Star Wars Galactic Racer: How Do Sidebets Work?

TL;DR

• Sidebets unlock in Act 2 of the Campaign and stay active through Act 3.
• You bet on finishing ahead of a specific racer, not on who wins the race overall.
• Win a Sidebet and you get back double the Credits you wagered.
• Betting against the same racer repeatedly on one planet will trigger a Rivalry.
• Rivalries lead to 1v1 Head-to-Head races that unlock Favors and League Tokens.

What Are Sidebets in Star Wars Galactic Racer?

Sidebets are one of the best ways to earn extra Credits during the Campaign. But a lot of players get confused about how they actually work at first — and that confusion usually costs them Credits early on.

Here is the key thing to understand: you are not betting on who wins the race. You are betting on whether you can finish ahead of one specific opponent. That is it. If you beat them, you win. If they finish ahead of you, you lose.

It is a challenge, not a prediction. Every Sidebet is really asking, “Can you beat this person today?” Think of it less like gambling and more like accepting a personal dare from another racer on the grid.

If you want a full overview of the Campaign mechanics, check out our Star Wars Galactic Racer Podracing Guide to get up to speed quickly.

When Do Sidebets Unlock?

Sidebets are not available from the start. They open up in Act 2 of the Campaign, once you have qualified for the Galactic League, and they continue through Act 3.

Before that point, you just race. Once Act 2 kicks in, a Sidebet Challenge appears in the Challenges menu at the start of every Race and Eliminator event during a Galactic Tour.

How Sidebets Work — Step by Step

Here is exactly what happens each time a Sidebet is available:

• You see three racers listed, each with a predicted finishing position and a Credit amount next to their name.
• You pick one racer to bet against.
• You wager Credits on the bet.
• You then race normally — but the goal is to finish ahead of the racer you picked.
• If you beat them, you win back double your wagered Credits.
• If they finish ahead of you, you lose the Credits you bet.

That last point trips people up. Say you bet against a racer predicted to finish 1st. If that racer actually wins and you finish 2nd — you lose the bet. You needed to beat them, not just place well overall. Your placement only matters relative to the racer you bet against.

Here is a quick example: if you bet 1,000 Credits against Lyren Shok, and he is predicted to finish 1st, you need to come in 1st yourself to win that bet. Finishing 2nd when he finishes 1st means you lose your 1,000 Credits.

How Much Should You Bet?

The Credit amount you can wager depends on which racer you choose and their predicted position. Tougher opponents — those predicted to finish higher — come with larger potential payouts. Easier targets pay less.

Early in Act 2, it is smart to bet conservative amounts while you are still figuring out the field. Only wager what you can afford to lose. You still need Credits to upgrade your vehicle and repair faults. Once you are comfortable with your pace, go after the bigger bets.

If you have cleared several Tours and have a solid build, picking the highest-value bet you can realistically win is the fastest way to stack Credits between races. For more on building your credit stack efficiently, see our guide on how to get Credits fast in Star Wars Galactic Racer.

Sidebets and the Rivalry System

This is where Sidebets get a lot more interesting. They are not just a money mechanic — they feed directly into the Rivalry progression system.

If you place Sidebets against the same racer multiple times on the same planet, and you beat them, you will eventually trigger a Rivalry. After enough wins against your target on a planet, they will approach you at the start of the next planet with a short piece of dialogue — basically telling your character Shade to back off.

Keep betting against them on the next planet, and eventually they will challenge you to a 1v1 Head-to-Head race. These are some of the most intense moments in the Campaign.

Important: spread your bets across multiple racers and nothing happens. You need to focus all your Sidebets on one target per planet to build Rivalry progress. Splitting bets between two or more pilots dilutes everything and slows the whole process down.

To learn more about triggering these face-offs, read our full guide on how to get Racer Rivalries in Star Wars Galactic Racer.

What Do You Win from Head-to-Head Races?

Winning a Rivalry Head-to-Head is worth more than just pride. The stakes are real on both sides:

• Win — you earn an extra League Token (an extra life for your Tour run).
• Lose — you lose a League Token.
• Winning also unlocks that rival’s Favor, a permanent perk you can use in future Tour runs.

