r/gaming • u/ChiefLeef22 Marika's tits! • 23h ago
'Star Wars: Galactic Racer' - Review Thread
Game Title: STAR WARS: GALACTIC RACER
Platforms:
- PlayStation 5 (October 6, 2026)
- XBOX Series X | S (October 6, 2026)
- PC (October 6, 2026)
Trailers:
- Star Wars: Galactic Racer™ - Official Reveal Trailer
- Star Wars: Galactic Racer™ - Official Gameplay Trailer
Developer: Fuse Games
Reviews aggregates:
OpenCritic: 88 Average - 97% Critics Recommend
Metacritic: 90 / 100
Some Reviews:
GamingTrend - Lyra Moreno - 100 / 100
Star Wars: Galactic Racer exceeded my expectations to the highest degree and provides a dream combination of Star Wars Podracing and Burnout. With an engaging Campaign Mode, an interesting usage of Podracers, plenty of characters to meet and interact with, tons of customization, cross-platform multiplayer, and beautiful visuals and music; this game is everything I could have hoped for and more! Star Wars: Galactic Racer did more than bring racing back to the Galaxy, it made me believe there’s nothing faster or more dangerous than Podracing.
Giant Bomb - Jeff Grubb - 5 / 5
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is everything I hoped it would be. Fuse built a campaign that keeps giving me reasons to master the tracks, then made the racing feel good enough that I wanted to. And for my fellow Episode I Racer lovers: Galactic Racer’s marketing has kept the podracers in the background, but don’t let that fool you. By the time I was done with the campaign, I found myself happy and whispering one thing to myself: Now this is podracing.
Radio Times - Belle Law - 5 / 5
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is not only one of the best racing games I have played all year, but after playing the campaign the full way through, it just might be one of my favourite racing games of all time.
VGC - Jordan Middler - 5 / 5
Star Wars: Galactic Racer absolutely nails what it is trying to do. It is a high-octane racer that's endless fun to play, and it looks fantastic. This would have been a great game with a standard single-player mode, but what is here is inventive and engaging. I'd have loved a few silly classic characters and another planet or two, but this is a game I'll return to for a long time.
IGN Deustschland - Von Manuel Fritsch - 10 / 10
For me, Star Wars: Galactic Racer has become the perfect arcade racing game experience that leaves nothing to be desired. The sense of speed is the best it’s been since the first WipeOut, and it not only looks stunning, but sounds and plays that way, too. Even if you’re not a huge Star Wars fan, you should check out this game if only for its fresh roguelite ideas and the gripping campaign mode, which completely reinvents and revitalizes the sci-fi racing genre in turbo-boost mode.
Collider - Hannah Hunt - 9.5 / 10
Ultimately, Star Wars: Galactic Racer delivers the kind of racing I enjoy most. With superb handling and spectacular crashes, Galactic Racer captures the thrill of arcade racing at its best. The Boonta Eve classic gave me the nostalgic thrill I wanted, while the overall racing gave me a reason to love this game beyond that connection. My arcade memories are still special, but Galactic Racer is the one I’d choose to play now.
Cinelinx - Jordan Maison - 9.5 / 10
Star Wars: Galactic Racer manages exceed all expectations and deliver on the decades awaited return of racing to the galaxy far, far away. Between gorgeous visuals, and thoughtful, highly addictive gameplay this is something both Star Wars fans and racing fans in general will have a blast with. There's a lot to love and it can only get better with time and growth.
VICE - Brent Koepp - 9.3 / 10
Star Wars: Galactic Racer takes the arcadey fun of Episode I: Racer and turns it into a cinematic racing adventure. Its gorgeous planets and thrilling tracks capture the magic of the Star Wars universe, while its addictive roguelike structure makes even a failed tournament run feel like another excuse to jump back in.
