How to Start Speedrunning: A Beginner’s Guide to Your First World Record Attempt

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Introduction to the World of Speedrunning

What is Speedrunning?

Speedrunning is the competitive art of completing a video game in the fastest time possible. It transforms familiar gameplay into a high-stakes optimization challenge where players, known as “runners,” meticulously deconstruct a game’s mechanics. They exploit glitches, master complex techniques, and forge the most efficient path to the end credits. This pursuit is less about casual enjoyment and more about achieving total mastery over a game’s underlying systems.

To ensure fair competition, the community organizes runs into distinct categories:

• Any%: Finish the game by any means necessary, often utilizing major glitches and sequence breaks to bypass large sections of content.
• 100%: Collect every significant item or complete all major quests, demanding a comprehensive and often grueling test of a runner’s knowledge.
• Glitchless: Compete without the aid of programming errors, offering a pure test of skill within the game’s intended design.

Comparison of Common Speedrunning Categories

Category	Primary Goal	Commonly Used Techniques
Any%	Finish the game as fast as possible, by any means.	Major glitches, sequence breaks, out-of-bounds exploits.
100%	Complete all major objectives or collect all key items.	Optimal routing for all collectibles, high-level execution.
Glitchless	Finish the game quickly without using programming errors.	Movement optimization, pixel-perfect platforming, intended mechanics.

For example, a legendary run like Super Mario 64‘s 120-star category is a marathon of precision platforming. In stark contrast, its “0-star” Any% counterpart uses sophisticated glitches to finish in under seven minutes. This analytical depth and creative problem-solving are what truly define the craft.

Why Chase the Clock?

What compels thousands of players to dedicate years to shaving seconds off a virtual timer? The motivations are deeply personal and incredibly powerful. For many, it’s about the profound sense of mastery that comes from pushing a game to its absolute limits. Achieving a new Personal Best (PB) provides tangible, exhilarating proof of one’s progress and dedication.

Beyond individual achievement, speedrunning thrives on its collaborative spirit. Runners gather in community hubs like Discord to discover new strategies (“strats”) and build a shared knowledge base that elevates everyone’s potential. This camaraderie culminates in major charity events like Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ), which has raised over $45 million for charity by showcasing world-class skill for a greater cause.

“Speedrunning is the closest thing gaming has to a sport. It’s about the relentless pursuit of perfection within a fixed set of rules.” — Anonymous Top Runner

Ultimately, it’s about experiencing a beloved game in a completely new light, transforming nostalgia into a lifelong analytical passion.

Laying the Foundation: Your Game and Community

Selecting the Right Game for You

Your first and most critical decision is choosing a game. The right choice can spark a long-term passion, while the wrong one can lead to swift burnout. To find your ideal match, follow this simple framework:

1. Passion First: Pick a game you genuinely love. You will be playing it hundreds, if not thousands, of times, and that affection will be your fuel.
2. Length Matters: Beginners should target games with shorter run times (e.g., under one hour). Titles like Celeste or Super Metroid have categories perfect for learning the fundamentals without a massive time commitment.
3. Research the Community: Visit Speedrun.com, the central hub for leaderboards. Is the community active? Are there clear, accessible tutorials for beginners?

Avoid the common pitfall of choosing a game simply because it’s popular. Your personal connection is the single most important factor for long-term dedication and success.

Finding Your Community and Essential Resources

Speedrunning is a team sport disguised as a solo endeavor. Isolation is the fastest path to frustration and quitting, so your next step is to find your game’s community.

These resources are non-negotiable for serious improvement:

• Discord: This is the central nervous system for almost every speedrunning community. Find a link on your game’s Speedrun.com page for real-time strategy discussions, encouragement, and technical support.
• Twitch: Watch top runners stream their practice sessions and attempts. Observe their techniques, listen to their commentary, and don’t be afraid to ask questions in chat.
• Curated Guides: Look for a pinned guide or resource document in the community Discord. These are often comprehensive Google Docs or YouTube playlists detailing the optimal route, advanced techniques, and beginner-friendly tips.

“The biggest time save isn’t a new glitch; it’s a piece of advice from a fellow runner.” — A Seasoned Community Member

Immersing yourself in the community accelerates learning exponentially. Many new runners have slashed their times in half within weeks simply by engaging with experienced players and utilizing shared resources.

Essential Gear and Software for Beginners

Hardware You Already Have (and What to Upgrade)

A common myth is that you need a professional-grade setup to start speedrunning. This is false. Your beginner toolkit is likely something you already own:

• The original console or a PC capable of accurate emulation.
• A reliable controller or keyboard you are comfortable with.
• Any functional television or monitor.

As you become more competitive, strategic upgrades can make a significant difference:

• Capture Card (e.g., Elgato, AVerMedia): Essential for high-quality recording and streaming from a console.
• Low-Lag Monitor (144Hz+): Critical for PC games where input delay can make or break difficult tricks.
• CRT TV & Original Hardware: For many retro games, this remains the gold standard to eliminate the input latency introduced by modern displays.

Remember the golden rule: invest in better gear only after you’ve committed to a game, not before.

