Release Date: October 6, 2026 | Developer: Fuse Games | Publisher: Secret Mode / Lucasfilm Games | Platforms: PS5, Xbox Series X/S, PC | Genre: Arcade Racing / Roguelite
TL;DR – Star Wars Galactic Racer at a Glance
- Roguelite campaign — not your typical race-from-A-to-B structure. Each run branches differently.
- Three vehicle classes — landspeeder, speeder bike, and the brand-new skimspeeder.
- Metascore of 88 — the highest-rated Star Wars game since Knights of the Old Republic (2003).
- 60fps, locked — Unreal Engine 5 doing what it needs to do on current hardware.
- No split-screen multiplayer — online only, up to 12 players. Big miss for couch sessions.
- Podracer mode exists — but it’s a separate historical scenario mode, not the main campaign.
- No season pass — the full package is included at launch. Refreshing.
Nobody expected this to be the Star Wars game of 2026. A few weeks after Zero Company dropped, here comes a scrappy little racer from a debut studio called Fuse Games — and it somehow became one of the best-reviewed Star Wars titles in over two decades. If that doesn’t have your attention, I don’t know what will.
What Is Star Wars Galactic Racer?
Star Wars Galactic Racer is an arcade-style racing game with roguelite campaign mechanics, set in the New Republic Era of the Star Wars timeline. You play as a character named Shade, a racer climbing the ranks of the Galactic League — an unsanctioned racing circuit operating out in the lawless Outer Rim. Think underground street racing, but with speeders and alien rivals instead of Civics and tuner culture.
The studio behind it, Fuse Games, has leadership with roots in Criterion and Burnout. That pedigree shows. This isn’t a licensed cash-grab. It’s an arcade racer built by people who genuinely understand what makes speed fun.
You can grab it right now on PlayStation Store, Xbox, Steam, or Epic Games Store.
Star Wars Galactic Racer Campaign – The Roguelite Twist That Actually Works
Here’s where most people either click with this game immediately or scratch their heads. The single-player campaign isn’t a linear story mode. It’s a roguelite — meaning each run through the Galactic League is its own self-contained session, with branching paths, upgrades that reset when you lose, and some permanent progression carrying over between attempts.
After each race, you pick upgrades — think better cornering, stronger acceleration, sharper handling — almost like choosing cards between rounds in a deck-builder. The upgrades only last that run. But the currency you earn, called Tuning Points, carries over permanently and lets you grow between sessions.
If you burn through all your League Tokens and lose your final race, your vehicle gets scrapped. That run is done. It sounds brutal on paper, but in practice it creates this addictive “one more run” energy that you almost never feel in racing games. Before you know it, you’ve been at it for three hours.
- Runs branch based on your playstyle and achievements — no two runs play out the same way
- Off-track exploration is also in the mix, with on-foot segments between races
- Before each run, you pick a Racer Style for Shade — around 15 total, with a few unlocked from the start
- The story’s antagonist, Kestar Bool, is reportedly annoying enough to actually make you want to beat him
The roguelite framing is admittedly not for everyone. If you just want to jump into a race and grind laps, this campaign structure will feel unfamiliar. But if you give it time? It clicks hard.
Vehicle Types in Star Wars Galactic Racer – What’s Available
Galactic Racer introduces four vehicle classes in total, though the main three you’ll be working with throughout the campaign are:
- Landspeeder — the all-rounder. Balanced across speed, handling, and durability. Great for first runs.
- Speeder Bike — very fast but demands precision. High risk, high reward.
- Skimspeeder — a brand-new vehicle class introduced in this game specifically. Excels at manoeuvrability, built for tight tracks and tricky turns.
And then there are Podracers — but they’re not in the main campaign. Podracing in Galactic Racer lives in a separate historical scenario mode that recreates iconic races from Star Wars history, including the legendary Boonta Eve Classic from Episode I. Yes, you can sit in Sebulba’s podracer. Yes, it’s everything you’d want it to be.
Vehicle customization is a full mechanic — you’re not just picking paint jobs. Parts genuinely affect how your vehicle performs on track, and builds become a real consideration when you’re deep into a campaign run.
The Tracks and Planets – How Varied Is Star Wars Galactic Racer?
Each track in Galactic Racer is hand-crafted, with its own layout, hazards, and visual identity. The developers have confirmed there’s no single ideal racing line on any course — routes are open enough that different playstyles can find their own paths through.
As you progress through a campaign run, new track types get added and environmental hazards ramp up — mines, storms, darkness. Things that punish the autopilot mindset and keep you honest. Some tracks on Jakku have reportedly confused a few players with their signposting, but that’s a fairly minor complaint in the overall package.
The planets covered in the game each have their own character visually, and the fact that tracks slowly become familiar over time actually rewards continued play — you start learning layouts well enough to race with confidence rather than just surviving.
