Over the years, speedrunning has become more and more popular. One of the biggest reasons for its continued popularity is a huge field of incredible games that keep coming out that also features incredible speed tech. In fact, some developers now make games with speedrunning in mind the entire time.
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While there are tons of classic games that get a lot of love in the speedrunning community, there are plenty of modern games that definitely deserve some more love. Whether wholly original or continuations of classic series, you have the opportunity to speed through some great games if you’re willing to put in the effort.
10Celeste
One quick look at anyCelesterun should be more than enough to explain why it’s a great game to speedrun. This beloved indie platformer took the world by storm, andthanks to its tricky gameplay, it’s become a staple in the speedrunning community.
The game can already be tough enough to play casually, so adding a speed aspect to it adds a whole other layer of difficulty. With some simple movement tech, the run may seem simple at first, but finding any serious success is an immense challenge. With that said, any run will still be rewarding.
9Tears Of The Kingdom
WhileTears Of The Kingdomhasn’t been around as most of the other games on this list, that doesn’t mean it won’t be a blast for you to speedrun. With all the incrediblemovement options with Zonai vehiclesand skydiving, exploring the various worlds as fast as possible should be a blast.
You’ll need to have a serious grasp on the mechanics of Tears Of The Kingdom to thrive in a speedrun of this game because jumping right into the endgame isn’t going to be an easy task. Whether doing an any% run or completing the main quest, you’re sure to have a fun time in this wicked Zelda game.
8Super Mario Odyssey
The movement alone inSuper Mario Odysseyshould be enough to draw people into the idea of a speed run. Being able to run, jump, and roll around the various worlds on your way to save Princess Peach has never felt as good as it does in this game.
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Even years after its release, the game is still said to be incredibly competitive to get solid times. Luckily, anyone who picks up the game should find it quite easy to learn the new techniques required to be successful.
7Minecraft
While aMinecraftspeedrun takes a lot of skill, it also takes a lot of luck. Once you know what you’re doing, it’s entirely possible that you’ll have consistently completed runs around the ten-minute mark.
This means that you’ll have a lot of opportunities to practice the small set of steps you’ll need to follow to complete the run. Realistically, you may use a set seed, and then you have the potential tofinish a run in under two minutesif you’re skilled enough.
6Cuphead
ConsideringCupheadis one of the most punishing boss-rush-style games around, a lot of people who prefer a challenge in their games might want to give speedrunning it a try. You’ll have to overcome all of those difficult bosses as quickly as possible.
A solid factor of running this game is that you can also choose to do it with a friend, something that likely does make things a bit easier once you have a solid strategy and rhythm set up againstthe various pesky bosses.
5Hollow Knight
This game gives you a choice of quite a few different categories to run, allowing you to decide how complex you want your experience to be. This awesome little Metroidvania game will astound you with just how broken it can be when trying out a speedrun.
It probably took you quite a few hours to comb through the world ofHollow Knight, but depending on the category you pick and how much you practice, you might be capable of beating the game in under an hour.
4Elden Ring
If you played throughElden Ringcasually and wereconstantly stomped by the many bosses, a speed run might be the perfect way for you to get some semblance of revenge. There are a ton of different categories for you to run, meaning you have a lot of options.
You might not be a fan of beating a game while using wrong-warps, so a glitchless run might be the route for you. That type of run will allow you to demonstrate skill and technique without wrapping your head around how players managed to break the game.
3Pokemon Scarlet/Violet
Realistically, you could replace Scarlet and Violet with anyPokemongame and be happy, but the more open-world format has given modern runs a whole new dynamic. You shouldn’t expect short runs if you choose this game, but if you love Pokemon, it’s hard to go wrong here.
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These games are still quite competitive, meaning you might be able to pick it up and work your way to a world record if you’re lucky. It may feel wrong to move through a game like this as quickly as possible, but you’ll have a blast the whole time, so who cares?
2Sonic Mania
If you want to run a modern game with a classic feel,Sonic Maniamight just be the best pick possible. It brings back the classic era of Sonic while adding plenty of fascinating modern twists to keep the whole experience fresh.
A game like this practically begs to be speedrun, considering the whole point of Sonic is to go fast. It’s another game with various characters and categories to run, meaning you’ll have your pick of routes to victory within this fun little community.
1SUPERHOT
WhileSUPERHOTmight not seem like the best game to speedrun for some people, you may want to give it a try if you want to feel like John Wick in real life. The top-level play of this game is probably some of the coolest gameplay you’ll see anywhere.
The way the mechanic of time flow works in the game barely even matters in this run since you’ll be moving at a wild pace. Knowing enemy spawns in the different levels is key, which means a ton of practice is an absolute must.
