Your first lap is over in 9 seconds. You miss the jump, you see the timer counting down and you press restart. Then again you do it. It attracts millions of players across the globe. Turn any game into a race against time – and get a free timer and a game you already have to begin today! This guide provides speedrunning advice for novice players who don’t want all the confusing jargon. You will learn how to select a game, how to set up, memorize routes and practice efficiently. Additionally, you will receive a comparison chart, mindset tips and short answers to frequently asked questions.
Table of Contents
When it comes to speed running tips for beginner gamers, it starts with the right game
This is the wrong thing that most newcomers do. They choose a large, legendary game that has a bad reputation, a large community and a thousand tricks. As a result of this, they get lost within a week and leave.
Choose differently. Play a game that you currently like. In the hundredth reset, passion propels you through. In the meantime, with a short game, you get quick feedback. A whole attempt can be completed in minutes, not hours!
Before committing, take a close look at the leaderboard. Go to speedrun.com and type in your game. Look at the number of runners who enter. Often beginners will be welcomed warmly by a small friendly scene. However, a game with no runners is not very informative, so stay away from the extremes on both ends.
How to Choose the Right Category and Improve Your Personal Best
Then, review the categories. They’re in all games. “Any%” is when you play the game as quickly as you can (any trick is allowed). “100%” means “all at once”. Any% is the best option for beginners, as the route remains shorter and simpler.
It’s also important to keep in mind the rules. Some categories don’t allow glitches. Others encourage them. Always carefully read the rules page, as a ban on a trick can cancel a run that took hours.
Last but not least, take into account the difficulty level of the game. Platformers require accuracy. Puzzle games require the use of planning. Games of role-playing reward efficiency of menu. So match the genre to your strengths! Planning is a fun activity for those who like it; select a route-heavy game. If you’re a fan of mechanical mechanics, go for a platformer.
Check out some of the world record runs also. If they seem like too much of a hassle, don’t be concerned. Rather, pay attention to the tempo and the rhythm. You will see patterns that at some time appeared to be magic over time.
Remember that you have a very simple objective. You want to try attaining your own best time. This is a mountain that is far away from the world record. The next step is your personal best.
For the beginner speedrunners, here are some tips for essential tools and setups.
Friction is eliminated with good tools. Fortunately, the majority of them are free.
A timer. On the PC, the community standard is LiveSplit. Records time, saves splits and compares each split with your best. Splits: are checkpoints that you establish along the way. The splits indicate whether you are faster or slower than your own performances. This means that you will find out precisely exactly where your time goes.
A recording tool. There are several leaderboards that ask for video proof. You can record your gameplay for free in OBS Studio. Keep a record of any serious attempt. Personal bests can surprise you at any time. Furthermore, you learn more from watching a video again than by memorizing it.
A solid controller or keyboard. Consistency matters. Select an input device that you have confidence in, and give up on changing equipment. This muscle memory develops around one set-up. Additionally, look for input lag, as lag takes the place of accurate hacks.
The appropriate version of the game. Speedrunners are very serious about versions. Patches fix glitches, load times, and routes. Review the rules of the leader board to ensure the community is using the appropriate version. If not, you could end up picking up some methods that don’t work anymore.
A notes document. Maintain a plain text file. Record your way, timing and errors. Check it prior to every session. This practice is simple, but it can greatly accelerate the learning process.
A comfortable environment. Sit up straight, drink water and turn off your phone. You’re straining your hands and eyes with long practice sessions. Take frequent breaks throughout the day. When you treat your body with kindness, you’re better functioning.
Master Timing Methods, Connect With the Community, and Prepare Your Setup
Then, practice the timing method. Real-time attack (RTA) is the most common method of running these most of the time. The clock ticking is from start to finish including loading screens. Other games will rely on in-game time, eliminating load times. See which method you use in your category. This rule is confusing when it’s not understood.
In addition, create a community Discord channel for your game. Daily, people who run there answer questions. Say hello and let them know that you are new. Most communities respond by providing advice, route files and encouragement. This means you save yourself weeks of trial and error.
Lastly, test setup prior to serious attempt. Do a casual practice, verify recording, and verify splits loading. There’s nothing more disappointing than running for a record without any video.
Core Speedrunning Tips for Beginner Gamers: Learn the Route, Skip the Waste
A route is a sequence of steps from one end of the sequence to the other. It guides you through where to go, what to pick up and which tricks to employ. If there is no route you just play. With one, you race.