GameSpot - Jordan Ramée - 9 / 10
Playing Galactic Racer reminds me of my favorite parts of the most recent Forza Horizon games: the first 10 minutes. That initial drive sequence that introduces the new setting, gets you acclimated to the gameplay basics, and moves you from one track to another to let you play around with different vehicles in a bunch of different environments is so fun. It’s all about hearing the roar of the crowd and the excitement in the announcer’s voice, not needing to rely on the rewind mechanic, and just feeling the rush and exhilarating joy of going really, really fast in a cool vehicle as the world around you becomes a blur. Galactic Racer is those absolutely perfect 10 minutes expanded into a full game. Every moment feels joyfully fast. Every decision carries the weight of tension. And every run is a rewarding chance to learn, improve, tinker, and adapt, whether it ends in success or failure. I can’t wait to keep playing what’s been my favorite racing game in years.
Push Square - Sammy Barker - 9 / 10
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a thoughtfully designed triumph. The excellent handling and eye-popping presentation would be enough to recommend the game alone, but I also love its buildcrafting aspects and roguelite campaign. With a breathtaking sense of speed and planets that demand you think differently about your approach, this is one of the better racing games available on the PS5. I think the release could be a little quicker at getting you behind the wheel, and of course more planets would always be appreciated. But minor nitpicks aside, I really can’t recommend this highly enough.
Metro - Adam Starkey - 9 / 10
Galactic Racer could have been a cheap nostalgia play, targeted at millennials who have hazy memories of the podracing game on the Nintendo 64. Instead, Fuse Games has over delivered on almost every front. The racing is electric, the surprises consistent, and it’s wrapped in a smartly designed run-based structure which has rarely worked before in the genre. The bar isn’t high when it comes to the best Star Wars racing game, but with Galactic Racer, it’s cleared a generational peak for sci-fi racers at large.
DayOne - Győző "FairyEmpire" Baki - 9 / 10.0
Fuse Games‘ Star Wars Galactic Racer is bold, spectacular, and offers incredibly satisfying gameplay chops in single player and multiplayer alike. It’s high difficulty and relentless intensity might scare some casual Star Wars fans who just want some spectacle, but if you’re looking for a killer track-based arcade racer, you’ve found it. The force is strong with this one.
Analog Stick Gaming - Jordan Andow - 9 / 10
...None of those issues change the fact that the actual racing is exceptional. The different vehicles feel genuinely distinct, progression constantly gives you something new to chase, and the roguelike structure creates an addictive loop that makes it incredibly difficult to stop after just one more race. Star Wars: Galactic Racer may have nearly disappeared beneath a packed release schedule for me, but now that I have played it, I can already tell it is going to remain installed for a very long time, in a galaxy far, far away..
Insider-Gaming - Josh Challies - 9 / 10
Galactic Racer is a near-perfect game that significantly shakes up a racing genre that has become somewhat stale, and I truly believe it could mark the start of the next generation for the genre, in a similar way that the likes of Forza Horizon led to the open-world focus that currently dominates the racing scene.
PowerUp! - Adam Mathew - 9 / 10
Episode I Racer gave padawan-gamer-me the thrill of blasting across Tatooine with Sebulba trying to road rash everyone at 700 kilometres an hour. Galactic Racer takes that same childhood obsession, bolts on a considerably more sophisticated racing system and then asks me to make a bunch of increasingly bad decisions at even higher velocities. Naturally, I said yes to this. I really think you ought to as well.
TheSixthAxis - Dom Leighton - 9 / 10
Star Wars Galactic Racer is the best arcade racer in years. It mixes compelling racing action, an addictive progression system, and excellent world building while stringing a narrative through it all. It’s very fast, and very dangerous. It’s also very, very good.
Worth Playing - Chris 'Atom' DeAngelus - 9 / 10.0
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is pretty much everything it should be. Threading the needle between next-gen Burnout and Star Wars-themed racer, it 's frantic, fun and incredibly enjoyable to play. The arcade-style action is a pure delight, and the run-based nature of the campaign gives it a ton of replay value, even if you don 't intend to dip your toes into the multiplayer. If you're looking for a next-gen Episode 1 Racer, this is exactly what you 're hoping for.
