How to Start Speedrunning: A Beginner’s Guide to Your First Run

You do not need world-record skill or expensive equipment to start speedrunning. Pick a game you enjoy, choose one clear category, read its rules, record a complete attempt, and try to beat your own time.

A first run is mostly about learning the process. Finishing with a valid time gives you a personal best, often shortened to PB, and a starting point for your next attempt.

What is speedrunning?

Speedrunning means completing a game or a specific goal as quickly as possible under an agreed set of rules. The goal might be reaching the ending, collecting everything, clearing one level, or completing a challenge with certain glitches banned.

Communities separate those goals into categories so similar runs compete together. The current Minecraft: Java Edition leaderboard, for example, separates Any% Glitchless, Any%, and All Advancements. It also divides some categories by seed type, version, difficulty, and allowed modifications. Every game can use different categories and variables, so one game’s rules never automatically apply to another.

Speedrunning terms beginners should know

Term	Simple meaning
Category	The goal and rule set for a run
Route	The planned order of actions, levels, items, or shortcuts
Split	A checkpoint used to compare one part of a run
PB	Personal best, meaning your fastest valid time
WR	World record for a specific leaderboard category
RTA	Real-time attack, measured with a clock outside the game
IGT	In-game time reported or tracked by the game
Loadless time	Real time with approved loading periods removed

Names such as Any%, 100%, and Glitchless are common, but their exact meaning comes from the selected leaderboard. A 100% category needs a community definition of full completion. A Glitchless category needs a list of banned and allowed techniques. Always follow the written rules instead of guessing from the category name.

1. Pick a game you can finish comfortably

Your favorite game is not always the easiest first speedrun. A useful starter game has a goal you understand and a run length that fits your free time. A short level, individual mission, or category under an hour can be easier to practice than a six-hour full-game run.

• Choose a game you already know well enough to finish.
• Look for a short category or individual-level board.
• Avoid a route that needs difficult tricks before you understand the basics.
• Use the platform and game version you already own when the rules allow it.

Starting small does not lock you into one category. You can move to a longer route after you learn how timing, recording, and submissions work.

2. Find the leaderboard and choose a category

Search for the game on Speedrun.com, then open its leaderboard. Game pages can include tabs for guides, resources, forums, streams, and related games. Some pages also link to a community Discord server.

Compare the available categories before choosing one. Look at the usual completion time, platform options, version filters, and whether the route uses techniques you want to learn. A category with several recent submissions may have more current guides and people available to answer questions.

3. Read every rule before practicing

Rules decide whether a finished attempt is valid. Read the main game rules and the selected category rules before copying a route or recording a run. Community moderators may update them when a new game version, timing tool, or major shortcut appears.

• Where timing starts and stops
• Which game versions and platforms are allowed
• Whether emulators, modifications, or patches are allowed
• Which glitches or shortcuts are banned
• Whether loads are included in the final time
• What video, audio, or file proof is required
• Whether pauses, saves, or difficulty changes are restricted

Write the important points in a short checklist. Rechecking one page now is easier than learning after a long attempt that your setup did not follow the rules.

4. Build a simple route

A route is your plan from the starting point to the finish. Beginners can use a community guide when one is available, but copying the fastest world-record route is not required. Advanced routes often save small amounts of time with tricks that are difficult to perform consistently.

Start with safe choices that you can repeat. Note the main stages, required items, boss strategies, and any backup plan for a missed trick. Reliable movement usually saves more time for a beginner than resetting over one risky shortcut.

5. Set up recording and a timer

Check the leaderboard’s proof rules before recording. When video is required, capture the full attempt from the required starting point through the finish. Keep the footage uncut, make the game readable, and include any timer or setup details the rules request.

A visible timer is useful for practice even when the board calculates the official time from the video. LiveSplit is a timer made for speedrunners. Its official site says it can browse Speedrun.com leaderboards, download splits, submit runs, and activate game time or automatic splitting when support exists for the selected game.

Timing method matters. Use real time, in-game time, or loadless time only as the category rules direct. An automatic splitter can start the timer, record checkpoints, or remove approved loads, but support differs by game. Test the setup with a short practice attempt before recording your first full run.

6. Practice sections instead of restarting constantly

Full attempts teach endurance, but focused practice fixes mistakes faster. Divide the route into a few large sections. Practice one movement pattern, level, or boss until you can complete it several times without a major error.

• Learn the route before trying to perform it at full speed.
• Practice the hardest section while you are fresh.
• Use saves or practice tools only when the category rules allow them for practice.
• Keep backup strategies for missed tricks or lost items.
• Track one or two mistakes to fix after each session.

Splits show where time was gained or lost, but they are not a reason to panic during a run. A slow early section can still lead to useful practice and a completed PB.

7. Finish and review your first full attempt

Try to finish the first recorded attempt instead of resetting after every mistake. A complete run tests the whole route, exposes late-game problems, and gives you a time to beat.

After the finish, save the video and timing file before changing your setup. Watch the run once and list a few large improvements. A missed item, wrong turn, or failed boss plan is usually more important than a tiny movement error.

8. Submit the run if it follows the rules

Open the correct category on the game’s Speedrun.com page and select Submit run. The form uses the options defined by that leaderboard, which can include the time, date, platform, game version, category variables, and a link to the required video proof.

Review every field before submitting. Moderators check the run against the community rules, and the page may show it as pending verification while they review it. A rejection is not the end of speedrunning. Read the moderator note, correct the problem, and use the feedback on your next attempt.

Common first-run mistakes

• Skipping the rules: A fast time can still be invalid if the version, timing method, or proof does not match.
• Choosing the hardest route: A safer route gives you more completed attempts and better practice.
• Resetting too early: Constant resets leave the final sections under-practiced.
• Changing several things at once: Fix one large mistake before rebuilding the whole route.
• Comparing only with the world record: Your previous PB is the most useful early target.

Your first goal is a clean finish

A beginner does not need perfect movement, rare tricks, or record pace. Read the rules, use a route you can repeat, capture a complete attempt, and finish with a valid time. Once you have a PB, every practice session has a clear target.

Image Credit: Speedrun.com