Galactic Racer looks great, but it lacks what made podracing so iconic

The Game Awards 2025 were home to some incredible reveals, but by far two of the most interesting Star Wars related. The announcement that kicked off The Game Awards 2025 main show, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, was the highlight of the night for many fans. Not only that, it promised a sequel to one of the most popular Star Wars video games of all time, but also makes them KOTORoriginal director. But for many it was a close second Star Wars: Galactic Racer.

Developed by Fuse Games, a new studio created by former Criterion developers who worked on it Need for Speed and Burnout series, Star Wars: Galactic Racer we'll see players rise through the ranks of The Galactic League, a new racing tournament funded by the biggest crime syndicates in the galaxy in the wake of the Empire's collapse. While no game was shown during Star Wars: Galactic Racer's reveal, it already looks like it could be a true spiritual successor Star Wars Episode 1: Racer which fans have been waiting decades for. But there's one key element of the 1999 classic that's missing Star Wars: Galactic Racer: underdogs

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is missing the staple Star Wars Episode 1: Racer's Identity

Star Wars podracers have become icons in their own right

When Star Wars: The Phantom Menace hit the silver screen in 1999 to an infamously mixed reception from critics and fans alike. Along with the criticism of her storyline centered around trade disputes and the Jar Jar Binks of it all, A hidden threatPodracing's action sequence was met with some criticism. Although its special effects were truly groundbreaking, the Podracing sequence was criticized for lacking substance and being too long.

Of course, as is the case with most Star Wars many fans who grew up watching the prequels A hidden threat they now have a lot of respect (and a lot of nostalgia) for his Podracing sequence. And again like most Star Wars movies, even the most inconsequential background characters Star WarsThe pod racing scene has become beloved icons over the years.

Sebulba, Ben Quadinaros, and Ratts Tyerell may not be household names, but thanks to the recent meme culture, they've all gained far more fans than anyone would have guessed back in 1999. Of course, Star Wars Episode 1: Racer he was also instrumental in cementing these smaller ones Star Wars characters in the hearts of many younger fans, and a port of Aspyr made in 2020 would help many fans remember these distinct characters.

But many don't remember the racers themselves, but the pods they pilot. While Sebulba has a recognizable silhouette, his Podracer's Mammoth Split-X engines are probably much more identifiable, as is the iconic “bang” sound of them impacting another victim. This is probably true for most Star Wars: The Phantom Menace's Podracers, all of which have distinct shapes, sizes, and color schemes that distinguish them from each other and from others Star Wars” extensive catalog of iconic vehicles.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer could suffer from a lack of distinctive vehicles

Unfortunately, it doesn't seem like it Star Wars: Galactic Racer taps into this deep well of iconography. Based only Star Wars: Galactic RacerFrom the reveal trailer and official screenshots released so far by developer Fuse Games, Podracers appear to be completely absent from the upcoming spiritual successor, instead being replaced by a “repulsorcraft” that looks Star Wars-y, but they don't have nearly the same visual flair as Podracers.

For example, landspeeders M-68 and A-A4B from Solo: A Star Wars Story can be seen in Star Wars: Galactic Racer's trailer, as well as an upgraded speeder and a later model of Lukova's X-34 landspeeder. Although these vehicles obviously all suit the worlds and action Star Wars: Galactic Racer he adds, they all look a bit generic, with similar muted color schemes and elegant but repetitive patterns. With these current vehicle designs Star Wars: Galactic Racer doesn't quite capture liveliness Star Wars Episode 1: Racerat least not yet.

Star Wars: Galactic RacerThe trailer ended with a hint that an older Sebulba would be in the game, potentially as a playable character. That is possible Galactic Racer could have included a few more Podracers in his roster, which would have helped give the game's vehicles more variety.

Why Star Wars: Galactic Racer's lack of podracers could be a good thing

Playing devil's advocate huh Star Wars: Galactic RacerThe roster lacks visual variety that could easily be made up for by gameplay variety. By bringing completely different types of repulsors, Star Wars: Galactic Racer it has more room for each vehicle to truly differentiate itself from each other, not just through minor stat differences, but through major changes in how the craft feels as it maneuvers around the track and reacts to the environment it hovers over. That seems to be Fuse Games' goal, as the game's official description on the PlayStation Store states that each repulsorcraft has “distinctive physics and play styles.”

Star Wars: Galactic Racer it could also hide much of its visual vibrancy and flair behind a customization system where players will likely be in charge of how distinctly their vehicle looks. Not much information has been given about this customization system, but according to Galactic RacerAccording to the store description, players will be able to “build a ride that performs [their] style and gives [them] competitive advantage,” hinting at the ability to create some different looking vehicles. Hopefully with this customization system and their unique gameplay elements Star Wars: Galactic RacerRepulsorcrafts can live up to a noble heritage A hidden threat's Podracers.