Star Wars Episode I Racer: Best Podracers and How to Unlock All Characters

Star Wars Episode I: Racer has brought back one of the best games of the N64 era to the Nintendo Switch and PlayStation 4.

In the game, you start with a handful of podracers to take on the many tracks dotted around the galaxy. As you progress, however, you’ll be able to expand your Racer roster.

This Star Wars Racer guide delves into how you unlock new racers, all of the podracers in the game, their statistics, and which unlockable characters are the best.

The unlockable racers in this article are listed by the stage in Tournament mode that you can unlock them, from earliest to latest, with the best listed at the foot of the piece.

How to unlock podracers in Star Wars Episode I: Racer

While there is plenty to do in ‘Free Play’ and ‘Time Attack,’ with ‘2 Player’ offering an exciting competitive couch co-op way to race, your focus should be on the ‘Tournament’ mode.

Once you enter ‘Tournament,’ you’ll then need to make a profile in one of the empty slots. Each profile is independent of the others, so if you unlock podracers in one profile, you won’t be able to use them in another until you unlock them in that other profile.

After picking your racer, you can then select which tournament you want to race in by scrolling up and down, and then the specific race by navigating to the side.

Not every race will unlock a new Racer character, but to have a chance at triggering a podracer unlock, you’ll have to win the race.

Below, you can find every racer that you can unlock within each tournament – as well as the starting podracer roster – but to get them, you need to come first in their respective races.

Star Wars Racer: Starting racers

As soon as you start a new profile on the Tournament game mode, you’ll have access to six podracers of varying statistics.

These are your six starting podracers:

Anakin Skywalker

Anakin Skywalker is one of the first podracers that you get in the game, with his iconic pod being a popular choice as players’ first character and vehicle.

While Anakin Skywalker’s pod does lack in speed and acceleration, as all starting podracers do, it is a straightforward vehicle to drive.

Its decent turning, strong traction, and very strong cooling allows you to speed ahead with the boost regularly and handle some of the tighter turns of the early tracks.

Dud Bolt

Dud Bolt took part in the Boonta Eve Classic in Episode I, but the Vulptereen crashed in the canyons and couldn’t finish the race. Bolt is one of the pre-unlocked characters in the game.

The traction that Dud Bolt’s podracer gets is very strong, and he has one of the best top speeds of all the initial characters, but his turning and cooling stats let him down in close races.

Ebe Endocott

Ebe Endocott, a Triffian, was one of the racers that managed to finish Episode I’s showcase Boonta Eve Classic, coming in fourth place. Endocott is a starting character in Racer.

One of the more appealing podracers if you’re not one to use the brakes too often, Ebe Endocott can boost for days thanks to his high rate of cooling and repair.

Elan Mak

Coming in just behind Endocoot in the Boonta Eve Classic shown in the movie, the Fluggrian racer Elan Mak is one of the first racers that you can pick from in Star Wars Episode I: Racer.

Elan Mak is easily the weakest pick of the bunch. While Mak’s podracer is one of the better looking, the lack of anything across its vehicle statistics puts players using it at a distinct disadvantage.

Gasgano

Gasgano is one of the most iconic racers shown in Star Wars Episode I. The Xexto’s distinct green podracer with massive engines finished the race in second, speeding in behind Skywalker.

Despite the nearly non-existent air brakes and cooling, Gasgano is a remarkably good pick from the roster of starting racers.

The four-armed driver’s decent traction, turning, top speed, acceleration, and repair stats are well-suited to the initial tracks of Tournament mode.

Ody Mandrell

Ody Mandrell is a native of Tatooine, where the Boonta Eve Classic took place. However, on the day of the big event, a pit droid was sucked into one of the pod’s engines to end Mandrell’s hopes of winning on home soil.

Ody Mandrell boasts a decent spread across most vehicle statistics, with the exception of top speed.

As you progress through the races, you’ll find that the benefits granted by the other statistics no-longer compensate for the lack of speed.

Star Wars Racer: Amateur Podracing Circuit unlockable characters

In the game, you can jump straight into the second-tier of podracing, but there are some great drivers to unlock in these early races.

On the Amateur Podracing Circuit, you can unlock five Star Wars Racer characters by winning set races of the tournament.

