Speedrunning communities are some of the most dedicated and passionate fanbases out there, and we’ve compiled a list of the most popular games to speedrun of all time.
If you’ve ever obsessed over a certain game or series, you may be aware of the tight-knit speedrunning community that comes with it. Most games will gather either a large or small number of people devoted to beating it in the fastest way possible, usually for personal glory.
We’ve partnered with NHTSA to explore the incredible talents of speedrunners, and how important is it to take it slow and stay mindful behind the wheel in real life.
Here are the top ten games with the most speedruns of all time, according to speedrun.com.
10. The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time
- 9,136 runs
- Any% World Record: 3m 50s
- 100% World Record: 3h 45m 51s
Number ten on our list is The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time. Quite possibly the most popular entry in Nintendo’s Legend of Zelda series, Ocarina of Time is a favorite amongst speedrunners due to its 25-year legacy bringing about a number of different strategies. Now, it’s possible to clear the game in just a few minutes. You won’t even be leaving the starting area. A 100% or glitchless run would take you far longer though, as any% allows speedrunners to finish the game to any level of completion.
9. Super Metroid
- 11,943 runs
- Any% World Record: 40m 45s
- 100% World Record: 1h 12m 55s
The oldest title on our list is Super Metroid, a fan-favorite game originally released on the SNES. With its core focus being on exploration and power-up collection, this is a popular title for games to speedrun, where runners are constantly finding new ways to break the game. Glitches, sequence breaks and hidden secrets means plenty of ways to bring down the average clear time, and its almost 30-year history means there’s plenty of experience laid down on the game too.
8. Getting Over It With Bennett Foddy
- 12,851 runs
- Glitchless World Record: 0m 59s
If you’ve ever played Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy, you may be aware of just how frustrating it is. It’s a game where you play as a guy sitting in a big metal pot, and your goal is to use a hammer to grip and move yourself forward and upwards. The platforming elements combined with difficulty of moving around makes it an incredibly rewarding experience for speedrunners.
7. Portal
- 14,517 runs
- Out of Bounds World Record: 5m 54s
- Glitchless World Record: 14m 29s
The simplicity of Portal makes it a famous game within speedrun circles. By simply using the game’s two-way portal system, along with a few exploits and tricks along the way, gives it an easy-to-learn, hard-to-master edge. Additionally, keeping each stage of the game confined to single rooms also makes it an easy game to learn, as you can isolate each segment down to perfection.
6. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe
- 16,659 runs
- 48 Tracks World Record: 1h 29m 15s
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You might think Mario Kart is an odd franchise to speedrun, but pretty much every entry in the series has been massively successful with speedrunning. Mario Kart 8 Deluxe is no exception. Typically, these speedruns are done in the time trial mode so hazards like other drivers and items are avoided, and many different glitches are exploited. There are even some stages that allow you to skip a majority of the track and finish within seconds.
5. Celeste
- 19,377 runs
- Any% World Record: 25m 37s
- 100% World Record: 1h 41m 35s
Celeste’s famously difficult platforming but forgiving checkpoint system makes it a great fit for learning to speedrun. If you watch any of the top-performing entries on the list, you’ll notice just how well-paced every run is. Every room is so thoughtfully routed out, with very few mistakes made or time wasted. A full run can take about half an hour, and there are so many ‘blink-and-you’ll-miss-it’ moments.
4. Super Mario Odyssey
- 21,617 runs
- Any% World Record: 56m 40s
- 100% World Record: 8h 33m 57s
Another Mario game for the list. Super Mario Odyssey’s inclusion here comes as no shock. It’s an incredibly popular Switch game and features many different collectibles to grab, as well as hundreds of platforming tricks to perform. That alone would make it an obvious title for speedrunners to embrace. A full 100% run may take a portion of a day to finish, but seeing a runner collect every single moon in record time is nothing shy of impressive.
3. Minecraft: Java Edition
- 31,632 runs
- Any% World Record: 1m 38s
- All Achievements World Record: 29m 11s
Minecraft is the biggest bestselling game in the world, having sold approximately 238 million copies worldwide. So its appearance this high up on the speedrunning leaderboards doesn’t need to be questioned. While the typical Minecraft playthrough is open-ended, speedruns usually task players with completing a certain goal such as defeating the Enderdragon or collecting all achievements.
2. Super Mario 64
- 40,467 runs
- 0 Star World Record: 6m 20s
- 120 Star World Record: 1h 37m 35s
The third and final Mario game on this list is the eternally-popular Super Mario 64. Originally released in 1996, Super Mario 64 is often considered the golden egg of speedrunning. It’s an easy game to learn, due to its core gameplay being incredibly fun and accessible, as well as there being a barrage of different tasks to complete and glitches to exploit. Speedrunners will be playing Super Mario 64 until the end of existence itself.
1. Subway Surfers
- 89,421 runs
- Any% World Record: 16m 00s
Subway Surfers is the most surprising entry of this list of the most popular speedruns, as it’s not a game you may have even heard of despite being around for over a decade. However, it has since become an incredibly popular title for mobile gamers, especially due to its booming popularity on TikTok. The goal for Subway Surfers speedruns differs depending on the speedrun category, with the point being about collecting the required amount of coins in the fastest way possible.
If you want to check out more speedrunning content from us, we’ve got the fastest speedruns of all time as well as some of the worst speedrun fails on the internet.
