The Game Awards 2025 was home to some incredible reveals, but by far two of the most exciting were Star Wars related. The announcement that kicked off The Game Awards 2025’s main show, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, was many fans’ highlight of the evening. Not only did it promise a follow-up to one of the most beloved Star Wars video games of all time, but it is also being made by KOTOR‘s original director. But a close second for many was Star Wars: Galactic Racer.
Being developed by Fuse Games, a new studio formed by ex-Criterion developers who worked on the Need for Speed and Burnout series, Star Wars: Galactic Racer will see players rise in the ranks of The Galactic League, a new racing tournament funded by the galaxy’s biggest crime syndicates in the wake of the Empire’s collapse. While no gameplay was shown during Star Wars: Galactic Racer‘s reveal, it already feels like it could be the true spiritual successor to Star Wars Episode 1: Racer that fans have been waiting decades for. But there’s a key element of the 1999 classic that’s missing in Star Wars: Galactic Racer: podracers.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer Is Missing a Core Piece of Star Wars Episode 1: Racer’s Identity
Star Wars’ Podracers Have Become Icons In Their Own Right
When Star Wars: The Phantom Menace hit silver screens in 1999, it was met with an infamously divisive reception from critics and fans alike. Along with critiques of its trade dispute-centered story and the Jar Jar Binks of it all, Phantom Menace‘s Podracing action sequence was met with some criticism. Though its special effects were truly groundbreaking, the Podracing sequence was criticized for lacking substance and for being overly long.
Of course, as is the case with much of the Star Wars prequels, many fans who have grown up watching The Phantom Menace now have a lot of respect (and a whole lot of nostalgia) for its Podracing sequence. And again, much like most Star Wars movies, even the most inconsequential background characters during Star Wars‘ Podracing scene have become beloved icons over the years.
Sebulba, Ben Quadinaros, and Ratts Tyerell may not be household names, but they’ve all garnered far more fans than anyone would have guessed back in 1999 thanks to recent meme culture. Of course, Star Wars Episode 1: Racer was also instrumental in cementing these minor Star Wars characters in the hearts of many younger fans, and the game’s Aspyr-made port in 2020 would have helped to remind many fans of these distinct characters.
But to many, it’s not the racers themselves that they remember, but the Pods they pilot. While Sebulba has a recognizable silhouette, the Mammoth Split-X engines of his Podracer are arguably far more identifiable, as is the iconic “thudding” sound of them bearing down on another victim. That’s likely true for most of Star Wars: The Phantom Menace‘s Podracers, with all of them having distinct shapes, sizes, and color schemes that set them apart from one another and the rest of Star Wars‘ vast catalog of iconic vehicles.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer Could Suffer From a Lack of Distinct Vehicles
Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem like Star Wars: Galactic Racer is tapping into this deep well of iconography. Based solely on Star Wars: Galactic Racer‘s reveal trailer and the official screenshots that developer Fuse Games has released so far, Podracers seem to be missing from the upcoming spiritual successor altogether, instead being replaced by “repulsorcraft” that look Star Wars-y, but don’t have nearly the same visual flair that Podracers have.
For instance, the M-68 and A-A4B landspeeders from Solo: A Star Wars Story can be spotted in Star Wars: Galactic Racer‘s trailer, as can a souped-up speeder bike and a later model of Luke’s X-34 landspeeder. While these vehicles obviously all suit the worlds and action Star Wars: Galactic Racer is delivering, they all look a tad generic, featuring similar muted color schemes and sleek but repetitive designs. With these current vehicle designs, Star Wars: Galactic Racer isn’t quite capturing the vibrancy of Star Wars Episode 1: Racer, at least not yet.
Star Wars: Galactic Racer‘s trailer did end with a tease that an older Sebulba will be in the game, potentially as a playable character. It’s possible that Galactic Racer could include a few more Podracers in its roster, which would help to give the game’s vehicles more variety.
Why Star Wars: Galactic Racer’s Lack of Podracers Could Be a Good Thing
To play devil’s advocate, what Star Wars: Galactic Racer‘s roster lacks in visual diversity, it could easily make up for in gameplay variety. By bringing in completely different repulsorcraft types, Star Wars: Galactic Racer has more room to make each vehicle feel truly distinct from one another, not just with minute stat differences but with major changes in how a craft feels to maneuver around the track and how it reacts to the environment it’s hovering above. This does seem to be a goal of Fuse Games, as the official description of the game on the PlayStation Store mentions each repulsorcraft having “distinct physics and playstyles.”
Star Wars: Galactic Racer could also be hiding much of its visual vibrancy and flair behind its customization system, where players will presumably be in charge of how distinct their vehicle looks. Not much information has been given about this customization system, but according to Galactic Racer‘s store description, players will be able to “build a ride that showcases [their] style and gives [them] a competitive edge,” hinting at the ability to create some distinct-looking vehicles. Hopefully, through this customization system and their unique gameplay elements, Star Wars: Galactic Racer‘s repulsorcrafts can live up to the lofty legacy of The Phantom Menace‘s Podracers.
- Released
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2026
- Developer(s)
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Fuse Games
- Publisher(s)
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Secret Mode
- Multiplayer
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Online Multiplayer
- Cross-Platform Play
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Full