Teemto Pagalies

• Unlock Race: Mon Gaza Speedway on Mon Gaza
• Unlock Method: Win the 2^nd Race of the Amateur Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Crashed (2^nd Lap)
• Species: Veknoid

Likely the first new character that you unlock in Star Wars Racer, Teemto Pagalies is a decent upgrade on most of the starting racers: the strong acceleration, repair, and cooling come in handy on winding tracks.

Aldar Beedo

• Unlock Race: Beedo’s Wild Ride, Ando Prime
• Unlock Method: Win the 3^rd Race of the Amateur Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Finished 3^rd
• Species: Glymphid

Aldar Beedo continues the trend of aesthetically-great podracers that are relatively weak statistically. The average statistics are made much weaker by Beedo’s inferior acceleration.

Clegg Holdfast

• Unlock Race: Aquilaris Classic on Aquilaris
• Unlock Method: Win the 4^th Race of the Amateur Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Crashed (2^nd Lap)
• Species: Nosaurian

If you don’t rely on the brakes, preferring just to release the accelerator when a corner comes up, Clegg Holdfast’s lofty acceleration, great traction, and decent turning could work well for your racing style.

Fud Sang

• Unlock Race: Vengeance, Oovo IV
• Unlock Method: Win the 6^th Race of the Amateur Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Did Not Race
• Species: Unknown

Fud Sang is a distinctly average choice but does have a rather good-looking pod racer. That said, the two more important factors, top speed and turning, are rather low.

Mars Guo

• Unlock Race: Spice Mine Run, Mon Gazza
• Unlock Method: Win the 7^th Race of the Amateur Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Crashed (2^nd Lap)
• Species: Phuii

Mars Guo might just be one of the best podracers in Star Wars Episode I: Racer, and you can unlock the Phuii very early on.

With great stats for repair, traction, turning, acceleration, top speed, and air brakes, Guo’s set-up is very versatile and can handle just about any track in the game.

The podracer’s slow rate of cooling can be problematic if you’re trying to make up ground. Still, the other stats keep Guo competitive while also boasting one of the best liveries of the Racer driver roster.

Star Wars Racer: Semi-Pro Podracing Circuit unlockable characters

Completing the Amateur Podracing Circuit puts you in great stead for beating the tracks of the next tier of podracing competition.

On the Semi-Pro Podracing Circuit, you can unlock six Star Wars Racer characters by winning set races of the tournament.

‘Bullseye’ Navior

• Unlock Race: Sunken City, Aquilaris
• Unlock Method: Win the 1^st Race of the Semi-Pro Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Did Not Race
• Species: Unknown

Aside from the top speed rating, ‘Bullseye’ Navior offers a great set of vehicle statistics.

This unlockable podracer could carry you through the Semi-Pro Podracing Circuit, especially for anyone who’s getting to grips with the frantic controls and speed of the game.

Ratts Tyerell

• Unlock Race: Howler Gorge, Ando Prime
• Unlock Method: Win the 2^nd Race of the Semi-Pro Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Crashed and Died (1^st Lap)
• Species: Aleena

Ratts Tyerell features average, maybe a bit above average stats across the board, with the exception of acceleration, which is debilitatingly low on any track loaded with turns.

Wan Sandage

• Unlock Race: Scrapper’s Run, Ord Ibanna
• Unlock Method: Win the 4^th Race of the Semi-Pro Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Crashed (3^rd Lap)
• Species: Devlikk

Wan Sandage is one of the best choices for racers who are finding it tricky to navigate the tracks of Star Wars Racer.

The lofty traction and air brake coupled with the decent turning and acceleration is very useful for adapting to the podracing.

Boles Roor

• Unlock Race: Zugga Challenge, Mon Gazza
• Unlock Method: Win the 5^th Race of the Semi-Pro Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Finished 6^th
• Species: Sneevel

Boles Roor is the first super-speed podracer that you’ll likely unlock in the game. While the steady acceleration allows you to have better control over the speed, it takes some getting used to pumping the brakes earlier when approaching tight turns.

The lack of turning and traction relative to Roor’s speed makes the vehicle quite challenging to manoeuvre – expect a few crashes.

Neva Kee

• Unlock Race: Baroo Coast, Baroonda
• Unlock Method: Win the 6^th Race of the Semi-Pro Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: DNF (Vanished on 2^nd Lap)
• Species: Xamster

Don’t be fooled by the hefty traction and acceleration statistics; Neva Kee is a rather average podracer with the two most important statistics (turning and top speed) being quite low.