There are 11 rivals in the game, and each one has a unique Favor attached to beating them. Some Favors are directly tied to Sidebets themselves — for example, one rival unlocks the High Roller Favor, which at Rank 3 gives you 100% more Credits from every successful Sidebet. That is a huge economic boost if you are consistently winning bets.

For the full breakdown of every 1v1 duel, check out our guide to Rivalry Head-to-Head races.

Sidebet Favors That Boost Your Winnings

A few Favors in the game interact directly with Sidebets, making them worth even more once you have unlocked them:

• High Roller (beat Fola Kanjen) — Rank 1: +50% Credits from Sidebets. Rank 2: +75%. Rank 3: +100% Credits from every successful Sidebet.
• Biddy Blas Sidebet Favor — Win a set number of Biddy Blas Sidebets during a Tour to earn a free League Token. The number required drops as you rank up the Favor.

Once these Favors are active and ranked up, Sidebets go from being a decent money source to one of the best income streams in the whole Campaign. If Credits are feeling tight, unlocking these should be a priority.

You can also see how all Favors interact with your build in our guide to all abilities in Star Wars Galactic Racer.

The “I’ll Take That Bet” Trophy and Achievement

There is a Bronze Trophy and Achievement called I’ll Take That Bet, which unlocks when you win 10 Sidebets in total across any runs. This is one of the easier trophies to grab naturally just by using Sidebets regularly from Act 2 onwards.

You do not need to win them all in one Tour. They count across the whole game. Keep placing bets, keep winning, and it will pop on its own.

For a full rundown of every Trophy and how to get them, see our Star Wars Galactic Racer Trophy Guide and Roadmap.

Sidebets in Multiplayer — How They Differ

Sidebets in Multiplayer mode work a bit differently to the Campaign version. Instead of betting on whether you beat a specific opponent, in the Multiplayer Tour you bet on your predicted finishing position before each race.

• Pick a finishing bracket before the race begins.
• If you meet or beat your predicted position, you earn a bonus reward on top of your normal winnings — including better vehicle parts.
• Fall short and you still get the standard race reward, just no bonus.
• After the five-round series, you can also bet on who wins the final showdown for extra XP.

The more ambitious your prediction, the bigger the reward if you pull it off. It adds a nice layer of self-competition on top of the actual racing. If you want to get ahead in online play, our Multiplayer Guide covers everything you need to know.

Quick Tips for Winning More Sidebets

• Bet only against racers you can realistically beat. Predicted position matters — a racer tipped for 1st is going to be tough to overtake. Pick your battles, especially early on.
• Stick to one target per planet. If you want to trigger a Rivalry, focus every single Sidebet on the same racer throughout that planet’s events. Do not split your attention.
• Never wager Credits you need for upgrades. Sidebets are meant to supplement your income, not replace smart spending. Fix your faults and upgrade your vehicle first.
• Reset Tours if needed. The racers offered in Sidebets have some randomness to them. If the right rival is not showing up, you can restart the Tour and try again.
• Unlock the High Roller Favor early. Fola Kanjen’s Head-to-Head is one you want to chase down fast. Once that Favor is ranked up, every Sidebet win pays out double.

For more general strategy on making each Tour count, take a look at our Star Wars Galactic Racer tips and tricks guide.

How Sidebets Fit Into the Bigger Picture

Sidebets might seem like a small mechanic at first, but they are actually woven into almost every system in the Campaign. They earn you Credits. They build Rivalries. Rivalries lead to Head-to-Heads. Head-to-Heads unlock Favors. Favors make future runs easier and make your Sidebets pay out even more.

It is a loop that keeps paying off the more you lean into it. Once you understand that Sidebets are really just about beating one specific person — not the whole field — they become a lot less intimidating and a lot more profitable.

If you want to see how all these systems tie together from the very start, our full podracing guide and Star Wars Galactic Racer review cover the game top to bottom.

Star Wars Galactic Racer is available on Steam, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and Epic Games Store. You can also find out more on the official Star Wars Galactic Racer website.

Frequently Asked Questions