Product Info

Platform

PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, PC

Publisher

Secret Mode Limited

Developer

Fuse Games

Series

Star Wars

Genre

Racing

Players

1 (1-12 online)

File Size (Minimum)

36 GB

Release Date (NA)

Oct 6, 2026

Purchase From

PSN Store

Microsoft Store

Steam

Home » Star Wars: Galactic Racer (Review)

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is the latest galactic racing game, where it uses runs-based/rougelite mechanics to add stakes to the racing experience but can burn players out before fully grasping the game’s fun factor.

In a Galaxy Far, Far Away…

The game is set after the fall of the Empire, during a time when underground racing, gambling, and entertainment are on the rise in the Outer Rim. You’ll play as a human named Shade in the game’s campaign mode, a story-driven adventure of racing where you’ll race in the Galactic League to take on the champion, Kester Bool, due to personal grudges. You’ll have the opportunity to change avatars in other game modes as you unlock them.

It’s a straightforward story, but I like the build-up it prevents and some of the backstory of Shade. The game adds a different perspective to the Star Wars universe.

Driving in Style

The game introduces you to the basic skills of driving and how to operate your vehicle when you start the campaign mode. You’re also introduced to the variety of vehicles: landspeeder, speeder bike, skim speeder, and podracer. Each has their own unique set of quirks and deliver their own flair. For example, the speeder bike is fast and small but lacks stability, so competitors can run you off fairly easily if you are not careful. It’s beneficial for players to try each one and see what works best based on the basic setup, as you can “temporarily” upgrade them.

Players can adjust the designs and colors to a certain extent, but the developers could have expanded the color palette further to allow for greater customization. Same goes for your avatar’s equipment and colors. It’s not anything to prevent you from playing this fast-paced galactic racing but more of a nice-to-have. You can unlock many ways to customize your vehicle and discover new styles, but you need to collect enough points from the races you participate in.

Challenge Accepted

You’ll challenge a set of races between each planet in a tree branch-like structure. Each campaign varies to enhance replay value and keep the experience fresh. You’ll race using various methods, including basic racing competitions, elimination rounds, field tests where you run laps to beat a certain time limit, and mystery encounters that can either help or hinder you in the upcoming race. It’s a flip of the coin. When racing, you should expect to either damage your vehicle or completely destroy it. If your vehicle is destroyed, you’ll respawn in the race, but the time lost will force you to lose a spot or more. You can catch up to your competitors, but it will become increasingly difficult. If you’ve played racing games like Burnout Paradise or Need for Speed titles, then Galactic Racer will feel similar, since the game director, Bill Lane, also worked on these racing titles.

You’ll also have a limit on the number of times you can total your vehicle, and once you exceed that limit, the race will end. When you reach the limit or you do not meet certain requirements, such as landing in the top three racing events, you’ll lose your League Entry Tokens that let you compete in the tour. Once you lose all your tokens, the journey is over, and you’ll have to start over in this runs-based campaign, which gives it that arcade-style feel when you run out of quarters to keep playing. The game provides various difficulty levels for those unfamiliar with racing in these uniquely designed vehicles.

You can select a contract with a backer to earn rewards after a race by fulfilling the requirements of these contracts. This comes in handy to spend on parts and upgrades to help improve your racing vehicle, such as drifting and adding shields to prevent other racers from taking you out right away. Vehicle upgrades are tied to your current run or multiplayer session, making them temporary, so don’t grow too attached to how you upgrade them.

In-between races during the campaign, you can interact with other races, talk to your mechanic to shop for parts, and start the next race. While it looks visually outstanding, I was expecting a little more in this downtime for more interactions and potential bonuses such as earning/finding additional points to spend on your vehicle or perhaps earning a closer to the front placement where you begin at the start of the race by interacting with someone.

More Ways to Play

If the campaign wasn’t enough for you or you were just burnt out, Galactic Racer offers other modes such as arcade, scenarios, and multiplayer. Arcade is your traditional pick-up-and-play racing mode. Here you can race to your heart’s content without the campaign’s consequences. Scenarios are a set of challenges for certain characters and not just about Shade. It does require players to unlock a “Racer Style” in the campaign to access that scenario.

