Star Wars fans have long clamored for the return of a frantic racer set in the franchise, and Star Wars: Galactic Racer is exactly what we’ve been waiting for after an excruciatingly long time.
I have no doubt that if I hadn’t seen The Phantom Menace in theaters, my life would have been extremely different. It got me into sci-fi, and thanks to Star Wars Episode I: Racer, I also got deep into gaming at a very early age. It’s a seminal part of my growth, giving me some of my first joyful memories with a controller in hand—even if little old me couldn’t ever quite manage to get past Sebulba.
The thought of developers never taking another crack at the genre after Racer Revenge failed to meet expectations back in 2002 was understandable. Yet the demand was always there, provided someone made a game actually worth players’ time. Instead, decades passed without even a hint of another Star Wars racing game, until Fuse Games stepped up.
A spiritual successor to 1999’s Episode I: Racer—a game I argue is one of the few good things the prequel trilogy gave us—Galactic Racer puts you in the boots of Shade, an enigmatic new pilot who joins the Galactic League at the request of its founder, Darius Pax, to deal with Kestar Bool, the league’s top racer who is trying to seize control of the organization.
The story is… okay. You won’t really be here for the cinematic narrative, and considering this is a game built around heavy roguelite elements, a lot of the structural repetition could have been alleviated by a funny, ragtag cast of characters to get to know and chat with between runs, which is sadly missing here. The campaign ultimately feels like a prelude to something more compelling, leaving important questions unanswered while setting in motion events far more exciting than the ones we actually get to experience.
But you aren't booting up Galactic Racer for deep storytelling; it’s all about that high-octane, gravity-defying, butt-clenching, dopamine-inducing gameplay, and boy does it deliver. Built around "runs-based" replayability, tracks are completely unpredictable and don’t hold your hand. There’s no red or green line painted over the course; it’s the Wild West, presenting each track as an on-the-fly puzzle filled with environmental hazards, alternate paths, and risky shortcuts that can easily serve as a minefield if you aren't paying attention.
The sense of speed is gorgeous. When you trigger your standard Afterburner or go for the riskier Ramjet—a high-stakes boost that can literally make your vehicle explode if you overheat it—you get hit with an incredible dopamine rush of surging past opponents or making them crash. With the engines roaring and the phenomenal sound design pumping you up (you know that specific sound that comes to mind when thinking of Star Wars racing games? It’s here, and it’s perfect), it’s hard to stop yourself from jumping right back in for another race to chase that thrill.
That entire risk-reward assessment is what kept me hooked on Galactic Racer throughout the entire review process. Buildcrafting is exceptionally well thought out, boasting hundreds of parts to choose from so you can pull off something truly unique.
I will say, a few of the lighting effects can be a bit overwhelming at times. I frequently crashed into barely visible walls or corners during nighttime courses because you have to keep track of so much happening on screen all at once that things can start blurring together. Another nitpick is the fact that the camera does a slow-mo pan after you manage to make an enemy crash, and quite a few times it'll get you back in the action just as you're about to go head first into a wall yourself. It's hilarious at first, but ends up being frustrating after the first couple of times.
There is quite a lot to juggle even before factoring in the track layout or your opponents. The Afterburner operates on its own cooldown, and the Ramjet needs to be deactivated manually. There are even cool pre-race checks requiring you to input a rapid sequence of button prompts in a very short window. If that sounds like too much hassle, Fuse has thankfully included some solid accessibility options to mitigate it and let you focus purely on the racing.
When you boot up the campaign, you're presented with the game’s core loop: select from one of three vehicle classes, craft a unique build using an assortment of parts, abilities, and stat upgrades, and tear through different planets—each featuring its own specific challenges—to eventually face Kestar Bool in the final championship race.
