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Star Wars: Galactic Racer already had nostalgia on its side thanks to its spiritual connections to the beloved 1999 release of Episode 1: Racer. A new trailer has finally revealed Galactic Racer's October release date, and the devs are going heavy on their appeal to your prequel nostalgia in the trailer announcing the news, showcasing some Phantom Menace skins for the Deluxe Edition on top of a teaser for a returning racer.
On October 6, 2026, Star Wars: Galactic Racer will be released across PS5, Xbox Series X/S, and PC for a price of $59.99 / £49.99 / €59.99. You can upgrade to the $79.99 / £64.99 / €79.99 Deluxe Edition for a handful of additional goodies, including a digital art book, some exclusive vehicles, and a trip of unique arcade events.
But it's the livery pack included in the Deluxe Edition that shows where Galactic Racer's heart lies. This includes a Naboo N-1 Starfighter paint job that you can apply to all of your vehicles to give them 1999's shiniest yellow-and-chrome look. As Anakin Skywalker would put it: "Yippee!"
If you want to spend even more money, there is, of course, a pricey Collector's Edition available for $159.99 / £139.99 / €159.99. This includes all the digital bonuses from the Deluxe Edition, plus a physical version of the art book, a pair of batches, a banner, and a model of the Kor Sarun: Darc X landspeeder.
Maybe the most notable thing in today's news is a very brief clip around the 11-second mark in the release date reveal trailer. There, we seem to have control of Sebulba and his racer on the Boonta Eve Classic track, while just off ahead is another racer that will be familiar to those of us who watched Episode 1's podrace scene on repeat as kids: Ody Mandrell. You know, the one with the "record-setting pit droid team."
Galactic Racer takes place during the New Republic era of the Star Wars timeline, several decades after the events of The Phantom Menace. It would be easy to assume that the racers from Episode 1 would all be dead or retired by this point in the chronology, but it seems the devs are keen to make sure some familiar faces are still in tow.
Though maybe the timeline won't play in at all. Notably, Mandrell appears here only in a Boonta Eve race with Sebulba – just the same way Ben Quadinaros, another returning Episode 1 face, appeared in a trailer earlier this year. I've got my fingers crossed that at least some of these characters, or at least their vehicles, will be playable in-game, but it's equally possible that this is just a flashback sequence where we play through the podrace from Episode 1.
I was a little worried when the first Galactic Racer trailer seemed to deemphasize the podracers in favor of landspeeders and speeder bikes, but I guess that first Sebulba tease should've been all the clue I'd need that Galactic Racer was going to pay more than lip service to Episode 1's legacy in racing games.
Episode 1: Racer's shadow is impossible to ignore when you're talking about a Star Wars racing game, especially when its sequel, Racer Revenge, is barely remembered and the kart racer Super Bombad Racing is typically forgotten entirely. I'm glad, at least, that somebody still remembers the likes of Ody Mandrell and Ben Quadinaros.