With multiplayer, you can compete in races online, either cross-platform or exclusively on your platform. There are various options to choose when competing online. You can choose a quick race for short-timed competitions or dive into the multiplayer tour, where twelve players compete in a five-planet speed tour. Here you can upgrade your vehicle, similar to the campaign mode. While testing the multiplayer tour, I will admit my butt was handed every race, except the last one where I finally understood the mechanics and course layout. Players can expect challenges in online play, and with the progression system, you can earn experience points to reach ranks. These ranks allow you to compete with similar competitors for a more balanced competition.

Staying on Course

The characters and planet visuals are excellent and give that sci-fi vibe that you’d see in the Star Wars franchise. Courses look in excellent detail even when blazing by them at top speed while playing on the PlayStation 5 Pro. Some courses do feel overwhelming to understand, such as the desert planet called Jakku. The courses feel so large, and with no mini-map on the screen to give you an idea of the course, players can expect some challenges right away in understanding the layout. I wish there were more accessibility options to help players learn the courses, such as symbols indicating upcoming curves or other distinctive features, similar to those in Need for Speed Unbound. The more options, the better, and players can always turn them off if they don’t feel like they need the extra help.

There are other courses where environments can also add challenges, such as the snowfall and ice build-ups. Neglecting to monitor your gauge will result in freezing. I like the detail of ice forming on the screen and the snowfall falling toward you through the dark sky. Giving a realistic feeling when flying through the tracks. Lucky for drivers, they can reset the gauge by flying through heated structures in the middle of courses. Other issues, such as driving over lava and electric currents from competitors, can cause damage and wipeouts. It’s a dog-eat-dog world on those courses, and players should be prepared for a battle.

After playing a few rounds and various tracks, I found the tropical forest planet Lantaana was a lot of fun. It felt like a racing course that didn’t give me much hassle on how its tracks were presented. It still took some tries, but once used to the layout, it started to fall into place. I just can’t say the same for the other wider courses, as those feel like more time is required to learn. At times when touching the edge of an obstacle totals your vehicle, it feels like a cheap death, creating some frustrating moments. It feels like totaling your vehicle comes too often and a little too much. Newcomers wanting to play will lose patience early. Those looking for an enjoyable racing game since Star Wars Episode I: Racer will still enjoy this one but expect a learning curve. Controls are easy to understand but challenging to win.

Before the race begins, players can initiate skills to activate them early in a time limit. It’s not required but gives you a head start. Getting an extra boost on the countdown is timed at the right moment in the gauge presented on the screen. The game offers two different ways to boost your vehicle. The Afterburner is a generic way to push your vehicle to top speed for a limited time. The Ramjet offers a massive amount of speed that feels faster than the Afterburner, but you have to build it up before initiating it, and if you use it too long, expect an explosive consequence. If you decide to use the Ramjet for a short timeframe, it resets and has to wait for another buildup. Use it when needed for the long term, such as closing the final second of a race or rallying by a bundle of racers.

I see myself returning to Galactic Racer for its realistic sci-fi racing experience, which is rare to find in this level of quality. Get around the learning curve on how-to drive the course and tackle competitors, and you’ll find yourself finding a galactic fun time. Just don’t expect to win many races at first when competing online.

A Galactic Visual

The interface displayed while racing is clear and matches the digital interface you would see in sci-fi racing, but adjustments could be made. A mini course map could be placed in the corner instead of a straight line of dots representing placement in the race, as the current design feels less useful.

The game’s overview menu experience is self-explanatory and doesn’t need a lot to tell players what each section is. The overall style uses washed-up colors that give it that grunge but clean look. Keeping it simple and not overly complicated works here.

The music is also excellent with its orchestrated soundtrack composed by Gordy Haab (Star Wars Jedi: Survivor, Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order, and Halo Wars 2). It brings familiarity and soothing scores that resemble the Star Wars franchise. Listening to an orchestrated track while driving in the last lap for a top three spot makes it feel exhilarating and fuels the player’s ambition.

The Final Race

Star Wars: Galactic Racer delivers a fast and visually impressive galactic racing experience with a variety of challenging courses, vehicles, and fun runs-based mechanics. Get past the learning curve of studying the courses, and there’s plenty of galactic fun to be found.

A PlayStation 5 code was provided by the publisher for this review. Star Wars: Galactic Racer launches on October 6, 2026 for the PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC. Fans can visit the game’s official website for more information.