Star Wars: Galactic Racer

At its core, Star Wars: Galactic Racer features a run-based story campaign — basically a rogue-lite mode — but the developers would prefer it to be referred to as run-based. It's essentially about the Galactic League, an underground racing league founded by the racing enthusiast Darius Pax in the lawless Outer Rim at a time when the Empire's power was waning. However, while Pax may have founded the League, the well-connected racer Kestar Bool has become its champion and maintains his grip on the title. Pax therefore recruits Shade, a lone racer with a personal grudge against the Bool family, to enter the Galactic League and put an end to Kestar's reign. Players find themselves in the role of Shade (customisable) and must defeat Bool while also getting to know the other racers and their personal backgrounds.

In a run-based campaign like this, players first choose a vehicle, a piloting style and a bonus, if available. The campaign kicks off on the desert planet Jakku, where players control Shade in third-person through a small living hub area teeming with racers, traders, allies, and all sorts of typical Star Wars characters. There, they visit engineer Hibi, whilst Pax gives them a League token to enable them to take part in the racing series. Pilots engage in a series of challenges designed to test their skills, choosing between different events as they progress and unlocking new content. These include races, eliminators, field tests and mystery encounters – and once they have completed a series of events, the planetary setting changes too. Shade can select the type of events, the rewards on offer, and the challenges on the grid, depending on the path chosen and the branching options selected.

Crashing too many times during a single event, or failing to finish in the top three in certain events (such as the Eliminator), will result in the loss of a League Token. Losing all these tokens means the tour is over and players have to start again from the beginning. However, players do not necessarily have to finish first in the early events, although doing so is a good way to earn more credits. There are other rewards available too, such as upgrade packs, even if participants do not finish in the top three. Using credits, players can purchase parts between races that alter the vehicle's behaviour (e.g. the afterburner runs for longer), upgrades that improve the vehicle's stats (e.g. speed and stability), or abilities that provide offensive or defensive advantages. In this way, players can gradually build up a better combination of parts and modify their vehicle throughout the run.

If players lose their final League Token and are eliminated from the current tour, some of their progression is carried over in the form of credits, Tuning Points, Kit Points, Racer Styles and Favours, which makes the next run easier and more versatile. Tuning points can be used to unlock new vehicles or upgrade a vehicle's base stats, while Kit Points allow to customise the vehicle's appearance. Racer Styles are traits and abilities that determine how races can be approached. Favours provide effects that give players an edge both on and off the racetrack. These are earned by gaining the respect of friends and foes alike throughout the Galactic League.

All of this is unlocked simply by playing the game or carrying out certain actions. Of course, there are frustrating moments too, such as when Shade performs well in all the previous races but is knocked out in fourth place in the Eliminator. That run is then over and they have to start again, but that’s just part of the game. However, there are also several difficulty levels.

There are three main repulsorcraft vehicle types available in the game. The first are the relatively large landspeeders, which can maintain high speeds and are highly stable. They can also drift, enabling them to turn sharply while maintaining speed through corners. Speeder bikes, on the other hand, are small and accelerate quickly thanks to their powerful engines. However, they are comparatively fragile and tend to veer outwards in corners. They can store energy when braking in tight corners and release it in a Kinetic Burst to accelerate. The skim speeder, created by Fuse Games in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, is making its debut in Star Wars: Galactic Racer. While skim speeders may not be as agile as speeder bikes or as resilient as landspeeders, they strike a balance between the two. They can build up momentum to become the fastest speeder on the track and tackle sharp corners with their Knife Edge manoeuvre — at this point, they almost feel like manoeuvrable starfighters.

Last but not least are the Podracers, which are in a category of their own. Due to their performance, size, and fragility, they cannot participate in races alongside other repulsorcraft. Podracers play an important role in the campaign and are not accessible straight away, except in Arcade mode.

In terms of game modes . In addition to the run-based campaign, there is an Arcade mode in which players compete against the clock in various vehicles and locations. Beating the par times in this mode unlocks new events and sets records for friends. There are also 13 scenarios, which are longer challenges comprising several events, focused on a particular character and mostly tied to a Racer Style in the campaign. However, what is missing so far is a Free Mode in which all aspects, such as the track, configuration and length, can be set. Finally, players can race against up to 11 other racers in speeders or seven other players in podracers in a multiplayer mode. Before events, players can bet on their finishing position. Post-event rewards include credits, upgrade points and parts, which can be used to modify the player's vehicle. The multiplayer progression system enables players to earn XP based on their performance in events across all multiplayer modes.  This unlocks new characters, banners, insignia, backgrounds, and liveries.

