Speedrunning Basics for Beginners

Pick a short game you already know well. Learn the route in sections rather than memorising the whole run. Every game teaches its rules before it tests them, so the first hour is worth paying attention to.

Understand the system first

Use a simple timer before investing in a complex setup. Watch a beginner route video rather than a world record run. Preparation is usually the difference between a fair challenge and a frustrating one.

Prepare before the hard part

Note the skips that are realistic for your skill level. Practise one section until it is consistent before moving on. A failed attempt is information, not a verdict, provided you change one thing next time.

Before looking up a solution, spend one attempt watching what the game is actually asking for. Most hard sections telegraph the answer through enemy behaviour, level design, or a line of dialogue. Write down what killed you and change one variable next time: position, timing, or equipment. A guide is most useful after you understand the problem, not before. Keep a short note of what you tried and what changed, because memory after a failed attempt is unreliable.

Record your runs so you can compare them later. Guides are most useful when they explain why a tactic works rather than only what to press.

Before the next attempt

• Pick a short game
• Learn the route in sections
• Use a simple timer
• Compare only with yourself

Learn from one attempt

Learn the movement basics first, since they save the most time. Check the category rules, which differ between leaderboards. The difficulty setting exists to keep the game enjoyable, and using it is not cheating.

Do not compare your first runs with world records. Join a community for the game, which usually has beginner routes.

Stop when it stops being fun

Take breaks, since long runs cause mistakes. Keep a note of the splits that need work. Take a break when progress stops, because fatigue makes the same mistake feel unavoidable.

If progress stalls for several sessions, lower the difficulty or take a longer break rather than repeating the same attempt. Games are designed to be finished, and the setting is part of the design. Keep notes short, avoid spoiling the parts you have not reached, and remember that a guide is a tool for enjoying the game, not a measure of how you played it. Play a short session with the new approach before judging it, and stop when the game stops being enjoyable rather than proving something to the difficulty setting. Note the attempt number and what changed, since the pattern of failures names the missing skill more clearly than the guide does, and change the approach rather than the effort when the same mistake repeats.

Check the version of the game, since routes change with patches. Submit a run only when the rules and the recording requirements are met. Consistency comes before speed. If you want the wider picture, read Achievement Hunting Without Burnout before you decide.

For the underlying guidance, see the PC Gamer guides.