A Parent’s Guide to Star Wars: Galactic Racer

Star Wars: Galactic Racer at a Glance

• Star Wars: Galactic Racer is rated E10+ for Everyone 10+
• Players will race with a variety of in-universe vehicles like Podracers, speeders, and more
• Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a fast-paced, run-based racing game

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a marriage of one of my favorite science fiction universes with the stylish explosions of some extremely fun mid 00’s racing games.

If you’re like me and watched the original trilogy every day for about six months when you were in 7th grade, this may be your sweet spot. But will the tight corners and parsec-heavy races be appropriate for the whole family? Read on for everything you need to know to decide!

What is Star Wars: Galactic Racer Rated?

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is rated E10+ for Everyone 10+ with Content Descriptors for Fantasy Violence and Language. The game also includes Interactive Elements such as Users Interact and In-Game Purchases. This means that Star Wars: Galactic Racer allows players to communicate while playing, and the game offers the ability to purchase in-game content with real world currency.

According to the ESRB Rating Summary for Star Wars: Galactic Racer, “Players control speeders, small ships, and customizable vehicles through various tracks. Races can be frenetic, with drivers colliding and crashing into each other; crashes are presented in brief slow-motion sequences.”

Additionally, cutscenes (story sequences) show “characters pushing and shoving, being dragged away, and getting shot by a blaster.”

I always like to remind parents that ESRB ratings are about age appropriateness, not about a game’s intended audience. Star Wars: Galactic Racer is probably appropriate for your 10-year-old from a content perspective, but they may still have trouble with some of the more challenging races.

Where Can I Play Star Wars: Galactic Racer and How Much Does It Cost?

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is available on the PlayStation 5, the XBOX Series X|S consoles, and PC (via Steam and Epic Games Store). There are several versions of the game at varying prices:

• Standard edition – $59.99 (physical or digital) and includes:
  • The full game
• Digital Deluxe Edition – $79.99 (digital only) and includes:
  • The full game
  • Three additional vehicles exclusive to this edition
  • A unique cosmetic livery
  • Three arcade trials
  • A player banner for online play
  • Digital art book
• Collectors Edition – $159.99 (physical only) and includes:
  • Everything in the Digital Deluxe Edition
  • A steelbook case for the game
  • A landspeeder model
  • Two pilot patches
  • A physical art book
  • A cloth Kestar banner
  • A Collectors Edition Box

As mentioned, the game also includes the option to purchase in-game goods using real world currency. Keep in mind that any additional purchases are not required to play the full base game. We recommend that you set parental controls to limit (or block!) in-game purchases on your kids’ devices.

What is Star Wars: Galactic Racer About?

Following the end of Return of the Jedi, lawlessness exploded throughout the outer rim of the galaxy as the New Republic attempted to solidify its government. The Galactic League was formed as a dangerous, unsanctioned racing circuit throughout the Outer Rim, and where the player character, Shade, finds themselves.

Shade, a cargo pilot with questionable morals, has a dream of becoming a recognized and renowned racer. However, Kestar, an apparently brutal rival with secretive plans for the future of the league, stands in Shade’s way.

How does Star Wars: Galactic Racer Play?

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is first and foremost a racing game (if the title didn’t give it away). The overall goal is to go fast and win. But the structure of the game is a little different than some contemporary racing games.

Star Wars: Galactic Racer is a “run-based” game, meaning players will go through a circuit of several races. If you’re not familiar with run-based games, think of it as repeatable acts. To get through an “act” in Galactic Racer you must compete in several races without failing or exploding into a million pieces. If you do get eliminated, be it by placing poorly or becoming enveloped by a fiery explosion, you’ll be sent back to the beginning of the “act” to try again. However, you’ll have some resources from the previous run to upgrade your kits, not to mention the knowledge of what’s to come.

This where some of the risk/reward comes in. You can make it through several races only to take a risky shortcut, lose control, and blow up. Sending you back to the very beginning. This makes that challenging shortcut all the more risky… even if you need it to place well.

Fortunately, there are ways to plan ahead. You and your family will be able to pick certain paths as you start out on your run. There are several kinds of events in Star Wars: Galactic Racer, and you’re likely to be better at some than others. For instance, maybe you’ll want to stick to paths with as many standard races as possible and avoid other events, like Eliminator, which can boot you from the run if you don’t place in the top three positions.

There are even story encounters you and your family can participate in throughout runs. These are no-fail situations, which give you the opportunity to upgrade your vehicles or make other run-defining decisions.

Of course, more dangerous events yield better rewards, meaning you can more quickly upgrade your vehicles to make future runs easier.

Speaking of upgrades, every vehicle includes dozens of potential upgrades that can increase durability, speed, handling and more. This allows you and your kids to tune all of the vehicles to your personal preferences.

Wearing Your Proverbial Video Game Seatbelt

When traveling at hyper speed it’s important to wear your seatbelt. The exact same thing can be said for playing video games!

I always say that checking the ESRB rating assigned to game is the best first step to deciding what’s appropriate for your kids. Of course, sometimes you’ll want some more specific information. If that’s the case, you can learn a lot from checking reviews, previews, videos, let’s plays, and more. Parents tell us that the best way to decide is to try a game out first, too. This isn’t always possible, but many games offer demos that can give you a great idea of what to expect.

It’s also helpful to make sure your boundaries, as a parent, are understood by your kids. Fostering an open-ended, judgement-free conversation around video games can help you better understand why your kids enjoy certain games while giving you the opportunity to explain screen time limits, spending limits, which games are appropriate, and other household rules. Check out ESRB’s Family Gaming Guide for tips and conversation starters.

Lastly, back those household rules up with parental controls! Virtually every device capable of playing video games includes parental controls to manage what your kids play (based on the ESRB rating information), when and for how long, with whom, and whether they can spend money on new games or in-game purchases. ParentalTools.org has step-by-step parental controls guides to help walk you through the process.