The 10 best speedrunning games for beginners

Speedrunning a game is simply completing a game as fast as possible, which has become a popular trend for gamers and streamers alike. If done properly, you can draw thousands of viewers to your stream or video channel. Gamers want a way to get started with speedrunning, but also want more advice than “start with a game that you love.”

While there’s nothing inherently wrong with that advice, not all games are built for speedrunning (such as visual novels) or are games that people want to see speedruns of. You might never have done speedrunning before, and need some practice before you try to make your mark on gaming history. Here are the 10 best speedrunning games for beginners to build your streaming or video foundation.

Related: How to do a Minecraft speed run

The best speedrunning games for beginners

10) Hades

Hades is a rogue-like action game that has a simple goal; get out of the Underworld as fast as you can. The gameplay is easy to learn, it’s straightforward to complete, and it doesn’t take too long. It will require a lot of practice, since there are several weapons and Aspects you must learn about and practice with. Fortunately, that learning curve gives you the chance to develop your own personality as a speedrunner, and get used to the methods used to speedrun games.

9) Super Mario Odyssey

Mario games are a great choice for speedrunning because they are popular and most of the tricks to speedrun are easy to learn. There’s a variety of methods to speed up Mario’s travel in Super Mario Odyssey, and different routes to explore. You experiment with different paths and do your best to compete with your own times. Since Mario speedruns are common, you also have benchmarks to compare your times and learn from others who have done the same.

8) Roblox

Roblox seems like an unusual choice for speedrunning since the library of games is vast. However, that vast library works to your advantage as a speedrunner, as that means there are several games that others might not have touched. Once you have polished your speedrunning skills, you can use Roblox games to start refining your times. With a large number of Roblox players, it’s not too difficult to pick up an audience while you’re at it.

7) Outlast

Outlast is known for being one of the scariest horror games on the market, but horror games are significantly less scary when you speedrun. Once you know where all the jump scares are and where the enemies come from, you have an easier time handling the horror. You eventually become numb to the scares and more focused on the time you spend clearing the game. There are also two ways to speedrun: with glitches or without glitches. This gives you a good insight into glitch exploitation if you want to take that to other games.

6) Super Meat Boy

Platformers are a popular choice for speedrunning, especially when they are as difficult as Super Meat Boy. You will test your precision against the puzzles and obstacles, but you can complete the challenges quickly if you are good enough. It will take a lot of practice to get your time down, but it’s good training for future platformers that may be easier or harder than Super Meat Boy.

5) Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night

The older Castlevania games are great choices when it comes to speedrunning, because they aren’t complex platformers. Instead, they test your knowledge of boss strategies, shortcuts, and knowledge of when to fight enemies. Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night isn’t a Castlevania game per se, but it’s still similar enough with a variety of characters that give you many choices for speedrunning footage.

4) Simpsons Hit and Run

The Simpsons Hit and Run is essentially Grand Theft Auto in Springfield. It’s not a long game to complete, but it will test your skills in driving and understanding the possible shortcuts. You must also factor in costumes and vehicles to buy, and knowing what you need to finish the game is vital for a successful speedrun. Learning new tricks from the community is also helpful, as you must build on the knowledge of others to grow as a speedrunner.

3) Dark Souls

Dark Souls set the standard for unforgiving combat where you die frequently. But if you know what you are doing, it’s possible to avoid dying and defeat bosses in a short time. This is a game that takes a large amount of practice time, but you can carry this forward into other Souls-like games such as Elden Ring. There’s inevitably going to be more games in the Souls-like style, and learning the basics here will set you up for speedrunning those future releases.

2) Portal 2

Portal and its sequel, Portal 2, are great games for the avid speedrunner. You must know all the puzzle solutions and think of ways to speed up the time. That means knowing how to utilize the portals in order to shave off seconds from your completion time. These aren’t long games either, allowing you to complete your runs quickly and start again.

1) Resident Evil 2 (2019)

The Resident Evil franchise is known for its survival horror roots, testing your knowledge on when to fight and when to run. The Resident Evil 2 remake is no different, with several difficulty options and restrictions to test your speedrunning skills. You must know how enemies work, how you can shake off Mr. X, and what the optimal puzzle solutions are to get the fastest time possible.