STAR WARS: Galactic Racer gives you four vehicle classes to race with, and the choice matters far more than a top-speed number. Fuse Games built each class around a different real-world racing reference and a distinct cornering philosophy. The Landspeeder drifts. The Speeder Bike brakes hard and fires out. The Skim Speeder banks and carries momentum. The Podracer leaves everything else looking sensible. Here's what each one actually does, how to build them, and which fits your style.
What are the vehicle classes in Star Wars: Galactic Racer?
There are four vehicle classes: Landspeeder, Speeder Bike, Skim Speeder, and Podracer. The first three are available in the Galactic League and can be used in the campaign, multiplayer, and arcade. Podracers operate in their own category and appear in specific Galactic Tour events, dedicated arcade scenarios, and an eight-player multiplayer Podracing format.
Fuse Games designed each class around a different handling reference. Landspeeders take cues from cars and rally machines. Speeder Bikes move like motorcycles. Skim Speeders borrow from aircraft and air racing. Podracers sit at the extreme end, described by Design Director Mark Bridges as chariot racing meeting Formula 1.
Vehicle select screen
Vehicle class comparison
| Class | Core feel | Signature mechanic | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| Landspeeder | Heavy, stable, durable | Drift | Contact racing, newcomers, reliable cornering |
| Speeder Bike | Fast, light, aggressive | Kinetic Burst | Hard braking, explosive corner exits, precision pilots |
| Skim Speeder | Momentum-focused, aircraft-like | Knife Edge | Technical lines, banking, high-speed flow |
| Podracer | Extreme speed, separate category | Pilot-specific boost | Maximum speed, dedicated Podracing events |
Landspeeder: the reliable foundation
The Landspeeder is the first vehicle Shade has access to in the campaign, and there's a reason for that. It handles forgivingly even without upgrades, absorbs contact well, and its Drift mechanic lets you slide through corners without bleeding speed when you hit the right line.
The trade-off is agility. Landspeeders take corners wide because of their bulk, so getting the most out of a drift requires more setup than the lighter classes. Straight-line speed is solid but not the class's selling point.
Best Landspeeder build
After running several campaign Tours in this class, the two stats that pay off most are Ramjet and Resilience. Ramjet becomes the most impactful stat in competitive races, and the Landspeeder's natural durability means a well-upgraded Resilience turns it into a legitimate contact weapon. Opponents who drift into you mid-corner are likely to come off worse.
For a balanced starting build, spread Tuning Points across all six stats fairly evenly, then prioritize Cornering, Afterburner, and Drift as you level toward the cap of 15 per stat.
- Pair with aggressive Racer Styles for maximum contact impact
- Shields as an active ability reinforces the tank build further
- Surges and Autopilot abilities remain strong across all classes
Landspeeder drift cornering
Speeder Bike: brake hard, then explode
The Speeder Bike is the nippiest of the three standard speeders, with excellent acceleration and a small footprint that makes gaps look inviting. The problem is durability. Riders are exposed, the vehicle components are light, and bad contact punishes you hard.
Its signature mechanic is Kinetic Burst, which supports a brake-and-launch cornering rhythm rather than a drift. You brake into the turn, use Kinetic Burst through the deceleration, lean through the corner, then fire back out with a burst of speed. Master that rhythm and the bike can pull clear of heavier competition.
Best Speeder Bike build
To offset the class's fragility, prioritize Cornering and Resilience upgrades early. If you want to lean into its strengths instead, focus on Afterburner and Kinetic Burst (Drift stat) for faster exits and harder acceleration bursts.
Skim Speeder: the technical choice
The Skim Speeder is a completely new Star Wars vehicle created by Fuse Games with Lucasfilm Games specifically for Galactic Racer. Darius Pax introduced it to the Galactic League, and its design reference is aircraft rather than ground vehicles. Fuse looked at air racing and slalom gate flying when building its handling.
The result is a class built around momentum. It accelerates slowly, but once it builds speed it can become the fastest of the three regular speeders. Lose that momentum through a sloppy corner and rebuilding it takes time. Its signature ability, Knife Edge, banks the vehicle dramatically sideways to cut through sharp turns and narrow gaps that a conventional speeder would have to take wide.
