Speedrunning has become a popular activity within the gaming community, where you attempt to complete games as quickly as humanly possible. Some video games have emerged asfavorites among speedrunners, fostering dedicated communities that continuously push the limits of time and skill.

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Within this realm of fast-paced gameplay, these games have gained widespread recognition for their challenging nature, intricate level designs, and exploitable mechanics. These titles have given rise to dedicated speedrunning communities, where you come together with others to showcase your skills, discover new strategies, and push the limits of what can be achieved in the realm of speed.

10Dark Souls

Developed byFromSoftware,Dark Soulsis known for its challenging gameplay and intricate level design. The game’s punishing difficulty and complex enemy encounters make it an intense experience if you’re playing or speedrunning.

With the goal of finishing the game as quickly as possible, speedrunners navigate treacherous terrain, defeat extremely formidable bosses, and exploit glitches to shave off precious seconds from their times. The Dark Souls speedrunning community is highly active, continually discovering new strategies to conquer the game in record time.

Dark Souls Remastered Battle Against Lothric Knight

9Hollow Knight

Hollow Knightis a critically acclaimed metroidvania game developed by Team Cherry, has captured hearts with its stunning visuals, haunting music, and immersive world. In the speedrunning community, Hollow Knight offers avariety of grueling bossesalong with plenty of opportunities for optimization.

Speedrunners delve into the game’s vast interconnected world, utilizing precise movement techniques, skips, and glitches to complete the game as fast as possible. The active Hollow Knight speedrunning community consistently shares strategies, discovers new tricks, and organizes events to showcase their skills.

Hollow Knight holding a sword close up

8Portal 2

A worthy successor to the firstPortal,Portal 2is a highly regarded puzzle-solving game that has become a favorite among speedrunners. With its innovative portal gun mechanics, you’ll navigate through intricate test chambers, bypassing intended solutions and finding creative shortcuts.

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Speedrunners focus on mastering precise portal placement, fluid movement, and exploiting the game’s physics to achieve astonishingly fast completion times. The Portal 2 speedrunning community has a dedicated fan base that organizes regular competitions and exhibits remarkable speedruns on various platforms.

7The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina Of Time

Regarded as one of the greatest games of all time,The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Timehas a rich history in the speedrunning world. This epic adventure game features an expansive world to explore, challenging dungeons, and a deep storyline.

Speedrunners of Ocarina of Time employ a combination of glitches, sequence breaks, and precise maneuvers to navigate Hyrule swiftly. The Ocarina of Time speedrunning community is vibrant and competitive, and will have you constantly refining your strategies to achieve new records in different categories.

Portal 2 - Glados Looking At Chell

6Celeste

Since its inception,Celestehas become a critically acclaimed indie platformer, best known for its story which follows the journey of a young girl named Madeline as she climbs a treacherous mountain. With its tight controls, challenging levels, and a heartwarming narrative, Celeste has become a beloved title whether you’re a casual player or a speedrunners.

Speedrunners tackle the game’s levels with precision, exploiting advanced movement techniques and pixel-perfect jumps to conquer the mountain in record time. The Celeste speedrunning community is highly active, offering resources, leaderboards, and regular events to engage with fellow enthusiasts.

Link fighting a skultula in the Deku Tree in The Legend Of Zelda: Ocarina of Time

5Super Mario 64

Super Mario 64, the classic 3D platformer developed byNintendo, revolutionized the genre upon its release. The game’s open-world design and innovative mechanics paved the way for the speedrunning community to explore various glitches, skips, and shortcuts.

Speedrunners showcase their mastery of movement and precise jumps as they navigate through the game’s iconic levels, aiming for the fastest completion times. The Super Mario 64 speedrunning community is highly competitive, you’ll have to continually refining your strategies and discover new ways to optimize your runs.

Madeline speaks to Theo by a bonfire on the mountainside

4Metroid

A renowned action-adventure franchise developed by Nintendo,Metroidhas a dedicated speedrunning community due to its nonlinear gameplay and exploration elements. Speedrunners utilize their knowledge of the game’s intricate maps, power-ups, and sequence breaks to complete the game as efficiently as possible.

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Metroid speedruns often involve intricate routing, expert execution of advanced techniques, and exploiting glitches to reach their objectives swiftly. The Metroid speedrunning community celebrates both individual games within the series, such as Super Metroid, and the Metroid series as a whole.

3Cuphead

Cuphead, an acclaimed run-and-gun indie game developed by Studio MDHR, is known for paying homage to classic 1930s cartoon animation. With itsrage-worthy boss battlesand beautiful hand-drawn art style, Cuphead has attracted a passionate speedrunning community.

Speedrunners face off against the game’s formidable bosses, utilizing precise movement, rapid shooting, and memorization to achieve quick victory. The Cuphead speedrunning community is enthusiastic, sharing strategies, organizing tournaments, and celebrating impressive runs.

Mario standing before Bowser in Super Mario 64

2Doom

The legendary first-person shooter franchise developed byid Software,Doomhas a long-standing speedrunning community that thrives on fast-paced action and intense gameplay. Speedrunners navigate through demon-infested levels, optimizing movement, exploiting glitches, and executing precise weapon swaps to achieve blistering completion times.

With the release of new Doom games, such as the critically acclaimed 2016 reboot and its sequel,Doom Eternal, the speedrunning community has continued to expand and evolve, demonsrating impressive displays of skill and agility.

Samus charges her beam toward Ridley

1Fallout: New Vegas

Fallout: New Vegas, a post-apocalyptic role-playing game developed byObsidian Entertainment, offering a vast open world with branching storylines and countless quests. Speedrunners in the Fallout: New Vegas community strive to find the most efficient routes, skipping unnecessary quests and dialogue to achieve rapid completion.

You’ll need to employ creative strategies, exploit glitches, and make critical decisions to optimize your playthroughs. The Fallout: New Vegas speedrunning community is dedicated and collaborative, sharing route optimizations, discussing glitches, and celebrating the game’s complex speedruns.

Cuphead and Mugman fight Beppi the Clown

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A screenshot showing gameplay in Fallout: New Vegas