. Definitely worth playing, even if it’s at the lower end of this list. As a side note, most of the images you see here are actually commemorative art pieces from Kirby Star Allies!
8. Kirby’s Dream Land 3
Kirby’s Dream Land 3 is available as part of the standard Nintendo Switch Online subscription, and it’s an important piece of Kirby history. The game is incredibly unique – its art style and the soundfont used for its music haven’t quite been matched since. This leaves Dream Land 3 feeling very much like its own thing, but in a good way. Kirby’s animal friends appear in this game, and you can use them to more easily traverse levels or unlock secrets. You’ll also get to see cameos from characters like Samus, R.O.B., and more. You don’t see a ton of Kirby’s Dream Land 3 references in modern Kirby, but it was still an important stepping stone for the series, and certainly one worth revisiting.
7. Kirby’s Epic Yarn
Kirby’s Epic Yarn isn’t a main series Kirby game, yet it still ranks up there as one of the best Kirby games ever released. Developed by Good-Feel rather than HAL Laboratory, Epic Yarn is a game that focuses on both its presentation and having fun over challenge. Kirby games have always been easy, but this one is even easier than normal. It’s impossible to lose a life here; you just lose Beads (which are kind of like the Super Mario series coins of this game) instead. Still, Kirby’s Epic Yarn is an absolute joy to play, even to this day. The levels are fun and creative, the presentation is fantastic, the soundtrack is absolutely stellar, and it’s got just the right amount of content in it. The 3DS version is generally regarded as inferior to the Wii version thanks to its smaller resolution and superficial additions, so definitely try to play the Wii one if at all possible.
6. Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards
Though most of the games on this list are newer entries in the Kirby series, the older ones are worth playing, too. Kirby 64 might not be one of the absolute best Kirby games of all time, but it was the first time Kirby was rendered in full 3D. It’s got a fun Copy Ability combination system that lets you merge two of them into one. Some of these are really creative and fun to play around with. Best of all, Kirby 64 is available as part of the Nintendo Switch Online Expansion Pack. If you’re paying for online anyway and need to pass five hours, Kirby 64 is a great way to do just that. Just don’t try to 100 percent complete the game – many of the game’s titular Crystal Shard collectibles require very specific Copy Ability combinations that are difficult to obtain without going back to previous levels. Backtracking aside, Kirby 64 still holds up well to this day.
5. Kirby Triple Deluxe
Kirby Triple Deluxe is Kirby’s first 3DS outing, and it follows in the footsteps of Kirby’s Return to Dream Land as the second game in the franchise’s “revival arc”. Overall, Triple Deluxe plays things pretty safe, but it does add a few new features. This time around, Kirby can use a 3D Warp Star to jump back and forth between layers of the terrain. You can also use the 3DS’ gyro features to aim cannons, move blocks, and more. The main campaign is the perfect length, and it’s a great game to play in short bursts on the go. Then you’ve got Dededetour, a full side mode, plus fun minigames like Kirby Fighters and Dedede’s Drum Dash. Pair that with a ton of in-game collectibles and you’ve got a great Kirby game overall.
4. Kirby Super Star Ultra
When Kirby Super Star Ultra first released in 2008, it was sort of like the definitive Kirby game – and even now, it ranks among the best Kirby games of all time. Compared to the original Kirby Super Star, this DS remake has a new art style and many more subgames to choose from. It’s also got local multiplayer! With two copies of the game, one player can control Kirby and another can control his helper. It’s a great way to take a great game on the go. Kirby Super Star Ultra also introduces a bunch of series staples. It brings in Galacta Knight, an ancient warrior who was sealed away eons ago. Perhaps more importantly, however, it marks the end of King Dedede as an antagonist. Kirby Super Star Ultra’s Revenge of the King mode chronicles the last duel between Kirby and King Dedede as rivals, and serves to tradition King Dedede into a friendly ally – this comes to fruition in the next game on our list.
3. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe
At the time of writing, this is Kirby’s most recent outing. The original Kirby’s Return to Dream Land on Wii is quite good, and served as the revival the series needed back in 2011. Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe is an excellent remake of the Wii original – all of its graphics have been completely overhauled, for one, giving the game a fresh art style while running at a smooth 60 frames per second. In addition to the original and Extra Mode campaigns from the original game, Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe also includes the new Magolor Epilogue, an upgraded Arena mode, Merry Magoland, and much more. Even the Wii version was packed with content, and Kirby’s Return to Dream Land Deluxe retains and enhances that content while adding a ton of its own features. If you’ve never played the original, Return to Dream Land Deluxe is a great place to start – and it’s rightfully earned its place as one of the best Kirby games of all time.
2. Kirby: Planet Robobot
Released for the 3DS in 2016, Kirby: Planet Robobot is often regarded not only as one of the best 2D Kirby entries of all time, but also as one of the best Kirby games of all time. Whereas Kirby Triple Deluxe had somewhat tame level design often revolving around Hypernova gimmicks, Kirby: Planet Robobot takes its level design to the next… level. The titular Robobot Armor isn’t just a gimmick: it’s a highly versatile and downright fun way to play the game. It feels like a natural part of the levels it appears in, rather than a line of sort that separates levels into two halves (like with Hypernova). Planet Robobot is also home to Meta Knightmare Ultra, a time attack mode that lets you replay the main game as Meta Knight while gaining access to a bunch of hidden bosses. As with most recent Kirby games, Planet Robobot nails its lore and has one of the greatest final bosses the series has ever seen – not to mention the most extensive amiibo support we’ve ever had in a Kirby game.
1. Kirby and the Forgotten Land
To the surprise of absolutely no one, Kirby’s most recent adventure lands the top spot. Though Return to Dream Land, Triple Deluxe, and Planet Robobot were all great games, Star Allies (despite its inclusion on this list) wasn’t the step forward for the series that Kirby fans were looking for. Kirby and the Forgotten Land, however, is a completely different story. It’s Kirby’s first time as a fully 3D platformer, and the developers absolutely nailed the execution here. The game looks great, it’s full of little details here and there, and it’s got an excellent story to boot. In fact, we even went in-depth on the contributions Kirby and the Forgotten Land makes to the franchise’s lore, if you’re interested. All in all, Forgotten Land is one of the best Kirby games of all time, and many fans will tell you it is in fact the best Kirby game of all time. So far, that is.
It’s important to note that we went out of our way to only put each game on the list once. That is to say, Kirby Super Star and Kirby’s Return to Dream Land are great games, but there isn’t as much of a reason to play them when their remakes exist. How about you, though? Do you agree with our placements, and if not, which ones would you add, change, or remove? Let us know in the comments down below! You can access the official Kirby website here.