Best Skim Speeder build
Put points into Drift and Cornering to amplify what the class already does well. At least a couple of points into Afterburner helps with the slow acceleration that makes early Tour events harder.
The Skim Speeder takes wider racing lines to maintain its speed, which feels awkward on tighter tracks until you adjust. Trust me on this one: the learning curve is real, but the payoff at high speed is worth it.
Knife Edge banking maneuver
For a full breakdown of how Tours work and what upgrades carry between runs, the Tours explained guide covers the permanent upgrade system in detail.
Podracer: its own discipline
Podracers are not balanced against the other three classes because they are not competing on the same grid. They regularly hit speeds upward of 700-800 kmh, turn faster, and boost harder than anything else in the garage. Fuse treats them as the pinnacle racing vehicle, and the mode separation reflects that.
In campaign flashback sequences and certain arcade races, Podracers run without stat boosts or active abilities, trading that for a faster Afterburner-style burst. In eight-player multiplayer Podracing Tours, they can be fully upgraded and built like any other class.
Individual Podracers also lean into pilot identity more than the standard speeders. Sebulba, for example, has his own distinct boost behavior rather than using the standard Ramjet setup.
Best Podracer build
For multiplayer Tours, Resilience and Ramjet are the priority stats. Podracers have large hitboxes, which makes tight tunnels and sharp corners punishing. Resilience reduces how often a wall contact ends your run. Ramjet is the most impactful competitive stat in the game once the field is close.
Shields and Vents as active abilities extend the Podracer's survivability and allow longer Ramjet bursts on straights.
Podracer in multiplayer Tour
Shared systems: Afterburner and Ramjet
All three regular speeder classes share two performance systems on top of their unique traits.
Afterburner gives a repeatable acceleration burst that can be upgraded as your build develops. It's reliable and useful throughout a Tour.
Ramjet is the more dangerous option. It generates a stronger burst that can be used for speed or turned into a high-velocity ram against the racer ahead. Keep pushing it and heat builds. Cold environments and water sections help with temperature management. Overuse risks destroying your own build.
Both systems are upgradeable, meaning you can reinforce the natural identity of your chosen class as a Tour progresses.
Which vehicle class should you pick?
Here's the short answer: start with the Landspeeder, unlock the Speeder Bike once you have 10 Tuning Points, and try the Skim Speeder when you're comfortable with the cornering basics.
The Landspeeder's forgiving handling and strong contact resistance make it the safest bet for learning tracks. The Speeder Bike rewards players who can commit to its brake-and-launch rhythm with faster exits and better acceleration. The Skim Speeder pays off when you stop fighting its wide lines and start planning corners three turns ahead.
None of these is the objectively correct choice. The campaign is runs-based, upgrades reset between Tours, and certain events put you in different vehicles regardless. Learning all three classes makes you better at the wider game.
For everything else you need to get started, the full STAR WARS: Galactic Racer strategy guides collection covers Favors, Racer Styles, multiplayer characters, and more.
Frequently asked questions
How do you unlock the Speeder Bike and Skim Speeder?
Spend Tuning Points on the Vehicle Select screen at the start of a Tour. The Speeder Bike costs 10 Tuning Points and the Skim Speeder costs 20. Finishing any Race earns 1 Tuning Point. A top-3 Eliminator finish earns 4.
Can Podracers race against other vehicle classes?
No. Podracers compete in their own dedicated events: specific Galactic Tour races, Tales of Podracing events, certain arcade scenarios, and the eight-player multiplayer Podracing format.
What is Kinetic Burst?
Kinetic Burst is the Speeder Bike's signature cornering mechanic. It supports hard braking into a turn followed by a burst of acceleration on the exit, replacing the drift rhythm used by Landspeeders and Skim Speeders.
What is Knife Edge?
Knife Edge is the Skim Speeder's signature ability. It banks the vehicle dramatically sideways, allowing sharp corner cuts and narrow-gap navigation that suits the class's aircraft-inspired handling.
What is the fastest vehicle in the game?
Podracers are the fastest, regularly reaching 700-800 kmh. Among the three regular speeders, the Skim Speeder can reach the highest speeds once it builds momentum, but that momentum is easy to lose through bad cornering.
