Star Wars: Galactic Racer review – this galaxy has no speed limits!

Luca Fontana

7/9/2026

Translation: Natalie McKay

Star Wars: Galactic Racer lets me hurtle through a galaxy far, far away at breakneck speed. Engines roar, landscapes flash by – and at some point, I turn back into a ten-year-old fanboy.

I’ve been on this route before. At Gamescom, I’m behind the wheel of Sebulba’s podracer for the first time in Star Wars: Galactic Racer. But I already know what’s around the next corner. The hairpin bend. The passage between the high cliff faces. After all, I’ve seen the Boonta Eve Classic countless times in Star Wars: Episode I.

The fact that I now get to drive it myself is the highlight of a demo which has me grinning from ear to ear surprisingly often as it is. Developer Fuse Games has got the essentials right – Galactic Racer feels fast.

Damn fast.

Three vehicles, three times full throttle

Before I’m allowed to go to Tatooine, I’m given three short routes and three vehicle classes to complete. On Jakku, I drive a landspeeder – basically the car of the Star Wars galaxy. It’s heavy, great for ramming other vehicles and you can drift around corners in it. Next comes the speeder bike. This is smaller, lighter and even more agile – almost like a futuristic motorcycle. The new skim speeder falls somewhere in between, and with its wider design, it actually looks more like a mini spaceship. In tight corners, this vehicle leans spectacularly to one side.

The differences are noticeable, but the overall feel remains the same – Galactic Racer really ramps up the pace. The scenery flashes by, and corners seem to come a tad sooner than I’d like, but the handling remains precise enough to stop it all descending into uncontrollable chaos. Most of the time, anyway.

It’s especially effective on Jakku. On a long straight stretch, there’s just enough time to marvel at the massive crashed Star Destroyer on the horizon. Then before I know it, I’ve reached the next bend; I swerve past the wreckage by a hair’s breadth and, a moment later, even drive right through parts of it. These tracks don’t just use their Star Wars scenery as a pretty backdrop – they let me race right through it.

Added to that is a sound design that helps create an intoxicating rush of speed. Engines roar, metal groans and on some turns, my vehicle sounds as if it might break apart at any moment under the strain. Meanwhile, an orchestral score swells in the background, sounding unmistakeably like Star Wars. The game doesn’t just feel like the galaxy far, far away – it sounds exactly like it too.

Boonta Eve again at last

Then I get to play as Sebulba, leaving me no option but to surrender to my inner ten-year-old. I should point out that the Boonta Eve Classic isn’t part of the main story campaign, but is included in a separate game mode where Galactic Racer features special races from Star Wars history. Even before the race begins, Fuse Games pulls out all the stops to create a sense of nostalgia – the starting grid, drivers we already know, familiar camera angles and John Williams’ music. Anakin may be missing, but I get to sit in Sebulba’s podracer.

And it sounds exactly the way it’s supposed to. That unmistakeable, muffled roar of its engines (that dull wub-wub-wub-wub) instantly transports me back to 1999. Sebulba even gets to act like a jerk again. Using his special ability, I fire a side-mounted flamethrower and roast any opponents who get too close to me. Fair play has never been his strong suit.

The route itself is even more impressive. Fuse Games has recreated the film so faithfully that I’m grateful for all the completely useless Star Wars trivia I’ve acquired over the decades. Even on the first lap, I recognise sections of the track and actually know which turn is coming up next. On top of that, the podracers feel even faster than other vehicles. In one perspective, I’m practically sitting between the two engines and watching the ground rush by just a few metres below me. Amazing!

There’s just one thing missing – the Tusken Raiders, who in the film shoot from the cliffs at the pods racing by. That’s too bad.

Need for Speed meets Star Wars

Podracing, however, remains the exception. The true heart of Galactic Racer is the campaign, which takes place after Episode VI. The Empire has fallen, and a new underground racing scene is flourishing in the power vacuum that’s formed. A voiceover explains that, because podracers are so dangerous that very few pilots can even handle them, landspeeders, speeder bikes and skim speeders come into play.

As Shade, a main character who can be either male or female, you work your way to the top in this racing scene. So it’s a bit like Need for Speed Underground, but with added Star Wars – race, earn rewards, upgrade your vehicles and take on increasingly tough competition.

There is one unusual twist, however. The campaign functions as what’s known as a roguelite. In other words, you work your way through several planets as part of a Galactic Tour and choose between different racing events along the way. If you fail too many times, your run ends and you have to start over. But at least you won’t end up with absolutely nothing – you’ll keep hold of certain upgrades and unlocks.

Time will tell how successful this loop will be in the long run. I wasn’t able to try out the campaign in my Gamescom demo. Whether the prospect of better vehicles and new planets would still motivate me even after several failed missions – or whether I’d eventually get frustrated and put the controller down – is something my colleague Simon Balissat will have to find out. His in-depth review will be published in late September.

Where’s the split-screen?

I haven’t been able to try out multiplayer mode yet either. Competing against other people online is, of course, part of what the game’s all about. But there’s a notable lack of local split-screen – and I think that’s a real shame for a racing game like this one.

Galactic Racer practically begs you to gather three friends on the couch and try to ram each other off the track with speeder bikes. For decades, Mario Kart has shown just how much of a blast that can be. Why would a Star Wars racing game, of all things, pass up this opportunity?

Fuse CEO Matt Webster explained why at Gamescom. According to him, split-screen mode would’ve required compromises on refresh rate, visual quality and immersion. That’s why, from a technical standpoint, it would’ve been «a stretch too far». That’s a huge shame.

That aside, I’m leaving my demo feeling surprisingly enthusiastic. Time will tell whether the roguelite campaign will keep me hooked in the long run, how varied the tracks will be and how well multiplayer mode will work. But for me, Fuse Games has already nailed the most important part. The vehicles handle superbly, the feeling of speed is fantastic and the presentation is steeped in the spirit of Star Wars.

And when Sebulba’s podracer lets out that unmistakeable roar, John Williams’ music kicks in and I suddenly know which turn is waiting behind the next rock face, I can already hear him – my inner ten-year-old – full of anticipation:

«Now this is podracing!»

Video games

Secret Mode Star Wars: Galactic Racer

PS5, DE

Video games

Secret Mode Star Wars: Galactic Racer

Xbox Series X, DE

Star Wars: Galactic Racer will be released on 6 October 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC.

Luca Fontana

Senior Editor

Luca.Fontana@digitecgalaxus.ch

I write about technology as if it were cinema, and about films as if they were real life. Between bits and blockbusters, I’m after stories that move people, not just generate clicks. And yes – sometimes I listen to film scores louder than I probably should.

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