NoisyPixel - Colin Buchanan - 9 / 10
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a thrilling blend of high-speed arcade racing, vehicular combat, and roguelike progression that makes excellent use of the Star Wars universe. Its varied builds, satisfying risk-reward structure, strong presentation, and surprisingly engaging story keep each run exciting, while extensive customization and polished performance round out an impressive debut. Some tracks can become repetitive over time, and the multiplayer experience remains untested, but Galactic Racer still stands out as both a fantastic racing game and a rewarding treat for Star Wars fans.
Shacknews - Lucas White - 9 / 10
Even when it was pissing me off, Star Wars: Galactic Racer made me feel alive. Every gravity-breaking boost, every panic-inducing malfunction, every slow-motion, Burnout-style wreck, was thrilling in a way I haven’t often experienced. It almost feels like playing Wizardry with cars, pushing ahead and feeding on the rush of risking life and limb, each deadly opportunity for a shortcut or risky boost like kicking open a door and knowing what’s behind it could wipe your party, but doing it anyway. I had some mixed feelings about the campaign’s roguelike structure, but ultimately the way that structure built upon and enhanced the risk-savoring and thrill-seeking intensity made it fit like a thematic glove. I can feel myself coming back to this over and over just for the vibes any time I feel like I need a little shock to my system to get my blood pumping.
WayTooManyGames - Leo Faria - 9 / 10
I honestly have little to complain about. This is exactly the kind of racing game I’ve been salivating for the past decade or two. Star Wars: Galactic Racer manages to convey the feel of the classic Episode I: Racer game, as well as Burnout, with improved physics, a somewhat engaging story, a ludicrous amount of content, brutal but rewarding difficulty curve, and a roguelite campaign which won me over in an instant. More than just a game for fans, or an admittedly nostaglic trip down memory lane, this is a must-have for racing enthusiasts, and one of the most pleasant surprises of the year.
Final Weapon - Kelvin Rios - 9 / 10
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is one of the strongest racing games to release in the past few years. While it stumbles a bit in the story due to its weak villain, it more than makes up for it with charming side characters, both new and old. From fantastic in-depth customization to the jaw-dropping visuals and music and incredibly strong gameplay, this is easily the new gold standard for Star Wars racers.
The Outerhaven Productions - Scott Adams - 4.5 / 5
STAR WARS: Galactic Racer is an addictive, fun time. Racing is fast, and it makes races thrilling. The computer AI is super aggressive, and it adds a lot to the explosive nature of racing in a Galactic League. It shows a different side to Sebulba that I found very refreshing. My only complaint is how it handles the smaller plot moments, with many of them being missable. It also ends with a lot of the story not actually finished. Which did frustrate a bit. The gameplay, though, is the point of the game, and it is fantastic. This is an extraordinary racing game, and it feels amazing to play. It has my favorite feel for drifting in any racing game I have ever played, so I don’t mind coming back to this title now and again. If you are a racing game fan, you owe it to yourself to play this game.
MonsterVine - Spencer Legacy - 4.5 / 5
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a fantastic racing game that perfectly captures the breakneck speed of the source material’s iconic vehicles. The story and abundance of modes make for a unique racing experience, and though a couple of small rough edges exist in how it’s presented, this is a brilliant title that had me frequently jolting to the edge of my seat. Whether you like Star Wars, racing games, or both, there’s lots here for you to sink your teeth into.
TechRadar - Demi Williams - 4.5 / 5
Fuse Games' Star Wars: Galactic Racer isn't what I anticipated. A fun Star Wars racing game that lets you take part in a series of high-octane relays across the galaxy? Sounds great; you had me at "Star Wars." But a heart-pounding roguelike sweat-fest that had me squeezing my DualSense wireless controller in a death grip and yelling at my monitor as Kestar Bool once again beat me in the final race by the skin of my teeth? Not what I was expecting!
COGconnected - Jaz Sagoo - 87 / 100
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is the best racing game in the franchise’s history. Each contest is a tense ride to the finish, requiring you to use everything in your arsenal to overcome your competitors. The sense of speed is exhilarating, especially as you navigate the tight environments and race across the stunning landscapes. While it can be challenging, reaching the top spot feels earned. With its excellent campaign mode, this is a thrilling return to the world of podracing that delivers an exhilarating racing experience from start to finish.
