Kirby Air Riders Boost Charge: find B, drift and release a dash

Kirby Air Riders is a Switch 2 vehicle-action game. Your rider sits on a machine, such as the yellow star-shaped Warp Star shown above. The machine moves forward on its own. You do not hold a gas button. Tilt the left stick left or right to steer.

In the race screenshot above, your rider is near the bottom center of the screen. Look farther up the track for the bend ahead. The round dial at the lower right displays speed; it is not the button you press to charge.

On the default Switch 2 controls, B is the lower button in the four-button group on the right Joy-Con 2. X is above it, Y is left, and A is right. The original Pixel Twelve diagram below shows the group so you do not have to guess which button Nintendo means.

If you use a controller with remapped buttons, follow the on-screen control prompt for Boost Charge instead of assuming its B is in that exact position.

Look for a curve in the track. In the official video frame below, the yellow chevrons along the edge point into the bend. Before you reach it, press and hold B. Nintendo says the machine touches down, slows and starts storing a Boost Charge.

While still holding B, tilt the left stick into the corner. This is the drift: you trade some speed now for a cleaner turn and a stronger exit. In the next frame, blue sparks gather around Kirby as the machine hugs the bend.

As the bend ends and you can see a clearer stretch ahead, let go of B. Releasing the button triggers the Boost Dash. The official frame below shows the difference: bright blue jets trail behind the Warp Star as it speeds away.

The simple rhythm is approach a bend → hold B and steer → release on the exit. You can try that on another corner right away. Holding B forever is not the goal; the fast burst happens when you release it.

First check the timing. Pressing B makes the machine brake and build a charge; the burst comes after you let go. If you release immediately, you may not have built much charge. Try holding through a visible turn, then release as the course straightens.

If you are learning, use the regular yellow Warp Star pictured in this guide so the same visual cues are easy to compare. Different machines have different handling. Nintendo also includes an in-game Lessons mode for practicing the basics, but you do not need to finish every lesson before trying this technique.