City Trial is all about one thing: grab patches, juice up your machine, and roll into the Stadium fight with a monster build. Both Kirby Air Ride and Kirby Air Riders use the same basic idea: there are a set of core stats, and you pump them with power-ups during the 5-minute roam.
That sounds simple… until you hit the checklist challenge:
“Power up 4 different machine stats to max level in a single match.”
Players hit 15, 16, 17… even “see” 19 somewhere, but the challenge doesn’t pop, and it feels bugged. The problem isn’t the checklist – it’s how max stats actually work under the hood.
How City Trial Stat Power-Ups Work
During City Trial, you collect stat boosts (patches/power-ups) that affect your machine’s performance. In Kirby Air Riders they show up as big floating symbols you drive through; in the original Air Ride they drop from boxes as patches.
The main stats you can boost
Across City Trial, the core upgradeable stats are:
- Boost – acceleration and how quickly you ramp up to top speed.
- Top Speed – the max speed your machine can coast at.
- Turn – how sharply you can steer.
- Charge – how fast your charge gauge fills.
- Glide/Lift – how long/well you stay airborne.
- Weight – braking power, ramming power, and fall speed tweaks.
- Offense / Attack – damage from rams, Quick Spin, and items.
- Defense – damage and knockback reduction.
- HP / Max HP / Life – how much damage your machine can take.
You also have special power-ups like:
- All Up – raises every stat at once by +1.
- Gray / Down power-ups – reduce that stat (basically negative patches).
Base stats vs collected power-ups
Each machine and Rider combo has base stats before you pick up anything. Some machines are naturally speedy, tanky, or floaty. City Trial then piles your collected power-ups on top of that.
That means:
- Your power-up count is not the same as “final stat from zero.”
- The cap is on the stat, not “how many icons you picked up.”
This is important for the “19” confusion: you may see a big number in your list of power-ups, but the actual stat is capped internally at its limit and cannot go higher, no matter how many more of that type you grab.
What “Max Level” Actually Means (Numbers You Need)
Here’s the core thing the challenge cares about:
A stat is “maxed” when it reaches its hard cap – not when you just see a big number.
From testing and community breakdowns of City Trial’s stat system:
- 8 of the 9 stats hard cap at “18.”
- HP / Life caps at “16.”
Those numbers are the power-up levels for each stat. If you’re grinding for perfect “max stats” runs, the total across everything is:
- 8 stats × 18
- 1 stat (HP) × 16
- = 160 total stat points at absolute max.
So for the checklist:
- “Power up 4 different machine stats to max level in a single match”
→ You need any 4 different stats at their cap (18, or 16 for HP).
It does not have to be specific stats like Top Speed or Boost. Any four distinct stats at cap will do.
Why You Might See 19 and Still Not Clear the Challenge
That sounds like one of these situations:
1. UI number vs internal cap
Some trackers (or the way you’re counting) might be:
- Counting from 0, even though the machine starts with a non-zero base stat, or
- Showing power-ups collected, not effective power after cap.
Once the internal stat hits 18 (or 16 for HP), additional ups:
- Don’t raise the stat further.
- Don’t help the checklist.
- Are basically overkill for that category.
So hitting 19+ visually doesn’t matter if the backend is already stuck at 18 – the game won’t treat it as “more maxed” or unlock anything new.
2. HP is different from all the others
Because HP caps at 16, you may assume:
- “Everything needs to hit 18” → but HP will never go there.
- HP at 16 is already max, even if that number looks smaller next to your 18s.
So a valid set of four maxed stats could look like:
- Top Speed: 18
- Boost: 18
- Offense: 18
- HP: 16
That should count as four maxed stats, even though the HP number is lower.
3. One of your stats isn’t actually capped
City Trial also loves to mess with you via gray power-downs and machine swaps:
- You might have taken a gray patch without noticing, dropping a stat from its cap.
- Swapping machines keeps your power-up effects, but if you picked up negatives earlier, your stat might be at 17 and not 18, even though you grabbed a ton of ups through the match.
And the challenge is strict: it doesn’t care about “close enough,” it wants exactly four stats that are fully capped at their limit.
How to Actually Clear “Power Up 4 Different Machine Stats to Max Level” (Practical Strategy)
Let’s turn this into a clear plan.
Step 1: Know which stats you’re focusing on
For consistency, pick four stats that:
- Show up a lot as drops.