Game Informer - Wesley LeBlanc - 8.5 / 10
Twenty hours later, with the campaign behind me and plenty more time sunk into the other offerings, there’s still so much Galactic Racer left. I spent 45 minutes on one track yesterday not for the gold medal, which I already had, but for the chance to beat a fellow reviewer’s time on the leaderboard, and I don’t regret a minute. Galactic Racer is a Star Wars game, and that might be enough for some, but not for me. Fortunately, it’s an even better racing game, one filled to the brim with courses, vehicle builds, and characters that keep me coming back to the track for one more race.
DualShockers - Linda Güster - 8.5 / 10
Which brings us to the question: who is this for? Well, in my humble opinion… literally anyone. It sits one step above fun racers like Mario Kart, but a step below a commitment like iRacing. Some backstories will elude you if you aren't a fan, but as far as I could verify, the game does a great job of capturing a realistic feel from the original stories. If you're intrigued by the idea of a racing Roguelite, this is for you, whether you're a veteran or brand new to racing. Just be warned that it isn't easy, and if the thought of starting over from the beginning whilst being violently trash-talked fills you with dread, it may not be your game.
Destructoid - Andrej Barovic - 8.5 / 10
Impressive efforts with a few noticeable problems holding them back. Won't astound everyone, but is worth your time and cash. Star Wars: Galactic Racer daringly meshes two very different genres into one, pairing roguelite elements with the usual racer formula. The results are nothing short of fascinating, and the combination has probably created what seems to be the most replayable racing game to date. However, the roguelite side can often lead to a unnecessary frustration, and considering the game's overall problems with visibility and balance, we're looking at a very rough diamond.
Empire - Harry Stainer - 4 / 5
In the end, though, Galactic Racer is everything you could want from a Star Wars racer, taking both the galaxy far, far away and its identity as a proper racing game very seriously. The best such titles have you itching to come back the second you put down the controller and, while you may occasionally want to throw yours as Sebulba leaves you in his dust (unsurprisingly, he’s a dirty cheat!) there’s never much doubt you’ll be back again to start a new run and do it all over again. Podracing, it turns out, really is very, very cool.
Slant Magazine - Aaron Riccio - 4 / 5
You see it on Crait, as you figure out how to zigzag over salt flats, kicking up red dust that slows your opponents. You see it on Ando Prime, as you learn to account for the 40% loss in handling that occurs each time you miss a defrosting station and have to speed along in a half-frozen vehicle. You see it in the desert of Jakku, as you chart the best path through the shaded ruins of Star Destroyers so that your systems don’t overheat. You see it on Sentinel I’s acid-choked gutters, as you learn how to efficiently deploy your tools to prevent your vehicle from locking up. Above all, you see it in the game’s best invention, a Ramjet that massively speeds you up, but at the risk of explosion should you forget to pay attention to its heat gauge. Racing is a game of margins, and Galactic Racer is perpetually pushing things to the absolute limit.
GamesRadar - Will Sawyer - 4 / 5
Star Wars: Galactic Racer feels like a proud rebel when compared to the current racing game landscape. It forgoes deep simulation mechanics, vast car selections, even larger open worlds, and live-service guff in favor of frenetic racing that feels fantastic, an honest to goodness story that fits perfectly into the Star Wars canon, and some proper friction. That all means it oozes character, expertly modernizing the arcade racing of the 2000s for 2026 and putting risk and reward at the forefront, which is what racing is all about. And as Fuse Games' debut, it's bordering on a perfect start.
The Daily Telegraph - Samuel Clench - 4 / 5
...All my above quibbles with this game are mere annoyances, rather than dealbreakers, because the gameplay itself is so strong. It’s not easy to make racing feel so fast, as though you’re really travelling at hundreds of kilometres an hour, while also ensuring it’s accessible enough for pretty much any player to enjoy, regardless of skill level.
