I'm the resident podracing megafan here at Netto's Game Room. The team has been listening to my rabid rantings and ravings about Star Wars: Galactic Racer for months. To think that we were getting a AAA Star Wars racing title in 2026, and one that heavily features podracing at that, was just a staggering concept for me. I adore Episode 1: Racer and Racer Revenge, and always hoped to see more of those games, but I was never really expecting it to happen; much less that it would come from a team of seasoned Burnout and Need for Speed racing game developers. Needless to say, Star Wars: Galactic Racer quickly became my most anticipated game and now that I've gotten my hands on it, I can die in peace.
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| Image Credit: GameWatcher |
On its surface, Galactic Racer looks a great deal like the previous Star Wars racing titles, but in truth, this title is going for something a bit different. Where Episode 1: Racer and Racer Revenge are rather straightforward arcade racing games (though with a notable focus on blindingly fast speeds), Galactic Racer takes some significant steps to expand upon the wider racing genre and created a genuinely unique game in the process. The campaign mode is presented as a roguelike, with each attempt at progressing the story taking the form of a "run," in which you choose a vehicle type and compete in a range of distinct racing formats to earn credits, learn the layouts and strategies of the different racetracks and ultimately try to earn permanent upgrades to your vehicles, so that you have a leg-up on your subsequent attempts. Believe me, you will have some subsequent attempts. This game is quite challenging, even on the lowest difficulty.
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| Image Credit: The Outerhaven |
I found that a majority of the game's difficulty stems from the frankly unbelievable speeds at which you're trying to maneuver through wildly treacherous terrain comprising each and every stage. Thankfully, this is an enjoyable problem to have, and one of the game's standout features. Galactic Racer has such tight, responsive controls that despite the often overwhelming pace and challenging course layouts, I felt reassured that if I just spent the time familiarizing myself with the various mechanics, maps and vehicle types, that I would have a blast and hopefully excel. Though I will add that the way that they present crashing in this game is so entertaining, that I would've had fun even if I never got better at the game. Similarly to the prior Star Wars racing games, you're racing at speeds that would turn someone into a pink mist if they crashed, and you'll get to see that on full display at a frequent clip. Of course you're not actually seeing anyone get emulsified, but the game does feature a wonderfully gnarly "crash cam" mechanic, where vehicles are showcased exploding into a million pieces when they crash.
There are three core vehicle types, each with their own perks and downsides. One boasts survivability, while another favors raw speed and nimbleness, and another type has you more capable of taking sharp turns without losing all of your momentum. You can choose between landspeeders, speeder bikes and skim-speeders, which look like a cousin to a podracer. Each of those three main vehicle types can be cosmetically customized and personalized. I had a lot of fun checking out all the different skim-speeder models and trying to find the one that looked most like a podracer. My beloved podracers are in the game as well, but are separated into their own class and game modes due to the fact that they go even faster than the other three vehicle types, and in-universe, they were banned due to the danger of piloting them. I understand the lore and explanation for why podracers are left to their own distinct class, but I was still disappointed that they didn't play a larger role in the campaign. They are an absolute blast to pilot and have truly never looked better.
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On the topic of the hazardous racetracks, I wanted to briefly touch on the different planets (or planetoids) and their respective courses that you encounter in Galactic Racer. As you progress through the campaign's three acts, you'll race across all manner of diverse and dangerous biomes. On Jakku, you'll fly across the hot sands, dipping and diving through the gargantuan wreckage of Imperial Star Destroyers. The jungle planet Lantaana has you ripping through dense jungles and verdant foliage and occasionally zipping through incredibly narrow, lava-filled magma chambers. Ando Prime, the ice-crusted craggy planet, sends you soaring across massive snowdrifts and sliding across sheets of ice. There's a horrid rocky planet called Sentinel 1 that is covered in toxic ponds and lakes. Crait, the iconic salt-covered planet from the disastrous Star Wars film, The Last Jedi, makes a welcome appearance as well. Lastly, there's a sort of asteroid called Derven Acos where the Galactic League's championship takes place. Each planet features dangerous debuffs and environmental perils that you have to watch out for. For instance, the elements can cause engine problems, like the lava on Lantaana or the ice of Ando Prime can cause your vehicle to overheat or become partially frozen. The corrosive, toxic wastes from Sentinel 1 can quickly rot your vehicle and cause catastrophic damage. These added mechanics were a thoughtful and creative inclusion, though to be honest, I feel like they added an almost unnecessary additional layer of difficulty on an already challenging game.
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| Image Credit: Playnews |
I've really never been a fan of "roguelike" games. With my limited free time for gaming, the constant repetition of "trying and failing over and over" that the genre is known for is quite the turn off. I want to feel like I'm making concrete, observable progress in the games that I play and know that I'm actively working towards a conclusion. When I read that Galactic Racer's campaign was a roguelike, I was immediately concerned that I wasn't going to enjoy the game. I'm relieved to report that I did in fact enjoy my time with Galactic Racer; in fact I was straight up addicted to the game for several days. Unfortunately, I can't report that this game suddenly made me fall in love with roguelikes or anything, as I was merely tolerating that system for the entirety of my time playing. There were some intriguing concepts explored through the roguelike component, like how each "run" would have new vehicle parts, abilities and upgrades available to you, and the better that you perform during a run, a wider array of parts is made available on your subsequent runs. I'd be lying if I said there wasn't an inherent sense of curiosity that fueled a few of my early runs. I tried to approach the game with an open mind, even with my known dislike for roguelikes.
It was exciting seeing some of the unique builds that I could concoct as the total selection of parts expanded. You can also unlock various other perks and boons that you can equip during each run to add myriad effects to your kit, and this whole system was genuinely compelling, at least for a little while. Those compliments aside though, that trademark repetition that comes along with roguelikes really got on my nerves by the end. By the final act, a single run could take well over an hour, and you're racing against the same characters and through the same exact planets, in the same order every single time. It became incredibly frustrating being beholden to factors like RNG, where I'm hoping that the right parts or abilities are available, and I'm a full hour into an attempt at the championship and holding on by the skin of my teeth, wondering if I should abandon my run or stick with it because I don't want to have wasted an hour of my time. Despite the great deal of fun that I was having with Galactic Racer's brilliant gameplay, I was really annoyed by these roguelike functions and would've greatly preferred a more mission-based campaign structure, and a vehicle that can be permanently augmented and personalized in deeper ways. If you love roguelikes, I'm sure none of this will be an issue for you.
There are also a few secondary game modes that you can enjoy, if the campaign isn't landing for you, or you just want to appreciate the fantastic racing gameplay without all of the roguelike mechanics and gimmicks. There's a scenario-based game mode where you can throw yourself into a series of unique challenges and time trials to hone your driving skills. There's also a straightforward arcade mode, where you can jump into quick, simple races. You can also navigate straight to a podracer-focused racing mode, if that's what you're looking for. It's established during the story that podracers aren't racing against the other vehicle types because they are much, much faster. There's also a competitive multiplayer mode that seems to have developed a significant playerbase already. In the multiplayer modes, you can unlock the racers that you encounter throughout the campaign, with each having their own strengths and weaknesses.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer existing at all is a real surprise, but the fact that it's such a fantastic and fun arcade racer is the true miracle here. While the game is indubitably difficult, and will challenge your abilities and patience, there's a genuine masterpiece of a racing game under the hood that deserves your attention. While I wasn't a fan of the implementation of roguelike mechanics, Galactic Racer outshines those complaints for me, and presents a fantastic, high-octane experience that should delight any fan of Star Wars racing games.
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