Star Wars: Galactic Racer

Lore & Background

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is set in the lawless Outer Rim of the New Republic Era, following the fall of the Empire. The single-player campaign revolves around the Galactic League, a racing competition founded by former podracer mechanic Darius Pax. The league is dominated by the villainous racer Kestar Bool, who, with his clan's support, attempts to oust Pax from the racing business. Pax seeks help from Shade, a mysterious loner racer with a personal grudge against the Bool family, to overthrow Kestar and regain control of the competition.

The game features racers from Star Wars: Episode I – The Phantom Menace, including Ben Quadinaros and Sebulba. Tracks are set on multiple planets such as Tatooine, Lantaana, Jakku, Ando Prime, and Sentinel One. According to the developers, there is no single ideal racing line on the tracks. Vehicle classes include podracers, landspeeders, speeder bikes, and a new vehicle class introduced with the game called the skimspeeder. Vehicle building and customization are key gameplay elements, with vehicles becoming increasingly customizable as the player progresses.

Development began at Fuse Games, based in Guildford, upon its founding in 2023 by senior developers from Criterion Games, the studio behind Need for Speed and Burnout. Founder Matt Webster previously worked on Star Wars video games at Criterion, including collaboration with DICE on Star Wars Battlefront and Battlefront II. Lucasfilm Games has been involved in creative development decisions from the beginning. The game was unveiled in December 2025 with a trailer at The Game Awards.

Reader's Guide

Star Wars: Galactic Racer represents a notable evolution in the racing game genre by incorporating a roguelite structure into its single-player campaign. According to Fuse Games founder Matt Webster, racing games had not evolved in terms of progression design over the previous two decades, instead sticking to the vehicle-collection principle popularized by Gran Turismo—race, earn money, buy a better car, repeat. By employing procedurally generated content, the game aims to offer greater variety and higher replay value than traditional racing games. The solo campaign features a sequence of levels and story progression that vary depending on playstyle and achievements, and difficulty can be adjusted. Off-track elements controlled by the player character allow for mission, track, and challenge selection that influences the story's course, leading the developer to describe the game as a 'racing adventure.' As the fifth Star Wars racing game, it follows a lineage that began with Star Wars Episode I: Racer in 1999, and its release in October 2026 marks a return to the subgenre after a 24-year gap since Star Wars Racer Revenge. The inclusion of a ranking system in online multiplayer for up to 12 players further extends its competitive appeal.

Development & Release Scope

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a racing title currently in development by Fuse Games, with a projected 2026 release window. The game is slated for three platforms: Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S. Its inclusion on the official Lucasfilm-licensed catalog places it alongside other upcoming titles in the franchise's pipeline. The choice of a current-generation console pairing alongside PC indicates a modern, multi-platform strategy. Fuse Games is the credited developer, and the title sits in the in-development category as of the available information. The 2026 target date positions it as a near-term addition to the Star Wars gaming lineup, arriving after several other announced projects. The title's name, Galactic Racer, distinguishes it from the 1999 original's Episode I: Racer branding while maintaining the Racer identity that has defined the sub-series since its inception. As a 2026 project, it represents the most recent entry in a lineage that has spanned multiple console generations and hardware eras.

The Racer Lineage

The 2026 Galactic Racer arrives as the latest chapter in a sub-series stretching back to 1999. Star Wars Episode I: Racer originally launched across Windows, Mac, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy Color, establishing the pod-racing gameplay identity. That entry was later re-released for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One in 2020. The series expanded with Star Wars: Racer Arcade in 2000, a dedicated arcade cabinet experience, followed by Star Wars Racer Revenge on PlayStation 2 in 2002. Racer Revenge itself received PlayStation 4 re-releases in both 2015 and 2019. The 2026 entry thus represents a new generation of this racing lineage, roughly a quarter-century after the franchise's first foray into the speeder-bike and pod-racer arena. The continuity of the Racer brand across three decades of gaming history underscores its place as one of the more enduring sub-franchises within the broader Star Wars video game catalog maintained by Lucasfilm.

Place in the Current Licensed Slate

Star Wars: Galactic Racer occupies a specific slot within Lucasfilm's current roster of in-development licensed titles. It shares the pipeline with Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic (announced 2025, Arcanaut Studios), Star Wars Jedi 3 (announced 2024, Respawn Entertainment), the Knights of the Old Republic Remake (announced 2021, Saber Interactive), and Star Wars: Eclipse (announced 2021, Quantic Dream). Each of these projects is developed by a distinct studio, reflecting Lucasfilm's strategy of distributing the franchise across multiple partners. Galactic Racer, under Fuse Games, represents the racing genre's return to this slate. The 2026 target date places it as the most near-term of the confirmed in-development entries, ahead of several titles still marked as TBA. All of these games, including Galactic Racer, are officially licensed by Lucasfilm, ensuring they sit within the curated catalog of authorized Star Wars interactive experiences rather than the unlicensed titles that appeared in earlier eras of the franchise's gaming history.

Platform Evolution of the Racer Sub-series

Tracing the Racer sub-series across its platform history reveals a clear arc from multi-platform 1990s releases to modern-generation targeting. The 1999 original appeared simultaneously on Windows, Mac, Dreamcast, Nintendo 64, and Game Boy Color, a broad spread typical of that era's licensing deals. The 2000 arcade entry and the 2002 PlayStation 2 sequel narrowed the focus to specific hardware. The re-release wave of 2020 brought Episode I: Racer to Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, and Xbox One, while Racer Revenge had already returned to PlayStation 4 in 2015 and again in 2019. The 2026 Galactic Racer targets Windows, PlayStation 5, and Xbox Series X/S, marking the first time the Racer brand has been aimed squarely at the current console generation. Notably, the Mac and handheld platforms that defined the sub-series' early footprint are absent from the new title's confirmed platform list, signaling a shift toward the dominant PC-and-console pairing that now characterizes most major licensed releases in the franchise.