First observe a complete run by an expert player. Follow the sequence of events. Then watch it again with a note-taking pad. Record each of the major sections. There are also a lot of guides on speedrun.com and in community wikis. Use them.
Then divide the run into smaller parts. Slowly work up to learning one section at a time. For instance, do level 1 before level 2. This sounds slow, but it does work. Small tasks are much easier on your brain than large tasks.
Work on individual parts of the skit. Some games allow you to reload a game or restart a stage. Use that feature. Do 20 consecutive challenging jumps. This means that your hands get used to the motion without taking a full run.
Master Game Skips, Reduce Risks, Optimize Menus, and Learn From Mistakes
Distinguish between skips and glitches. A skip is an exception to content, for instance, when a skips over a wall. Glitch: takes advantage of a bug, such as clipping through a door. Some are easy. Others require “frame perfect” inputs. Start with the basic ones. Keep the difficult maneuvers for the end.
Avoid taking risks; consistency is key. Newers tend to take shortcuts too soon that is risky. They manage to save two seconds, but only manage the trick 80% of the time. But, a safe path that you will always take, is better than a risky path that you may take and never finish. Find the safe route first. Add risk slowly thereafter.
Also, know the menus. There are a lot of games that waste time in inventory screens, dialogue boxes and cutscenes. Efficiently skipping text, and navigating menus quickly, can save a lot of time – often more than a flashy trick. Practice those tedious bits as well!
In addition, be able to learn from errors. All runs have mistakes. There are little and no-no mistakes that experienced runners are aware of. If it takes less than a few seconds to make a mistake, continue. When you’re done with a dirty run, you learn the rest of the way. Don’t reset too soon, else you sacrifice practice.
Last but not least, solicit input! Post your run in the community and request advice. Wasted movement is immediately noticeable to experts. Save 5 seconds at least for every comment.
Practice Methods: Speedrunning Tips for Beginner Gamers That Build Consistency
Structure is more important than talent. Long practice is a waste of time, better to do it smart!
Set small goals. Don’t fight for the World Record, instead, try for a clean 1st level. Then try for a clean first three levels. We can build confidence and feel good about ourselves with every little victory. Further, objectives help to keep your sessions focused.
Apply the maxim “slow is smooth.” The sloppy input is usually a consequence of fast hands. Focus on going a little slower until it’s executed clean. Speed follows accuracy. Your movements are eventually fast, without the need for you to think about them.
Track your progress. Check your splits at least once a week. See which segments get better and which get worse. Next session work on the weakest segment. This habit takes random practice and makes it intentional training.
Review your footage. Critically observe their own runs. Watch for hesitation, wasted jumps and missed shortcuts. Then compare them with a best runner. These gaps will stand out for you.
Practice short sessions. There were 30 to 60 focused minutes to four tired hours. You become tired with your focus and get into unhealthy routines. Therefore, close an exercise when making mistakes.
Prevent popular mistakes made by beginners
- Resetting too fast. There are some bad runs that need to be completed before learning the later sections.
- Copying without understanding. Get to know why a trick works, not simply how to push the buttons.
- Ignoring the rules. Submissions can be disqualified for one of the bans.
- Making comparisons with experts. They’ve been practicing longer than you’ve been practicing for; not your first month.
- Skipping rest. Lethargic hands are accident-prone and inefficient.
Also establish a plan or routine. Do a warm-up practice run with an easy part. Then go through your hardest part again. Complete with some full runs. This unit is comfortable after the first week.
If your game provides practice tools, use those to help while you await the live game. There are also a lot of popular games that have mods created by the community for practice, level selection or save state tools. These are added to enable repeating of difficult parts without having to replay the game. Find out from your community what tools they would suggest.
As time passes, your confidence builds up. You no longer have to fear the hard tricks. You proactively think about issues, rather than simply reacting to them. That tranquility of mind is the mark of a good runner.
Develop the Right Mindset and be part of the Community
Skill is important, but mindset is what really will take you where it’s going. There are so many tries and failures in speedrunning. For this reason, get yourself comfortable with the process.
First, accept resets. A reset is NOT a failure. It is information. Every restart is a lesson in timing, routing or nerves. Often, strong runners re-set many hundreds of times in the lead up to a personal best.
Secondly, acknowledge progress. You earned a smile for beating the time by one second. Advances in this pastime come by the slow-moving tick-tick. Expecting big leaps will lead to disappointment.