But the most important question is: How do the races feel? The answer is that they feel very, very good. In some ways, Galactic Racer also brings to mind MotorStorm. It's clear that the developers behind this game have experience with Burnout, as taking out opponents is immediately staged with a corresponding camera angle. The vehicles handle noticeably differently, particularly when cornering. The pace is very fast, and there are two boost mechanisms. As well as the standard afterburner, there is also a Ramjet. Once operational, the Ramjet provides an enormous speed boost, but if used for too long it can explode due to overheating – a high-risk, high-reward system. The tracks, which are set across different planets, offer variety and changing environmental conditions that affect handling. The tracks are quite wide in places, but then narrow again in others. However, most events are rather short, lasting just a few minutes initially, so longer races would be welcome. Furthermore, the tracks often offer several options for driving wide or tight, or for trying out shortcuts.

Above all, however, the developers have done an outstanding job of capturing the Star Wars atmosphere. The music, graphics, sound effects, characters, camera cuts and quirky aliens speaking their own languages all fit together perfectly. Even the act of starting the engines and activating abilities before a race is celebrated.

"For us, Star Wars has always represented the power of wonder – and racing is one of its most thrilling expressions," said Matt Webster, CEO at Fuse Games, when announcing the game. "With Star Wars: Galactic Racer, we wanted to reinvent what a racing game can be: adventurous, spectacular and exhilarating. We want every race to feel alive with dynamic risk-reward choices, and every victory to feel incredible." James Schall, Chief Publishing Officer at Secret Mode, added: "Star Wars: Galactic Racer is exactly the kind of bold, innovative experience Secret Mode was founded to support. Fuse Games are building something truly genre-defining: a racing adventure with depth, drama, and identity. We're proud to partner with them and work in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games to bring this vision to life for players worldwide." Douglas Reilly, VP and GM, Lucasfilm Games, said: "From the beginning, Star Wars has drawn inspiration from racing culture, from podracing to high-speed chases across the galaxy. With Star Wars: Galactic Racer, the team at Fuse Games has captured that spirit and elevated it into a wholly new form of racing adventure. We can’t wait for fans to experience it."

The game comes from Fuse Games, a UK-based independent game developer led by key figures from the Burnout and Need for Speed franchises. These include Matt Webster, who was formerly Vice President at EA and General Manager at Criterion. The studio was founded in 2023. Star Wars: Galactic Racer is their debut title. It is published by Secret Mode, an independent publisher based in Leamington Spa, England. Secret Mode was originally founded in 2020 as a publishing subsidiary of the Sumo Group, which was owned by Tencent at the time. In March 2025, Emona Capital partnered with Secret Mode's CEO, Ed Blincoe, and CPO, James Schall, in the successful buyout of the company – partly because the Sumo Group had made the strategic decision to focus on co-development and cease its own publishing activities in early 2025. An in-house indie publisher simply no longer fitted into this business model, and so Secret Mode became independent. Its published titles include Still Wakes the Deep, A Little to the Left, Wobbledogs, Loddlenaut and Escape the Backrooms. Star Wars: Galactic Racer is likely to be the publisher's biggest project to date.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is set to launch on 6 October 2026 for PS5, Xbox Series X|S and PC. It will be available in Standard (€59.99) and Deluxe (€79.99) editions, both physically and digitally. A physical-only Collector's Edition (€159.99) will be available while stocks last. The physical version is being distributed by Plaion. The Deluxe Edition features three vehicles (Kor Sarun: Ciza T speeder bike, the Kor Sarun: Darc X landspeeder, and the Kor Sarun: Rak S skim speeder), three Arcade trials designed specifically for the Kor Sarun repulsorcrafts, a livery inspired by the Naboo N-1 starfighter, player banner for multiplayer modes, and a digital art book.

Conclusion

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a superbly designed, fast-paced and engaging racing game. Its run-based challenges keep things interesting, and it shines thanks to its faithful recreation of the Star Wars universe!

Features

• Incredibly fast-paced and engaging races
• Motivating run-based progression system with plenty of options
• Superbly captured Star Wars atmosphere