- Mesh with your machine choice.
Most people aim for combinations like:
- Top Speed
- Boost
- Offense / Attack
- HP or Glide
That gives you a strong all-rounder build and uses common power-ups.
Step 2: Press + to check your power-ups often
In Kirby Air Riders, you can press + during City Trial to see a detailed panel of your stat boosts.
Use this to:
- Watch your four focus stats.
- Make sure you’re not accidentally stacking tons of “Turn” when you really care about “Top Speed” or “Boost.”
- Verify if a stat is already maxed (so you stop wasting pickups on it).
Step 3: Avoid gray (down) power-ups like the plague
Gray versions of each stat are power-downs:
- They reduce that stat’s level.
- That pulls you away from the cap and forces you to farm even more ups to compensate.
When going for this challenge:
- Do not pick up gray icons unless you’re intentionally tuning a machine.
- If you accidentally grab one, heavily prioritize that stat to push it back up to max.
Step 4: Abuse high-yield sources of power-ups
Some of the best ways to pump stats quickly:
- Break blue boxes constantly
- They drop stat power-ups and other useful items.
- The more you roam and break boxes, the more rolls at the stat lottery you get.
- Hunt secret rooms / special rooms
- Field events or secret room spawns can pack tons of power-ups in one place.
- Prioritize these when they appear; they can spike a stat from mid to near-max in seconds.
- Attack riders and steal patches
- Hitting enemies makes them drop power-ups.
- Offense also helps you in the Stadium, so it’s a double win.
- Field events that spawn many items
- Things like item storms or energy tank mayhem can mean stat icons everywhere.
- Drop what you’re doing and farm those events.
Step 5: Use All Up efficiently
All Up power-ups raise every stat by one. That’s incredibly strong for this challenge because:
- It pushes all four focus stats at once.
- It also passively moves the other five stats toward their 12-stat challenge if you’re aiming for “Power up all your stats to at least 12” in the same grind.
However:
- Once a stat hits its cap (18 or 16), All Up still wastes that +1 on that stat.
- It can push non-focus stats higher than intended if you wanted a particular handling profile.
For this specific four-stat max challenge, All Up is still great – just check the + menu so you know when your four chosen stats are at or near cap.
Step 6: Pick a machine that doesn’t fight you
Some machines are easier to max than others because of their base stats and how they handle:
- A machine that starts with super high Top Speed might not benefit much from Top Speed ups – you’re already near the practical limit.
- A machine with terrible Glide might need a ton of Glide Ups to feel good but is amazing once you invest.
Because the challenge doesn’t care which stats you max, just pick a machine that:
- You can control comfortably
- Has reasonably balanced starting stats
- Doesn’t have one stat that’s already so high you don’t see much improvement
Guides often point players towards all-rounders or easy-handling machines for City Trial challenges, rather than gimmick machines.
A Simple Checklist Run Plan
Here’s a straightforward way to approach one session specifically for this challenge:
- Start the match with a comfy, balanced machine.
- Pick 4 stats to commit to (for example: Top Speed, Boost, Offense, HP).
- From the first second:
- Break every blue box you see.
- Grab all normal power-ups for your 4 stats.
- Avoid gray ones.
- Whenever a field event or secret room appears with lots of power-ups:
- Drop whatever you’re doing and farm it.
- Check with + every 20–30 seconds:
- If one of your focus stats is at 18 (or HP at 16), treat it as “done.”
- Shift your attention more toward any that are still lower.
- Once you see four stats sitting at their caps:
- You can relax and just finish the match; the challenge flag is already satisfied once the game registers those values.
If the challenge still doesn’t unlock after you’re sure four stats are capped:
- Double-check that HP at 16 is being counted as one of the four.
- Make sure at least four are actually at cap, not three at 18 and a couple at 17.
- Watch for gray downs that might have sneaked in midway and quietly knocked you one point below.
Key Takeaways
- Max level in City Trial = hitting the stat’s hard cap.
- 8 stats cap at 18, HP caps at 16.
- The challenge “Power up 4 different machine stats to max level in a single match” wants four different stats at that cap, not just “really high.”
- Seeing numbers like 19 is either counting from base or UI weirdness – the actual cap is still 18/16.
- Avoid gray power-downs, farm blue boxes and secret rooms, use All Up smartly, and keep checking your stats with the + menu.