• Transformers: Galactic Trials has been revealed as the next game in the Transformers franchise.
• It blends racing with robot combat and roguelike / roguelite elements.
• Transformers: Reactivate hasn’t been seen in months and the reveal of Galactic Trials has fans worried about its future.

In a bit of a surprise announcement, a new Transformers game has been revealed in the form of Galactic Trials. While initial reporting on this has called it a racing title or even a kart game, this is not the whole story.

In an official press release sent to us, and can be seen in the announcement video below, Galactic Trials combines arcade racing for the Transformers’ vehicle modes and third-person shooting for combat in robot mode. Players can take the role of both Autobots and Decepticons, with solo and co-op also on the table.

That much is revealed in the trailer, but our press release reveals a bit more about the story and what else players can do.

“After the evil NEMESIS PRIME steals the Prime Relics, the AUTOBOTS and DECEPTICONS must set out on a rip-roaring adventure to recover these artefacts and control the incredible powers they bestow. Fans can play as iconic AUTOBOTS or DECEPTICONS, including Bumblebee, Megatron, Elita-1 and Optimus Prime and race across battle-race circuits to collect relics and beat opponents. The gameplay incorporates both traditional arcade racing in vehicle form and dynamic combat in bot-form, as players must defeat enemies and make it to the finish line,” the press release reads.

For those less familiar with Transformers, Nemesis Prime is basically an evil version of Optimus Prime. Sometimes Nemesis Prime is a corrupted Optimus Prime from another timeline / universe, sometimes he’s his own separate character that just so happens to look like Optimus Prime, and sometimes he’s something completely different.

The Prime Relics are likely a rename of the Artifacts of the Primes, a set of powerful macguffins related to the Thirteen Primes, the ancient leaders and demigods of Cybertron.

“As players progress and collect new relics, they will level up their skills and unlock new iconic playable characters and skins. Two game modes are available; play Galactic Trials to progress through levels and collect relics in single-player mode. In Arcade mode, grab a friend with 2-player, local multiplayer and enter a quick race, creating a custom racing experience with your track, character and weapons, or enter location-based specialised tournaments,” the press release continues.

Transformers: Galactic Trials is being developed by 3DClouds and published by Outright Games. Both aren’t especially big names but we’re excited to see what they can pull off.

We won’t have to wait long for that result as the game is planned for an 11th October release on PC (Steam), Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, PlayStation 5, Xbox One and Xbox Series X|S.

While it’s usually great news for a new game to come out in the franchise you’re a fan of, the reveal of Galactic Trials has left Transformers fans very worried. Not for Galactic Trials itself, but for the game Transformers: Reactivate.

For those who may not remember, and you’d be forgiven for that given its history, Reactivate is (or maybe was) a co-op title from Splash Damage where the Transformers need to fight off an AI threat in a post-apocalyptic setting. It is / was a brave new approach for the game but we have heard nothing about it for many months.

The official Twitter / X account for the game hasn’t posted since 6th December 2023 and, even more worrying, the announcement trailer for the game was deleted from many platforms, even on Splash Damage’s own channels. It can still be viewed on accounts not directly involved in the project, however.

Many fans now worry that Reactivate is dead and it’s hard to argue against that with so much radio silence and the odd move of deleting the announcement. The announcement of Galactic Trials as the next Transformers game also seems like another nail in the coffin, but we hope we’re wrong and some news about Reactivate comes soon.

It has been a busy start to July for Transformers as the unlikely partnership between toy competitors Hasbro and LEGO continues in the release of a buildable version of Bumblebee. This set follows the well-received LEGO Optimus Prime that launched in 2022.