We’ve gotten quite a number of Star Wars games over the years, and while those have been hits in their own right, one glaring hole in the Star Wars portfolio that has been missing is pod racing. Until now.
Developer Fuse Games is bringing authentic Star Wars racing action to the forefront with Star Wars: Galactic Racer, featuring speeders, podracers, and plenty of fan service. After failing to try it out during Summer Game Fest but then succeeding at Tokyo Game Show, the anticipation has grown significantly despite being only a couple of weeks away from launch.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer Hands-On Preview
Because of limited hands-on time, we didn’t get to go too deep into its systems and modes. Even so, the game succeeds at a couple of important things: being a racing game and being a Star Wars game.
Fuse Games seems to have gotten the racing right, capturing the same chaotic energy that podracing brings. Throughout the races, you’ll see racers bump into each other and wipe them out, boosters ignite, and cinematic takedowns unfold. There’s destruction and speed all around, and it’s literally podracing brought to life, resulting in an exciting and exhilarating experience that’s par for the course.
Racing in Star Wars: Galactic Racer isn’t just pure speed, as a variety of vehicles cater to different playstyles. Speeder Bikes are on the menu, and as you would imagine, they are more agile vehicles compared to others, while a Skim Speeder is quite interesting because it has its own drift mechanic called the Knife Edge, where it tilts itself and skims its wing on the ground, and allows it to keep its momentum during turns.
Each vehicle in Star Wars: Galactic Racer is filled with quirks, and choosing the right vehicle for your playstyle, whether it be a high-speed bike or one that corners well, is something that may determine the difference between the winner and scrap heap. Of course, the fastest of the bunch are the actual Podracers, and if you remember the old arcade game from years back, you’ll recognize many familiar faces and vehicles that are the speediest among them.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer also has a campaign featuring a canon story, where players take on the role of an aspiring racer named Shade as he gets put in a compromising spot that pits him against Kestar Bool, the hotshot racer. This is probably one of the more surprising aspects of the game because of the canon story, which means they really had to work closely with Lucasfilm to ensure authenticity.
That’s not the only surprising thing about Star Wars: Galactic Racer because it also employs a roguelite progression system, or “run-based” as Fuse Games likes to call it. A Galactic Tour takes players across a series of events/planets with different types of races. Think of it like Slay the Spire, where you choose which path you want to take depending on what you need at that point (do you take a path with an eliminator race, or a time trial, etc). This is a unique take on a racing game that fits so well; you’ll wonder why it was never done before, since it is so rewarding and engaging, bringing satisfaction through long-term progression and meaningful decision-making.
There’s also a level of customization that players will have to contend with, and we’re not talking simple appearance-based customization. Since some planets and tracks will have hazards, players can equip parts and attributes to help them get past these challenges. We only got a tiny peek at this, so it’s tough to say how deep it goes, but if it plays well with the runs-based progression system, it looks like a lot of fun.
Of course, it’s still too early to tell how this will play out, but based on our time with Star Wars: Galactic Racer, the Force definitely looks strong here.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is scheduled to launch on October 6, 2026, for PS5, Xbox Series, and PC.
