Most players pick up a game and play through it like they normally would, just how the game intended itself to be played, and then finish it before either replaying it or moving on to the next game. However, there is a certain breed of gamers that don’t fall within this category; these players want toend the game in as little time as possible, potentially even setting a record. These players are called Speedrunners.
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Anyone can become a speedrunner, but it will take multiple attempts at a single game to set a record. Thankfully, the following games are perfect for speedrunning, as they have almost endless potential that players can exploit, and they’re also extremely fun to play.
7Minecraft
Speedrunning in a Randomized World
On the surface,Minecraftmight seem like an unlikely candidate for speedrunning due to its open-ended gameplay, but it has become a staple in the speedrunning community. The goal in every run is to defeat the Ender Dragon in as little time as possible. With the game’srandomized world generation, no two speedruns are ever the same, which not only pushes speedrunners to adapt on the fly to their seed’s resources, but also makes the game’s speedruns infinitely replayable and fun.
If doing randomized runs sounds too difficult, or when getting the shortest possible time on a run is the ultimate goal, players can practice on one seed and then keep resetting their runs hundreds of times to get a starting seed that’s similar to the one they practiced on. The combination of strategy, luck, and execution makes Minecraft a captivating game to watch and attempt to speedrun.
6Dark Souls
Extremely Frustrating But Extremely Satisfying
Dark Souls
Speedrunning a game like Dark Souls, one that is already considered one of the hardest games, is like walking on a tightrope made out of barbed wire. But for players who have mastered the game and want a tougher challenge, speedrunning can be the perfect hobby. The bosses that can one-shot new players and the confusing areas of the map that can sendnewcomers running in circles, become a playground for speedrunners who exploit glitches and shortcuts, and master the game’s mechanics to shave off seconds.
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Categories like “Any%” allow players to beat the game using any means necessary, including going out-of-bounds and skipping boss fights. The “Ceaseless Skip” and the “Sen’s Fortress Skip” are popular time-saving tricks that bypass entire sections of the game.
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Valve’s Portal is a masterclass when it comes to speedrunning. Its linear level design, open-endedpuzzles, and use of physics-based mechanics make it a perfect canvas for speedrunners to showcase creativity and skill. There are tricks like Save Glitching, which lets players bypass entire sections of the game, finishing the whole game in as little as 6 minutes.
There is also an exploit that is common in various Valve games that use the Source engine, called Accelerated Back Hopping, which is an advanced technique that lets players gain massive speed by manipulating the game’s physics engine.
4The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
One of the Best Zelda Games
The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
Widely regarded as one of the greatest games of all time, Ocarina of Time is extremely popular in the speedrunning community. Players use a plethora of glitches to warp to late-game sections, bypass dungeons, and manipulate the game’s code. One of the most iconic techniques is the “Wrong Warp,” which allows runners to teleport to the end of the game from earlier points.
A simpler glitch, commonly referred to as the “Infinite Sword Glitch” in the Zelda community, makes it so that Link’s sword is always in the swing state without the player doing anything, which makes killing enemies extremely easy. Just like every other game, there are “Any%” and completionist speed runs in Ocarina of Time, and players fond of the Zelda series will love breaking the game in ingenious ways to get a few seconds off a run.
Completely Skill-Based Speedrunning
By design,Celesteis a game that encourages speedrunning from the get-go. Once players complete one playthrough, getting the hang of its tight controls, precise platforming, and level design, it becomes a speedrunner’s dream. The game even includes tools like a stopwatch and death counter to assist runners.
Players go for no-death runs, all-strawberry runs where they have to collect all strawberries in the game in the shortest possible time, and even “Any%” runs. Speedrunning in Celeste is less about exploiting glitches and more about mastering the controls and the techniques the developers added to the game to get better and faster.
2Getting Over It With Bennet Foddy
Stupidly Hilarious And Fun To Spectate
Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy
A speedrun of Getting Over It is nothing short of eye candy. The game’s minimalistic controls and unforgiving physics make it notoriously frustrating for casual players, but Speedrunners turn the tables on the game, breezing through even the most frustrating sections like no big deal.
With practice, runners learn how to control the hammer with pixel-perfect accuracy, scaling cliffs and navigating obstacles in seconds that would take hours for the average player. The satisfaction of shaving even milliseconds off a personal best is immense, which alone makes the game a compelling pick for speedrunning, one that’s completely reliant on the player’s skill and just as thrilling to watch as it is to play.
1Super Mario 64
The King of Speedrunning Games
Super Mario 64
Super Mario 64is arguably the most iconic speedrunning game of all time, with a community that’s been active for decades. The game’s open-ended levels and advanced mechanics like Backward Long Jump and exploits like Cannonless, which let them skip the use of cannons for massive time saves.
Speedrunning categories range from “16 Star” runs, which use glitches to minimize star collection, to “120 Star” runs, which require completing the game fully. The balance between precision platforming in a 3D game, glitch exploitation, and route optimization is what makes Mario 64 the gold standard for speedrunning.
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