Summary
Have you ever wanted to go fast in a video game? To see what kind of limits your childhood classics or the newest games in a series can be taken to? Speedrunning remains as popular as it ever has been, and now is as good a time as ever to consider joining the hobby and seeing what it is all about.
But where do you begin when it comes to tackling speedrunning? These games have been longtime staples for fans of the hobby and are the ideal way to get started.
All statistics are provided courtesy ofSpeedrun.com
10Super Mario 64
Its-a-me, Mario!
This Nintendo classic remains a firm favorite of the speedrunning community. With flashy, intense movement and glitches galore,Super Mario 64has something to offer everyone.
You can start by playing the shorter categories, otherwise known as 0, 1, and 16 stars, all of which can be completed in under 20 minutes. Alternatively, you can dive right into the longer categories of 70 and 120 star, but do note that the categories balloon from 15 minutes to upwards of an hour or more.
With over 43,000 runs posted to the leaderboards, a number that will only climb further, Super Mario 64 will only continue to grow in size as a speedrunning game and its overall legacy will forever be enshrined.
9Portal
The Cake is a Lie.
Portalcontinues to thrive despite launching all the way back in 2007. Much like Super Mario 64, the game offers a toolbox of movement, strategies, and glitches, all of which can help complete the Valve classic in as little as six minutes.
The glitchless category is Portal’s longest, but even that can be completed in just over 20 minutes. The inbounds and Out Of Bounds categories can each be completed in under ten minutes. Like Mario 64, Portal has remained a speedrunning classic.
8Celeste
Climbing Mountains In Under 25 Minutes
Celesteis a title that needs no introduction. This 2018 indie title, developed by Maddy Makes Games, took the internet by storm and has remained popular ever since. Many of these fans who were captivated by the game from its launch have since become some of the fastest players to complete the game.
The incredible art style and story serves as a background to incredible 2D movement, and seemingly endless ways to tackle learning the speedrun.
As an added bonus, this game is one of many that also possesses an In-Game Timer (or IGT for short) which will make tracking times easier than most other speedruns. The current world record for the game’s Any% category sits at just under 25 minutes.
7Outlast
In And Out Of Mount Massive In A Flash
Do you dare to be scared?Outlastis a horror classic that similarly swept the internet in 2013 and also has an expansive speedrunning scene. From day one, the community has found hundreds of glitches and other exploits that have brought the game’s Any% World Record time from north of 35 minutes to as low as under five minutes in 2024.
Is any% too short of a category to take on? The game also possesses plenty of longer categories but none longer than one hour. The 100% runs - defined as a category that will see players collect all 62 notes and documents, or 31 in the Whistleblower expansion - can each be completed in under half an hour.
Don’t want to entertain learning the treasure trove of glitches and exploits? The glitchless category can be completed in under 55 minutes if you are just starting out, and 50 at a top level.
6Titanfall 2
Hello, Jack.
Titanfall 2runs on a heavily modified version of the Source Engine otherwise known as Source 2. With this in mind, the movement systems in place are sure to attract all Source games fans, including Portal and Half-Life.
The game’s 15 levels will fly by as past as your movement will allow you to, as the current Any% World Record stands at a blistering 1 hour, thirteen minutes, and thirty-six seconds.
Don’t want to wait on cutscenes? The no-cutscenes mod will feature many of the same basic skips and flashy movement but will remove all cutscenes and wait times, offering a chance to complete the run in under one hour.
5Super Mario Sunshine
King Boo is RNG. Trust Me.
The Italian Plumber’s second entry on this list,Super Mario Sunshine, is also his most tropical appearance yet. Players will race to collect a minimum of 50 shines to complete the game, all while doing battle with Shadow Mario multiple times. The game also offers 79, 96, and finally 120 shine categories.
Some players have also modified the game to allow you to skip some or all of the game’s opening cutscenes and jump straight into the action right away.
Don’t want to play for up to 3 hours? The community has created a variety of extension categories, shorter runs that offer unique objectives, including the Mirror Mode category, which flips the game on its head.
4Resident Evil Series
Infinite Ammo, Just One Playthrough Away
Where there is a newResident Eviltitle, speedrunners will be there to explore the game and learn everything about it from the moment of release. The long-running series is seemingly endless in the ways players can tackle the speedruns, from New Game+ offering every infinite weapon and customization option possible, to the classic New Game categories where inventory management means everything.
Difficulty options are also present in the categories across the series, from Easy up to Resident Evil 3 Remake’s Inferno Mode. There’s something for everyone here.
3The Hitman Trilogy
Can Agent 47 Take His Enemies Out Quickly?
TheHitmanseries is exceptionally unique for speedrunning, in the sense that you may complete levels in as little as seconds. The wide-open sandbox gameplay also offers many clever routes for assassins-in-training to remain ahead of the competition in the speedrunning scene.
For those who want to take on the full games, Agent 47’s exploits will often never take more than one hour to complete in total, while players can complete Hitman 3 and its trilogy campaigns in under 30 minutes.
2Pokemon Red & Blue
Gotta Speedrun ‘Em All?
The childhood classics of millions, the first generation ofPokemongames also happens to be the deepest for speedrunning in the broader series. The Any% category can be completed in as little as 80 seconds, but the community at large focuses on the longer categories–specifically, Glitchless.
The glitchless category can be a bit lengthy, as the World Record time currently sits at a1:44:03, and it can be expected that a first run will last north of two hours.
Even so, to return to the titles that defined many childhoods would be a great start for joining the world of speedrunning, and the community will always be nearby to help prospective runners.
1Minecraft
Step On Up, Test Your Luck
SinceMinecraft’sinitial release in 2011 it has been loved by millions, but MInecraft speedrunning exploded onto the scene in 2020 and 2021. With many ways to tackle the speedrun - from objectives and seed numbers to version of choice - Minecraft speedruns can be completed in as little as a few minutes at a time, and new world records often gain significant exposure across the YouTube space.
The most popular categories by far are the Random Seed and Set Seed Glitchless categories, with each being completed in under ten minutes per attempt.