Software Tools for Timing, Recording, and Streaming

While your initial hardware can be basic, the right software is non-negotiable for tracking progress and submitting legitimate runs. These free tools are the backbone of the craft.

1. LiveSplit (Timer): This is the universal standard for timing speedruns. It lets you create “splits” to track your pace through segments of the game, comparing your real-time performance against your personal best or the world record. This data is invaluable for identifying where you’re losing time.

2. OBS Studio (Recording/Streaming): The free, open-source powerhouse for capturing gameplay. Use OBS Studio to create clean local recordings for leaderboard submissions or to stream your practice sessions on platforms like Twitch. Mastering its basic functions is your first step toward producing a verifiable run.

Properly using these tools ensures your hard work is accurately measured and officially recognized.

Learning the Ropes: Routes and Techniques

Deconstructing a Run: Studying Top Players

You wouldn’t learn a symphony by playing it straight through on the first try. A speedrun demands the same methodical approach. Your study process should be deliberate:

1. Watch the current World Record (WR) multiple times. First, watch for general understanding. Then, re-watch to take detailed notes on the route. Finally, watch a third time to identify subtle movements and audio or visual cues.
2. Break the run down by its “splits”—the major segments the runner uses. This creates a mental road map.
3. Isolate and study the “frame-perfect” tricks, which are inputs that must occur on a specific 1/60th of a second.

For instance, in The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, a trick called the “Super Slide” saves minutes but requires pixel-perfect alignment. Understanding the mechanics of why it works is just as important as knowing the button inputs.

The Art of Practice: Segments and Drills

Mindlessly playing the game from the beginning again and again is the least effective way to improve. Effective practice is targeted and deliberate. Here’s how the pros do it:

Segment Drilling: Isolate a single, challenging 30-second segment of the run. Using save states in an emulator or a game’s level-select feature, practice only that part for an extended period. The goal is to achieve over 90% consistency on that specific trick or section. Top runners report that this focused drilling constitutes over 70% of their total practice time.

Chunking: Once individual segments feel consistent, chain them together into larger “chunks” (e.g., the first three levels or the opening boss rush). This builds the mental stamina and muscle memory required to maintain execution deep into a full run. This structured approach turns an overwhelming challenge into manageable, conquerable pieces.

Executing Your First Run and Seeking Improvement

From Practice to Performance: Your First Full Attempt

Transitioning from practice to a full, timed attempt is a significant psychological hurdle. Your goal for this first official run is singular: Finish. Do. Not. Reset. No matter how badly a trick fails or how much time is lost, see the run through to the end. This builds mental resilience and teaches you how to handle mistakes under pressure—skills just as vital as technical execution.

Start by using “safe strats”—slower but more reliable strategies. For example, in Dark Souls, you might take a longer, guaranteed path instead of attempting a risky jump skip that could cost you the entire run. Completing that first attempt, regardless of the time, provides an official baseline and a massive confidence boost. You are now a speedrunner with a time to beat.

Analyzing Your Gameplay and Identifying Weaknesses

Meaningful improvement is born in the review phase. After every significant attempt, watch your recording (often called a VOD) side-by-side with a top-level run. While you watch, ask critical questions:

• Where does my movement path diverge from the world record holder’s?
• Is my menuing, inventory management, or dialogue skipping slower?
• At what moments did I hesitate, and why?

Your LiveSplit data will objectively highlight your slowest segments. Devote the majority of your next practice session to these weak points. For an even deeper level of insight, submit your VOD to your community’s Discord for feedback. An experienced runner can often spot a habitual mistake you’ve become blind to, turning a frustrating plateau into your next breakthrough.

Joining the Ranks: Submitting Times and Next Steps

The Submission Process: Proving Your Time

Submitting your time to a leaderboard like Speedrun.com is a rite of passage. It moves you from a private practitioner to a public competitor. To ensure your submission is accepted, follow this checklist precisely:

1. Video Proof: Provide a complete, unedited video of the entire run, typically from the moment you boot the game until the final split is recorded.
2. Category Rules: Meticulously read and follow the rules for your specific game and category. Pay attention to details like which game versions are allowed and whether timing is based on Real-Time Attack (RTA) or In-Game Time (IGT).
3. Submit & Wait: After submitting your time and proof, a volunteer moderator will review it. This verification process can take anywhere from a few hours to several days.

This rigorous verification is what gives speedrunning its legitimacy. Every record on the board is backed by publicly available, scrutinizable evidence.

Beyond the First Run: Setting New Goals and Staying Motivated

Your journey has just begun. To maintain momentum and avoid burnout, it’s crucial to set intelligent, evolving goals. Use the SMART framework:

• Specific: “Improve my ‘Water Temple’ segment by 30 seconds.”
• Measurable: “Achieve a top 50 rank on the leaderboard.”
• Achievable: “Cut one minute from my PB this month.”

Stay engaged by participating in community events. Join weekly races on platforms like SpeedRunsLive to test your skills against others in a friendly environment, or dream bigger and aim for a spot on the couch at a major marathon like ESA (European Speedrunner Assembly). Remember that every world record holder started with a single, slow, completed run. Your persistence, fueled by the community, is what builds a lasting legacy.

FAQs

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