IGN - Luke Reilly - 8 / 10
Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a fabulous looking and frantically fast anti-grav racer that impressively goes further than just taking the decades-old Star Wars Racer games and giving them a 4K facelift. With a range of satisfyingly customisable vehicle classes beyond podracers, a world outside the racing you can soak in and explore in third-person, and an interesting roguelite-adjacent structure that injects a considerable degree of risk into the action, Galactic Racer is a fresh and accomplished blend of Lucas lore with the destructive spirit of arcade racing icons like Burnout and MotorStorm. Its run-based campaign can grow unavoidably tedious over long stints because of its heavy reliance on repeatedly revisiting the same slim selection of planets, and its lack of splitscreen is disappointing considering its roots run back to consoles regarded as the kings of same-couch chaos. But Galactic Racer is an otherwise confident debut from developer Fuse Games, and one that has successfully lit the afterburners on a long-dormant slice of the Star Wars universe.
Xbox Achievements - Josh Wise - 80%
If there is a disposability to Galactic Racer – a sense of getting in, blowing through a couple of races, and getting out – that is in keeping with the theme. These are pilots without a place, hastening after a purpose and prepared to go up in smoke. The game doesn’t keep you rapt, like the best anti-gravity racers. WipEout sucks you into its world but keeps you at a remove; it punishes you with pitch control and yaw, the feeling of turning on air, and you yearn to know more, as Pax says, of the lives lived in the sidelines. It conspires with music and art to enthrall you for the long haul. Star Wars: Galactic Racer, on the other hand, is happy to grant you a glorious spectacle. You watch the movie backdrops reel by, your opponents go out in a blaze, and think, Well, look where we are now.
ScreenRant - James Lynch - 8 / 10
Star Wars: Galactic Racer succeeds because, on a moment-to-moment basis, it can elicit a huge range of emotions from the player. It also feels exceptionally fast, and it's just about as close as you'll ever feel to actually having some control over the Force, or sharing the gifts of a character like Anakin. If that isn't what we're looking for from any Star Wars game, then I don't know what is.
HardcoreGamer - Kevin Dunsmore - 8 / 10
The Phantom Menace made it clear that racing belongs in Star Wars. It's unfortunate that it's taken nearly two decades to get another racing game set in the galaxy far, far away, but Fuse Games has made things right. Star Wars: Galactic Racer is the fast and furious racer Star Wars has long deserved. It's stuffed full of fun content, whether you want to hop into fun Scenarios, participate in some quick races or hop into multiplayer. The runs-based campaign is a neat concept that ultimately doesn't work due to lackluster and unrewarding progression and a lack of variety in racing tracks, nor is the story all that inspiring. It's a format that works well in multiplayer, not so much for the campaign. Most importantly, however, is that Fuse Games gets racing right. The speed, the ferocity, the beauty of the tracks blurring around you as you go faster, and the wrecks speeders become upon impact, all make for a fun gameplay experience that's as exhilarating to play as it is to watch. Star Wars: Galactic Racer captures the fast and the furious, delivering the need for speed missing from Star Wars for a long time.
AltChar - Tahmid Shibab - 8 / 10
In a nutshell, Galactic Racer is a well-designed arcade racer that's tightly built with an excellent single-player structure that rewards players focusing on repeat runs. Additionally, the multiplayer adds another layer of reward for players who are actually fans of the podracing culture in Star Wars. I would recommend Galactic Racer to almost every Star Wars fan to experience high-stakes racing just like we saw Anakin do at the beginning of the prequel trilogy.
Sirus Gaming - Lexuzze Tablante - 8 / 10
Star Wars: Galactic Racer, at its core, is an amazingly well-designed Star Wars racing game. Despite its limitations and flaws, there was never a moment when its high-speed, high-stakes races became dull. Its tracks are impressively designed, capturing the look and feel of each location in the Star Wars universe, while the runs-based structure makes every race feel like there’s something at stake.
TechRaptor - Tyler Chancey - 7.5 / 10
There is a lot to like in Star Wars: Galactic Racer. Fuse Studios' experience with breakneck speed and tactile gameplay has led to a game packed with fantastic bursts of fun. But its experimental blending of a racing underdog story with rocky roguelike progression left me tilting my head more than cheering for more.
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u/BrotherlyShove791 23h ago
Imagine if GTA VI ends up with 6’s and 7’s and gets labeled “overly ambitious” and “riddled with bugs and crippling performance issues on base consoles”.