This Star Wars VR Game Is Excites and Disappoints

Lucasfilm and ILMxLAB have unveiled a new virtual reality experience titled Star Wars: Beyond Victory – A Mixed Reality Playset, developed exclusively for Meta Quest 3 and 3S. Announced during ILM’s 50th anniversary celebrations at Star Wars Celebration, Beyond Victory represents ILMxLAB’s third major foray into the Star Wars VR space, following Vader Immortal and Tales from the Galaxy’s Edge.

Rather than focusing on Jedi combat or galactic exploration, Beyond Victory dives into the adrenaline-fueled world of podracing. Players take on the role of Volo Bolus, a young and ambitious podracer mentored by none other than Sebulba, the notorious Dug first seen in The Phantom Menace. The game’s narrative is supported by a special comic distributed exclusively at Celebration, which explores Volo’s backstory and his early encounters on the podracing circuit.

The game offers three distinct modes. Adventure Mode tells Volo’s story through a blend of virtual and augmented reality, while Arcade Mode lets players relive podraces via a top-down, holotable-style interface. The Playset Mode allows users to customize their environment with unlockable Star Wars-themed action figures and vehicles, blending physical space with digital assets. However, the lack of a first-person podracing experience—a longtime dream for many Star Wars VR fans—has been a point of disappointment.

In a hands-on demo at Star Wars Celebration, Star Wars News Net contributor Chris Lyne shared his impressions (https://www.starwarsnewsnet.com/2025/05/star-wars-beyond-victory-first-hand-gameplay-impressions-and-story-details.html). While the introductory VR segment felt somewhat underwhelming due to environmental noise and basic controls, the podracing sequence stood out. Despite using a third-person view, the racing was fast-paced and intuitive, leaving Lyne eager for a longer play session.

Set around the time of Solo: A Star Wars Story, the game situates podracing on the fringes of galactic society. Once a major sport in places like Mos Espa and Malastare, it now appears in backwater locales like Galma on Batuu. The inclusion of characters like Sebulba and connections to Legends-era lore, such as Deland Tyerell and the fallout from the Boonta Eve Classic, add rich depth to the experience.

Though no release date has been announced, Beyond Victory has generated early buzz for its novel mixed-reality format and nostalgic podracing premise. Whether it lives up to the immersive promise of VR remains to be seen, but fans can expect a new kind of Star Wars storytelling when it does arrive.