Star Wars Galactic Racer First Impressions

My first impressions of Star Wars Galactic Racer are simple: this is a very fun game. I want that on the record up front, because I'm about to spend most of this piece on multiplayer, and multiplayer is where this game is leaving a lot on the table.

Fuse Games and Secret Mode launched Galactic Racer on October 6, and it's the first real swing at a Star Wars racing game since Episode I Racer had all of us yelling at Sebulba on the N64. You're tearing through the Outer Rim after the fall of the Empire in landspeeders, speeder bikes, skim speeders and podracers, and each class handles like its own animal.

The Campaign Got Me

I'll be honest. When I saw "runs-based racer" on the store page, I rolled my eyes. Roguelite structure has been bolted onto so many genres that I assumed this was another trend grab.

I was wrong. The single player is engaging, and the runs system is more rewarding than I expected going in. Every run feels like it's building toward something; the build choices actually change how a race plays out, and I kept saying "one more" long after I should have gone to bed.

If you're buying this for the solo experience, you're going to have a good time.

Star Wars Galactic Racer Multiplayer Has Three Problems

Galactic Racer supports up to 12 players online. That's a great number for a racer. Here's what's getting in the way of it.

1. Give us private lobbies

There's no way to host your own match. That means no community tournaments and no racing leagues. Fuse Games, you shot yourself in the foot with this one.

Racing games build their longest lives on community events. A Star Wars racer with 12-player lobbies should be the easiest tournament sell in gaming. Star Wars fan communities would have had leagues running the week this launched. Give us a host button and a settings menu and get out of our way.

2. Let my speeder grow with me

Runs work great in the campaign. The problem is that every tour and every campaign run resets you, and multiplayer has nothing on the other side of the scale to balance that out.

I want a progressive multiplayer mode. Let me take my basic speeder and upgrade it over time, and let those upgrades stick. Scale the cost so each upgrade runs more than the last. Make the grind worth it while still respecting our time. Matchmake by speeder rating so a fresh build isn't getting fed to a maxed one. Give me a ride that feels like mine and a reason to come back to it.

3. Stop making me spectate

Joining a match mid-race drops you into a spectator seat, and you sit there. For minutes at a time. In a game built around fast, punchy races, that's a momentum killer before you've even touched the throttle.

Let me queue for the next race instead of joining one already in progress. Or give me a time trial or the garage while I wait. Anything beats watching.

Where I'm At

I'm going to keep playing. The core racing is good enough that I want this game to succeed, and that's exactly why these gaps bother me. If Fuse Games gets the multiplayer sorted, Galactic Racer has a real shot at being the Star Wars racer we've been waiting on for over two decades.

Want to see it in action? We went live with Galactic Racer on day one. Catch the full Day 1 livestream on YouTube and drop a comment with your own first impressions.

Second Opinion: Cheeks

My partner in crime Cheeks has been racing too, and he lands in a slightly different spot on progression. Here's his take:

Galactic Racer is a fun, if occasionally frustrating, time overall. I find myself wondering, however, how long this game's legs will be. The roguelike nature of the multiplayer keeps everyone on a level playing field but also keeps you from building a top-flight racer. I have not yet decided if this is a good or a bad thing. I think the answer there is, yes.

The one thing that does hurt is the lack of private lobbies. That lack will, I think, hurt the game's long-term survival, as without them you cannot form leagues, or even just have an evening of fun with only your friends. Hopefully they will put them in sooner rather than later.

Graphically the game looks great, and the sound and music are top notch. While no game is perfect and there are some things I would like to see, overall my first impressions of Galactic Racer are very positive.

Cheeks is still on the fence about whether multiplayer needs a persistent mode. On private lobbies, we're on the same page.

Early Lean: PRESS X for the campaign. Multiplayer is YOUR CALL until these fixes land.

Star Wars Galactic Racer First Impression FAQ:

• Does Star Wars Galactic Racer have private lobbies?
  Not at launch. You can't host your own multiplayer matches, so community leagues and friends-only race nights aren't possible yet.

• How many players does Star Wars Galactic Racer multiplayer support?
  Up to 12 players online.

• Is Star Wars Galactic Racer multiplayer roguelite?
  Yes. Upgrades reset between runs, which keeps everyone on a level playing field but stops you from building a top-tier racer over time.

TL;DR (For The Skippers)

• The single player campaign is engaging, and the runs system pays off more than you'd expect.

• Multiplayer needs private lobbies, a persistent upgrade path, and an end to mid-match spectating before it can carry this game long term.

• Cheeks agrees on private lobbies and calls the graphics, sound and music top notch.

A huge thank you to the Virtual Cantina Network for sponsoring our Star Wars Galactic Racer coverage. VCN has been throwing some of the best Star Wars fan events out there, Boonta Eve included, so it only made sense to have them along for a podracing-adjacent ride. Go show them some love on the VCN YouTube channel.