I don’t know if there is a franchise I’ve spent more time with throughout my lifetime than Star Wars. Ever since I was a kid, I was sitting in front of Star Wars films, playing with figures and video games, and, to this day, continue to experience new content as it releases. Over the years, we’ve had so many great Star Wars video games, including the amazing Battlefront series, The Force Unleashed games, and the recent Star Wars Jedi series from Respawn.

Now in 2026, it’s time for Star Wars to embrace racing once again. Fuse Games and Secret Mode have teamed up with Lucasfilm for Star Wars: Galactic Racer, which looks to be the most definitive Star Wars racing game yet. At Summer Game Fest: Play Days 2026, I had the opportunity to go hands-on with the game early. Throughout my preview, I had the opportunity to check out two vastly different segments of the game. The first was the Campaign, which takes you across different planets to complete various objectives, and the second had me podracing across Tatooine with some very familiar figures.

Before diving into anything, I want to gush about the visuals. This game is absolutely gorgeous, with beautifully rendered planets throughout that really are amazing to look at. The game does such a great job pulling you into its universe already with characters and customization, but the fidelity really brings it to the next level. Now, I spent almost an hour with Galactic Racer, which was plenty of time to get a good feel for the gameplay and controls. 

Developer Fuse Games is no stranger to racing games, and that is very, very clear if you look at previous games made by key members of the studio. Former leaders at Criterion joined forces to create Fuse Games, and that DNA from beloved racers like Burnout flows throughout Galactic Racer. I found immediately that the overall sense of speed Burnout evoked was very present here, and that’s something much needed, considering these vehicles are going stupid fast.

As a racing game, gameplay follows much of what you can expect: Drift around corners, utilize Abilities where able, and burn through your boosts to push past the competition. Even with these typical features, I found some neat mechanics that made Galactic Racer stand out a bit compared to its peers. You have two key forms of boost when racing: the Afterburner and the Ramjet. The Afterburner gives you a solid speed boost and gradually refills over time. It’s pretty safe for the most part. However, the Ramjet is a super-powerful boost that really kicks you into maximum acceleration. You have to be strategic when using it, and if you don’t deactivate the Ramjet before it overheats, your vehicle could quite literally explode.

There were also some environmental hazards that came into play. One planet, Ando Prime, was completely frozen over, which caused a Frozen status effect to gradually hit my vehicle. As a result, steering became quite difficult, and my Ramjet was cooled. To mitigate this, the planet had a few heating zones that would melt the ice, allowing me to boost and regain some steering before my vehicle became Chilled again. Beyond this, I also found the Wrecked mechanic quite interesting. You can crash into walls and completely decimate your vehicle, or even smash into other players and destroy them (this is a blast). If you crash too many times, you will become Wrecked, and you’ll be forced to end your run.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer surprisingly is built around a roguelite system for its campaign. I’ll be the first to admit that I’m seriously tired of roguelites, and after first hearing about this, I was really not sure how to feel. However, my opinion really did change once I got my hands on the game. The Campaign mode, in particular, did a great job at highlighting the flow of how this feels. Essentially, you bounce from one planet to the next, and within each planet, you have the option to choose between different types of races.

There are Standard Races, which pit you against 11 others, Eliminator Races, where the player in last place is constantly eliminated until three are left, and even Field Tests that have you test out different experimental parts. Once you make a selection, you are locked in, so you have to be careful and ensure you’re ready to take on the challenge of what’s ahead. Eliminator Races, in particular, were so much fun to play. These are almost exactly what you probably remember from Burnout Revenge, and I’m really itching to play a few more of these, to be honest.

Something that really does make each run different is the customization available. Vehicles can be equipped with different Abilities, which can be switched out to perform offensive, defensive, or strategic actions. One Ability I saw in my preview was a shield that protected you from incoming racers and collisions. Each run, you’ll earn Galactic Credits that can be used to purchase Abilities, Parts, and Upgrades. To further break these down, Parts are passive effects that can be installed, and Upgrades increase the base stats of your vehicle. Every run can change with these alone, so there is a ton of experimentation to be had here. The events you play are also randomized and not set in a specific order, so runs will be distinct from one another.

Beyond the Campaign, I also got to check out Arcade and pilot a Podracer in Tatooine. This was so much fun, as the speed and overall feel were fantastic. The love and care put into this is real. Arcade basically throws you into a race against the clock, and I’m quite interested to see what else is in store here in the full game. I wasn’t able to check out the other two modes, but both Scenarios, longer challenges, and Multiplayer, complete with Quick Races and Tour mode, will be available at launch.

Going into this preview, I had some questions about just how much content there would be in Galactic Racer. After seeing a slice of the campaign and talking with the team behind the game, I’m completely sold. Things feel fresh, there’s been clear attention and care given to the Star Wars universe, and the modes feel like plenty for most players to chew on. Star Wars: Galactic Racer has huge potential to be a major hit this fall, and it’s one I think any racing fan, familiar with Star Wars or not, should keep their eyes on.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is set to launch on October 6 for PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, and PC.