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

The Game Awards 2025 was home to some incredible reveals, but by far two of the most exciting were Star Wars family. The announcement that kicked off The Game Awards 2025 main show, Star Wars: Fate of the Old Republic, was the highlight of the evening for many fans. It didn't just promise a follow-up to one of the most beloved Star Wars video games of all time, but it's also done by VERTEBRAEs original director. But a close second to many was Star Wars: Galactic Racer.

Developed by Fuse Games, a new studio formed by ex-Criterion developers who worked on Need for Speed and Burnout series, Star Wars: Galactic Racer will see players rise through the ranks of The Galactic League, a new racing tournament funded by the galaxy's largest crime syndicate in the wake of the Empire's collapse. While no game was shown during Star Wars: Galactic Racers reveal, it already feels like it could be the true spiritual successor to Star Wars Episode 1: Racer that fans have been waiting for for decades. But there is one key element of the 1999 classic that is missing Star Wars: Galactic Racer: pod racers.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is missing a core of Star Wars Episode 1: Racer's Identity

Star Wars Podracers have become icons in their own right

When Star Wars: The Phantom Menace In 1999, it was met with a notoriously mixed reception from critics and fans alike. Along with criticism of its trade conflict-centric story and the Jar Jar Binks of it all, Phantom threats Podracing action sequence was met with some criticism. Although its special effects were truly groundbreaking, the Podracing sequence was criticized for lacking substance and for being too long.

Of course, as is the case with much of Star Wars prequels, many fans who have grown up watching The Phantom Menace now has a lot of respect (and a lot of nostalgia) for his Podracing sequence. And again, much like most people Star Wars movies, even the most insignificant background characters underneath Star WarsThe pod racing scene has become beloved icons over the years.

Sebulba, Ben Quadinaros and Ratts Tyerell may not be household names, but they've all gained far more fans than anyone would have guessed back in 1999 thanks to the latest meme culture. Of course, Star Wars Episode 1: Racer was also instrumental in cementing these minors Star Wars characters in the hearts of many younger fans, and the game's Aspyr-made port in 2020 would have helped remind many fans of these distinctive characters.

But for many, it is not the riders themselves that they remember, but the pods they pilot. While Sebulba has a recognizable silhouette, the Mammoth Split-X engines of his Podracer are arguably much more identifiable, as is the iconic “thumping” sound of them slamming down on another victim. That's probably true for most people Star Wars: The Phantom Menaces Podracers, where all have distinct shapes, sizes and color schemes that set them apart from each other and the rest of the Star Wars' huge catalog of iconic vehicles.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer may 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 solely on Star Wars: Galactic Racers reveal trailer and the official screenshots that developer Fuse Games has released so far, Podracers appear to be missing from the upcoming spiritual successor altogether, replaced instead by “repulsorcraft” that look Star Wars-y, but doesn't quite have the same visual feel that Podracers has.

For example M-68 and A-A4B landspeeders from Solo: A Star Wars Story can be seen in Star Wars: Galactic Racers trailer, as well as a souped-up speeder bike and a later model of Luke's X-34 landspeeder. While these vehicles obviously fit all worlds and action Star Wars: Galactic Racer delivers, they all look a little generic, with similar muted color schemes and sleek but repetitive designs. With these current vehicle designs, Star Wars: Galactic Racer doesn't really capture the life force Star Wars Episode 1: Racerat least not yet.

Star Wars: Galactic Racers trailer ended with a tease that an older Sebulba will be in the game, potentially as a playable character. It is possible that Galactic Racer could include a few more Podracers in their roster, which would help 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, what Star Wars: Galactic Racers roster lacks visual diversity, it can easily make up for the gameplay variety. By bringing in completely different repulsorcraft types, Star Wars: Galactic Racer has more room to make each vehicle feel truly distinct from each other, not just with small statistical differences but with major changes in how a craft feels to maneuver around the track and how it reacts to the environment it hovers above. This seems to be a goal for Fuse Games, as the official description of the game on the PlayStation Store mentions that each repulsorcraft has “distinct physics and play styles.”

Star Wars: Galactic Racer can also hide much of its visual vibrancy and feel behind its customization system, where players will presumably be responsible for how distinct their vehicles look. Not much information has been given about this customization system, but according to Galactic Racers store description, players will be able to “build a ride that showcases [their] style and gives [them] a competitive edge,” hinting at the ability to create some distinctive-looking vehicles. Hopefully, through this customization system and their unique gameplay elements, Star Wars: Galactic Racers repulsorcrafts can live up to the lofty legacy of The Phantom Menaces Podracers.