Star Wars: Galactic Racer speeds onto consoles and PC

One of the more interesting Star Wars games in a while is finally here. Star Wars: Galactic Racer is out now for consoles and the PC.

Now this is a Galactic Racer

There are, to put it mildly, a lot of Star Wars games out there. The long-lived sci-fi property’s been a mainstay in the video game realm since the 80s after all. And with that kind of history, the glut of games to feature the likes of Darth Vader and Luke Skywalker was bound to be lengthy.

Most of those are of the action variety, though that’s not to say that there haven’t been deviations. Games in the strategy and first-person shooter genres, for example, have been fairly common. Less seen though, are forays into racing, and there are even fewer of those that are actually good. Hang on though, if the idea of a new racing game set in the galaxy far, far away floats your boat.

Yes, the recently announced Star Wars: Galactic Racer has arrived. From Fuse Games and Secret Mode, in collaboration with Lucasfilm Games, the racing title has hit the starting line for consoles and the PC as of today, and from the looks of it, it’s got some potential.

In Star Wars: Galactic Racer, elite pilots compete in the Galactic League, an underground racing circuit born in the lawless Outer Rim. Established by racing enthusiast Darius Pax, underhanded and well-connected racer Kestar Bool has become the Galactic League’s champion and will stop at nothing to maintain his grip on the title. With nowhere else to turn, Pax recruits Shade, a lone racer with a personal grudge against the Bool family, to enter the Galactic League and bring an end to Kestar’s reign before his corruption grows too deep to remove.

“We’re always looking for new ways to bring fans deeper into the Star Wars galaxy through original interactive stories, and Star Wars: Galactic Racer gave us a chance to explore the racing culture fans have loved for years while letting players live out the fantasy of piloting some of the franchise’s most iconic vehicles,” said Douglas Reilly, VP and GM, Lucasfilm Games. “We’re proud to have worked with Fuse and Secret Mode, whose love of Star Wars and passion for racing games helped create an original story-driven adventure that feels right at home in the galaxy.”

Secret Mode press release

High-speed action

As you a see above, Star Wars: Galactic Racer is more than just an arcade-style hover-racer. The game actually looks to feature an original story, one that’s set in the seedy underbelly of the famed sci-fi universe. That’s a setting that you don’t see too often from the property. As racer Shade, players will take on a series of “high-stakes” competitions across the galaxy, and even engage in a little PVP. Said races will allow for play in a number of pretty iconic vehicle types too.

How iconic? Well, we’re thinking that every Star Wars fan should be familiar with the likes of landspeeders, speeder bikes, skim speeders, and yes, podracers. All of those will feature in the title in some fashion. And as with most games in the genre these days, the rides are all customizable as well.

“Three and a half years ago, Fuse Games was a handful of people with a big idea scrawled on a whiteboard. Today we launch our debut game, set in a galaxy far, far away. Building an experience at this scale as a small independent studio meant finding a different way to work, and different people to work with, at every step,” said Matt Webster, Co-Founder and CEO, Fuse Games. “We thank everyone involved who helped get us here, to the team at Secret Mode, and above all to Lucasfilm Games, for trusting our team with such a legendary galaxy. We can’t wait for players to enter the league and see the wonderful vehicle builds they create to get to the top.     ”

“It’s been an honor and privilege to work with Fuse and Lucasfilm Games on Star Wars: Galactic Racer. As a devoted Star Wars fan, I am so excited to see our players’ reaction to this amazing game. We’re thrilled to be bringing racing back to the Star Wars galaxy!”      said James Schall, Co-Founder and Chief Publishing Officer, Secret Mode. 

Secret Mode press release

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is out now, and available for the PS5, XBOX Series X|S, PC (via Steam and Epic), and Amazon’s Luna platform.