Star Wars Galactic Racer Visuals and Performance
Running on Unreal Engine 5 and built for current-gen hardware only — PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC — Galactic Racer makes the most of that. The game holds a locked 60fps throughout, including that dramatic slow-motion effect when you destroy a rival’s ship, before snapping back to full speed. That detail alone shows how much care went into the presentation.
Critics have described the visuals as eye-popping, and it’s genuinely one of the better-looking Star Wars games released. It doesn’t try to flex ray tracing or over-complicated lighting — it goes for spectacle and speed, and achieves both. The music, composed by Gordy Haab, fits the setting well and keeps the energy up through each race.
Multiplayer in Star Wars Galactic Racer – Online Works, But No Couch Co-op
Online multiplayer supports up to 12 players in two formats: quick races for short sessions, and the Multiplayer Tour — a condensed 30-40 minute mode that takes the roguelite loop from the campaign and adapts it for competitive play. You bet on your finishing position, use unlocked parts to build your vehicle, and race across six rounds on multiple planets. It’s actually a fresh take compared to what most arcade racers do online.
The glaring issue? No split-screen multiplayer. This was a staple of the original Star Wars Episode I: Racer, and its absence here is genuinely frustrating. Developer Matt Webster explained that keeping split-screen would have required sacrificing visual fidelity and frame rate — the team didn’t want that trade-off.
It’s a reasonable technical explanation, but it doesn’t make the missing couch mode sting any less. For families, parties, or anyone who remembers racing against a friend on N64, this is a real missed opportunity. Fuse Games had something that could’ve been a brilliant party game — and they chose resolution over local fun.
What Modes Does Star Wars Galactic Racer Include?
- Campaign — Roguelite structure, story-driven, main mode
- Arcade Mode — Quick one-off races across all vehicle types, available from the start
- Scenario Mode — Includes time trials, objective-based races, and the historical Podracing events
- Multiplayer — Online PvP for 1-12 players, includes Multiplayer Tour mode
No season pass. No battle pass. Everything is in the box at launch. That alone puts it ahead of a lot of 2026 releases.
Is Star Wars Galactic Racer Worth It? – Final Verdict
Star Wars Galactic Racer is a legitimate surprise. It carries an 88 on Metacritic — the highest-rated Star Wars game since Knights of the Old Republic back in 2003 — and that score reflects a game that earns it race by race. Fuse Games took a licensing deal that could have produced something forgettable and instead made something inventive, fast, and genuinely hard to put down.
The roguelite campaign takes a minute to adjust to, and the no-split-screen decision will disappoint some players who wanted a couch-friendly experience. The Jakku signposting issue is real but minor. A bit more content in the free-play department would’ve rounded things out.
But when the racing itself feels this good? When the 60fps holds, the vehicles handle distinctly, and each run teaches you something new? Those complaints start to feel secondary. This is the Star Wars racing game fans have been waiting a very long time for.
- ✅ Excellent roguelite campaign with real depth and replayability
- ✅ Three distinct vehicle classes, each worth mastering
- ✅ Locked 60fps, eye-catching visuals on current-gen hardware
- ✅ Includes Podracing in historical scenario mode — Boonta Eve Classic is in here
- ✅ Online multiplayer with a genuinely creative tour structure
- ✅ No season pass or battle pass
- ❌ No split-screen multiplayer
- ❌ Podracers are side content, not the main campaign
- ❌ Some confusing signposting on Jakku tracks
Score: 8.5 / 10
Visit the official Star Wars Galactic Racer website for more info, or pick it up now on Steam or Epic Games.
Star Wars Galactic Racer – FAQ
Does Star Wars Galactic Racer have podracing?
Yes, but not as the main campaign. Podracing is part of a separate historical scenario mode that recreates iconic races from Star Wars history — including the Boonta Eve Classic from Episode I. So Sebulba’s podracer is in the game, but you’ll access it through the scenario section, not the main roguelite story.
Is Star Wars Galactic Racer a roguelite?
The campaign is, yes. Each run through the Galactic League branches differently, with upgrades that last only that session and permanent progression (Tuning Points) that carries over between runs. It’s closer to a rogue-based deck-builder structure than a traditional racing campaign, which sounds odd but works really well in practice.
Does Star Wars Galactic Racer have split-screen multiplayer?
No. Online multiplayer supports up to 12 players, but there is no local split-screen mode. Developer Fuse Games confirmed this was left out to preserve visual fidelity and the locked 60fps experience. It’s the most common criticism of the game, and it’s a fair one.
What platforms is Star Wars Galactic Racer on?
Star Wars Galactic Racer launched on October 6, 2026 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC via Steam and Epic Games Store. It is a current-gen only release with no last-gen versions.
