A new gameplay trailer provides a first glimpse of pod racing in Star Wars: Galactic Racer, a futuristic racer from former Burnout and Need for Speed veterans.
Following its surprise announcement The Game Awards last year, a new Star Wars: Galactic Racer trailer was revealed during the latest PlayStation State of Play show, with new gameplay confirming that podracing will return.
Traditionally, Star Wars racing games have focused on pod racing, the high-speed sport seen in Episode 1: The Phantom Menace. When it was announced last December, the first Star Wars Galactic trailer showcased a variety of vehicles from landspeeders to speeder bikes. Podracers were conspicuously absent, leaving fans wondering whether they would return.
Thankfully, the latest trailer confirms podracers will form part of the vehicle roster, with a teaser at the end showing Ben Quadinaros (the hapless alien who failed to finish the Boonta Eve race in The Phantom Menace after his pod racer exploded at the starting line) being hunted down by Sebulba, the villainous Dug who lost to Anakin Skywalker in the 1999 film.
Alongside the Jakku scavenger planet seen in The Force Awakens, the trailer showcases a new planet filled with yellow acid hosting an exhibition race. There is an emphasis on combat, with ships ramming into each other and disintegrating in spectacular crashes.
This isn’t surprising given that the team behind the new Star Wars racer is made up of former Burnout developers. Star Wars: Galactic Racer is in development by Fuse Games, a British studio founded by former Criterion Games veterans who worked on Burnout and Need for Speed.
The first new Star Wars racing game since 2002’s Racer Revenge, Galactic Racer is set after Return of the Jedi. It centres around The Galactic League, an “unsanctioned racing league born in the lawless Outer Rim.”
A story mode sees you play as pilot Shade in a branching campaign where you earn vehicle upgrades.
In addition to the story campaign, the Star Wars racer will feature a traditional Arcade mode. A Scenarios mode will test your piloting skills in races with unique conditions, from practice sessions to “hardcore races.”
Sadly, the trailer didn’t confirm a release date, but Star Wars Galactic Racer is set to launch on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S sometime in 2026.