Ark ‘Bumpy’ Roose

• Unlock Race: Bumpy’s Breakers, Aquilaris
• Unlock Method: Win the 7^th Race of the Semi-Pro Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Crashed (3^rd Lap)
• Species: Nuknog

With fairly low ratings in turning and top speed, Ark ‘Bumpy’ Roose is a rather middling unlockable podracer in Star Wars Racer.

However, it’s a beast of a podracer, and you can capitalise on the strong acceleration, cooling, and air brake stats by boosting down long straights.

Star Wars Racer: Galactic Podracing Circuit unlockable characters

The Galactic Podracing Circuit spells the end of what is effectively the story mode of Star Wars Episode I: Racer, with its seven races marking a significant step-up from the tournaments that have come before.

On the Galactic Podracing Circuit, you can unlock three Star Wars Racer characters by winning set races of the tournament.

Toy Dampner

• Unlock Race: Executioner, Oovo IV
• Unlock Method: Win the 1^st Race of the Galactic Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Did Not Race
• Species: Unknown

You are rewarded very well for conquering the first race of the Galactic Podracing Circuit, with Toy Dampner being a solid podracer to unlock.

While Dampner’s top speed is below average, all of the other vehicle statistics are well suited to the rigours of the races in this tournament.

Mawhonic

• Unlock Race: Andobi Mountain Run, Ando Prime
• Unlock Method: Win the 4^th Race of the Galactic Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Crashed (1^st Lap)
• Species: Gran

Mawhonic isn’t even worth considering, especially at this late stage in the game.

Sebulba

• Unlock Race: The Boonta Classic, Tatooine
• Unlock Method: Win the 7^th Race of the Galactic Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Crashed (3^rd Lap)
• Species: Dug

The infamous orange podracer from Star Wars Episode I is one of the best unlockables in Racer. Everyone wants to know how to unlock Sebulba in Star Wars Racer because the Dug is superb.

Incredible statistics for traction, turning, acceleration, and top speed, makes Sebulba’s podracer the best on the track.

The cooling statistic is good enough to allow you to boost regularly, and the air brake is just good enough to be useable when you come into very tight turns.

Star Wars Racer: Invitational Podracing Circuit unlockable characters

The Invitational Podracing Circuit features a specialised set of four races which challenge your decision-making, concentration, and the power of your podracer.

To unlock these Invitational Podracing Circuit races, you have to finish first in every race of the other three tournaments, with topping all Amateur races unlocking the first Invitational race, and so on.

On the Invitational Podracing Circuit, you can unlock three Star Wars Racer characters by winning set races of the tournament.

Slide Paramita

• Unlock Race: Ando Prime Centrum, Ando Prime
• Unlock Method: Win the 1^st Race of the Invitational Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Did Not Race
• Species: Ciasi

Slide Paramita boasts a very easy to control and sleek podracer: it’s excellent for beginners. It does, however, lack in its top speed, so using the boost often is essential, which makes the unlockable racer a bit more challenging to use.

Bozzie Baranta

• Unlock Race: Abyss, Ord Ibanna
• Unlock Method: Win the 2^nd Race of the Invitational Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Did Not Race
• Species: Unknown

Bozzie Baranta drives what might just be the best-looking podracer in the game, but like fellow Invitational unlockable character Paramita, Baranta does lack in speed.

Baranta’s podracer is absurdly easy to drive, with its low air brake statistic not mattering too much due to its manoeuvrability. However, the lacking top speed does mean that you need to pump the booster a lot.

Ben Quadinaros

• Unlock Race: Inferno, Baroonda
• Unlock Method: Win the 4^th Race of the Invitational Podracing Circuit
• Episode I Boonta Eve Classic Result: Did Not Finish (Power Coupling Malfunction)
• Species: Toong

The quad-engines of Ben Quadinaros are well-worth unlocking in Star Wars Episode I: Racer.

The all-red podracer is very strong across the board, with its mighty traction and turning helping to compensate for the weak air brakes.

Best podracers to unlock in Star Wars Episode I: Racer

If you’ve worked your way through the tournaments without winning every race and want to target the best characters to unlock in Racer, these are the ones that you should focus on:

So, now you know how to unlock every podracer in Star Wars Episode I: Racer as well some of the better ones to pick from to help you beat your foes.