The “Star Wars” universe has no shortage of iconic battles, memorable characters, and spectacular starships, but there is something especially exciting about taking those familiar ships and putting them behind the wheel—or, in this case, the cockpit. “Star Wars: Galactic Racer” is giving players a new way to experience that galaxy, and early reactions suggest it may be hitting the mark.

While expectations are naturally high for any new “Star Wars” game, “Galactic Racer” appears to be making a strong first impression. Players and critics are finding plenty to enjoy, turning the game into one of the more intriguing new additions to the franchise.

So, what exactly is making “Star Wars: Galactic Racer” stand out? The positive reviews may offer some clues, and they could be a sign that this new take on “Star Wars” is worth paying attention to.

‘Star Wars: Galactic Racer’

“Star Wars: Galactic Racer” officially launched on October 6, 2026, bringing a new kind of racing experience to the “Star Wars” universe. The game is available on PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC, and was developed by Fuse Games and published by Secret Mode. According to the game’s official Steam page, “Galactic Racer” combines racing with adventure, action, and roguelike elements.

The game comes from Fuse Games, a studio founded by veterans of racing franchises including “Need for Speed” and “Burnout.” Lucasfilm Games has also worked closely with the studio on the project, with Lucasfilm Games General Manager Douglas Reilly describing Fuse as particularly well suited to bringing “Star Wars” racing back to players. “Star Wars'” official announcement says the game was designed around high-speed, high-stakes racing while introducing a new cast of characters and locations to the franchise.

At the center of the story is Shade, a lone racer who enters the underground Galactic League with ambitions of achieving glory and getting revenge. The League emerges after the fall of the Empire, as the New Republic attempts to rebuild and an unsanctioned racing circuit becomes a major source of gambling, entertainment, and prestige. According to the official story trailer, Shade has a personal grudge against Kestar Bool, the League’s reigning champion, and sets out to challenge his grip on the racing circuit with help from engineer Hibi and legendary podracer Sebulba.

Rather than simply offering a series of conventional races, Galactic Racer uses a runs-based structure in which players make choices as they progress through the Galactic League. Players can select from different repulsorcraft classes, including landspeeders, speeder bikes, skim speeders, and podracers, each with their own handling characteristics and tactical advantages.

The official “Star Wars” game page explains that races feature branching routes, risk-reward decisions, customization, unlockable abilities, and brutal takedowns, while the campaign allows players to choose which events to tackle as they attempt to rise through the League.

Critics Offer Praise for ‘Galactic Racer’

As of press time, “Star Wars: Galactic Racer” has a Metacritic score of 88 based on 65 critic reviews, which signal a “Generally Favorable” response to the game.

MonsterVine, which gave the game a score of 90, called it “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.”

Worth Playing also gave the game an overall score of 90, saying that “‘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,” Worth Playing added. “If you ‘re looking for a next-gen “Episode 1 Racer,” this is exactly what you’re hoping for.”

Over at Polygon, Oli Welsh’s review calls “Galactic Racer” “the most original and exciting racing game in a generation.”

PC Gamer’s Jody Macgregor gave the game a score of 76 out of 100, noting that “As a way of shaking up the racing game format, the run-based structure of ‘Galactic Racer’ is more successful than the open world of “Burnout Paradise.'”

Mostly Positive Reviews on Steam

As for gamers leaving reviews on Steam, more than 1,000 of them have left user reviews on the game’s listing as of press time. Steam as categorized these reviews as “Mostly Positive.”

“Happy to see something like this out again—rekindles a lost love and curiosity that existed in my childhood with Pod Racing,” Steam user Kirja said in a review. “Don’t have many cons to say apart from remapping keys / controls. Otherwise, it’s a gem.”

Another Steam user, adzi, said that “Galactic Racer” offers an “Unbelievable feel to the racing.”

“Tight corners are intense, and tracks feel different every time depending on the type of vehicle you’re using and the route you take,” adzi added in a Steam review. “At its core its a fantastic, speedy feeling racer, and from a racing game thats all you can really ask. But there seems to be a decent story to go along with it, some interesting roguelike elements.”

adzi concluded the review by saying, “Performance feels good. I have lower frames as rather play native resolution and higher quality, but optimization seems good. No stutters, decent frames.”

Planning to Buy the Game?

If you’re planning to add “Star Wars: Galactic Racer” to your cart, there are important details you have to know. First, the game has been released in three different editions. The Standard Edition costs $59.99, includes the base game, and is available digitally.

The Deluxe Edition is available both as a physical and digital copy and costs $79.99. It includes the base game, three additional vehicles, three exclusive Arcade Events, cosmetic items, and an 80-page digital art book.

Lastly, there’s the Collector’s Edition, which is priced at $149.99, is only available as a physical release. According to Player One’s report, it comes with a landspeeder model and other memorabilia.