You can choose from Landspeeders, Speeder Bikes, and Skim Speeders, all with distinct pros and cons that make giving each class a look worthwhile. Landspeeders are your steady, collision-resistant jack-of-all-trades, while Speeder Bikes boast incredible acceleration and cornering capabilities at the cost of being harder to control when rival racers try to sideswipe you.
And what about podracers, you ask? Yes, they are present, but they aren't fully integrated into the core campaign. In Galactic Racer, podracers are treated with immense reverence; lore-wise, few pilots are capable of handling them, so the league opted not to make them a primary focus. You will pilot them at pivotal moments, and a certain beloved character (who may or may not have been teased in promotional material) plays a huge role in getting you familiar with how podracing works. Furthermore, podracing is available in dedicated multiplayer playlists and separate modes outside the campaign.
Unlike traditional arcade racers, Galactic Racer leans heavily into roguelike territory. Placings don't strictly matter in regular races outside of determining your credit payout and reward tiers. To compete in a tour, you’ll need a League Token (don’t worry, you start with one by default), racing through courses ranging from the scorching deserts of Jakku and the frozen tundras of Ando Prime to The Last Jedi’s Crait. I just wish there were more planets in rotation; Tatooine is locked strictly to podraces, and cycling through the same five core locations leaves me wishing for randomized planets per run.
Planet events range from standard races and time-attacks to elimination races that can knock you straight out of a tour and special character encounters, keeping individual runs dynamic. Character events can throw you for a loop constantly, but more often than not, these will lead you to earning Favors while taking on special challenges. Katja Mox will challenge you to win the tour by taking all your parts or capping your max speed, but you'll eventually earn a permanent buff from her.
Before a run, you select your vehicle, the aforementioned Favors (modifiers like Darius’s Clandestine Aid that grant extra League Tokens and start credits), and a Racer Style. While standard parts and abilities are randomized via Hibi’s shop, your chosen Racer Style guarantees a foundational trait right out of the gate.
This leads to incredible buildcrafting depth. Some styles turn you into an absolute speed demon, like Ramjet Rider, while others reward clever utilization of planet hazards. One of my favorite risky setups utilized the Supercooled Vent ability, which inflicted the Frozen debuff on my vehicle—allowing me to use the Ramjet without generating heat. While freezing normally means losing control, I managed to mitigate the downside by stacking Freeze Resistance and Frost Protection parts. You also have to balance sponsor objectives; keeping sponsors happy pays off with extra parts and credits, but neglecting them means they’ll dock a sizable chunk of your earnings.
Failing a tour doesn't mean starting completely from scratch, as permanent progression lets you upgrade the core stats (things such as Ramjet speed, vehicle resilience, and more) of the three main vehicle classes for subsequent runs. Of course, the inherent nature of a roguelike means you will crash and burn early on, and while that's part of the design, the lack of a traditional practice mode to learn tracks on your own terms is a bummer.
Beyond the campaign, you’ll find Scenarios, Arcade mode, and a robust multiplayer suite. Scenarios let you test pre-determined builds to understand unfamiliar tools, while Arcade challenges your mastery of specific courses and abilities—including a dedicated podracing section that is well worth your time. If you were hoping for casual, traditional drop-in modes, however, they simply aren't here. There is no quick-race option to grab your favorite character, pick a vehicle, and have a go.
Then there’s multiplayer, which is insanely addictive. Mirroring the campaign’s build-crafting structure for a final, winner-takes-all championship bout, it’s a blast. You can place side bets on your race placings, fulfill sponsor goals, and even bet on who you think will win the final championship race for extra XP. My main complaints are that parties are capped at three players, making custom lobbies impossible, and there is a glaring lack of a ranked mode or leaderboards of any kind.
Overall, I’m absolutely addicted to Star Wars: Galactic Racer. It’s as close as we’ve ever gotten to the thrills of the original N64 game. While far from perfect, Fuse Games has delivered a uniquely fun, high-speed roguelite racer that any Star Wars fan should pick up and play.
A code was provided by the developer for the purpose of this review.