Third, manage frustration. All of us experience a wall. If the trick doesn’t seem to be working, move out of the way. Go for a walk, stretch or play something else. Then return fresh. Break helps to fix the problem; your brain learns skills during rest.
Stay Motivated, Engage With the Speedrunning Community, and Maintain Fair Play
In the meantime, be aware of the fact that comparison robs you of joy. The world record we see on social media is not the thousands of failures and numerous attempts that preceded it. Instead, concentrate on your own path.
The community is of great benefit. Speedrunners are good at giving advice to newbies. Participate in Discord servers, follow runners on streaming platforms and watch marathon events. Great runs are seen in charity games such as Games Done Quick and funds are raised for a worthy cause. They are a source of inspiration for you when you watch them.
In addition, try and stream your attempts. Streaming demands your attention. It also solicits input from audiences. Any audience is a good audience! But do not be pressured! There are many runners who run on their own and only let others know about their best runs.
Also, adhere to the community norms. Credit route creators. Follow the rules. Submit honest runs. Cheating means loss of trust and banning. It’s more important to have integrity than to be on the leaderboard.
Finally, stay curious. In each game, there is at least one secret. Try out movement, menus and mechanics. A lot of great tricks started off as some person’s random experiment. You may find the next one if you’re curious!
Comparing Speedrunning Tips for Beginner Gamers by Game Type
There are certain skills required for different genres. So, this table is a way for beginners to get started with each style.
| Game Type | Difficulty for Beginners | Key Skill | Best Starter Category | How Speedrunning Tips for Beginner Gamers Apply |
| Precision platformer | Medium to hard | Execution and timing | Any% | Practice small jumps in isolation before full runs |
| Puzzle game | Easy to medium | Planning and memory | Any% or short categories | Memorize the solution order and track splits |
| Role-playing game | Medium | Menu efficiency | Any% | Learn menus first, then add risky skips later |
| Short action game | Easy | Reflexes and routing | Any% | Reset often and learn one segment at a time |
| Open-world game | Hard | Route knowledge | Short quest categories | Start with small goals and study community guides |
The pattern is quite obvious in this table. Simple and short games are good for the beginners. Meanwhile, open world games require extensive knowledge and planning. There is no right or wrong answer. But first game must be equal to your patience and aims.
Use the table as a reference, rather than as a rulebook. Some people are instant fans of hard platformers. Other people like to have puzzle routes. Play 2 or 3 games for an evening. Then make a decision to support the one that is the most exciting.
Conclusion
Speedrunning is rewarding, and it requires patience, curiosity, practice. Elite reflexes or a high price tag is not necessary. You must have a game you enjoy, a simple setup and a plan.
Recall the key lessons. Play a game that has simple rules, break down the course into manageable sections, and practice for a purpose. Splits, footage review, or short sessions are all speedrunning tips that beginner gamers should use to help improve their performance gradually. Join in, ask questions, and have fun with each and every achievement. Also, view each reset as a learning experience.
Start today. Install LiveSplit, pick your game, and run your first attempt. Do not worry about the time. Simply finish. Then beat that time tomorrow. By applying these speedrunning tips for beginner gamers consistently, you will transform a casual hobby into a rewarding challenge.
Frequently Asked Questions FAQs
Q1: What Are the Best Speedrunning Tips for Beginner Gamers?
The best speedrunning tips for beginner gamers are simple. Pick a short game you enjoy, use LiveSplit to track your splits, and learn the route one segment at a time. Practice consistently, review your footage, and join the community for feedback.
Q2: How Do Speedrunning Tips for Beginner Gamers Help You Improve Faster?
These tips give you structure. Instead of replaying randomly, you target weak segments, track progress, and build clean habits. Consequently, you improve faster and avoid common mistakes like resetting too early or copying tricks without understanding them.
Q3: Which Game Should Beginners Choose According to Speedrunning Tips for Beginner Gamers?
Beginners should choose a short game with a clear Any% category and an active community. Check speedrun.com for the number of runners and the rules. A game you already love works best, because passion carries you through repetitive practice.
Q4: How Long Does It Take to Follow Speedrunning Tips for Beginner Gamers and See Results?
Most beginners see clear improvement within a few weeks of regular practice. You may shave seconds quickly at first. Later gains come slower. Consistent short sessions produce better results than occasional long marathons.
