How to Get Into Speedrunning on PC Without Burning Out

You have watched speedruns for months and now you want to try one yourself, but the leaderboards are full of times that look impossible and the setup guides assume you already know what a split or a load remover is. Most beginners quit in the first week, not because they are slow, but because they picked the wrong game and the wrong goal.

Speedrunning on PC is one of the most welcoming corners of gaming once you know how the community works. This guide covers how to choose a first game, set up the tools for free, practise without burning out and share your runs, based on two years of running and moderating a small leaderboard.

What speedrunning culture actually values

From the outside, speedrunning looks like a race for world records. Inside, most of the culture is about personal bests. Of the thousands of people on a popular game's leaderboard, only a handful will ever be near the top, and almost everyone knows that. A new runner who shaves 40 seconds off their own time gets genuine congratulations in a game's Discord server.

That focus on self-improvement is why speedrunning suits people who like routines. A typical hobby runner might practise three evenings a week for an hour, track their split times in a spreadsheet and celebrate a 2 second improvement on a single level. The progress is visible, measurable and entirely your own.

The community also runs on shared knowledge. Routes, tricks and setup files are posted openly, and veteran runners regularly answer beginner questions. Like the modding communities that keep old PC games alive, speedrunning groups often keep a game relevant years after its last update.

How to pick your first game for speedrunning on PC

The game you pick matters more than any tool or technique. A good first choice has four traits:

• A short run. Aim for a game or category that takes 10 to 30 minutes. You will reset a lot, and a two-hour run means you only practise the opening.
• An active leaderboard. Check speedrun.com for the game. Look for at least 50 runners and submissions in the last six months, which means someone will verify your run and answer questions.
• A game you already like. You will play the same first level 200 times. If you do not enjoy it, you will stop.
• A beginner-friendly category. "Any%" with major glitches can need frame-perfect inputs. Many games have a "glitchless" or "beginner" category that is a gentler start.

Popular first picks include Celeste (Any% takes around 30 minutes for a beginner), Portal (an inbounds run sits around 20 to 30 minutes) and Refunct, which can be finished in under 5 minutes and has a friendly community.

The free setup you need

You do not need to buy anything beyond the game.

Timer and splits

LiveSplit is the standard free timer on Windows. It shows your time and "splits", which are checkpoints that compare each section of your run against your best. Most games have a splits file you can download from the game's speedrun.com resources page. Many PC games also have an auto-splitter that starts, splits and pauses the timer during loads automatically, which keeps your times fair across fast and slow hardware.

Recording

OBS Studio is free and records your gameplay with the timer visible. Most leaderboards require video proof for every submitted run. Record at 1080p and 30 or 60 fps. A 25 minute run at those settings is usually 1 to 3 GB, so check your free space before a long session.

Hardware

Your PC does not need to be high-end, but stable frame rates matter more than high ones. Lock your frame rate with an in-game cap if the game allows it, since some leaderboards set rules about maximum fps.

The counter-take: do not practise full runs

Beginners usually practise by starting the run, playing until they make a mistake, then resetting. It feels like practice. It is mostly practice of the first five minutes.

Experienced runners practise in segments. Most PC speedgames have a practice mod, a save-state tool or a level select that lets you replay one difficult section 20 times in a row. Ten focused minutes on a hard jump does more for your time than an hour of full attempts that never reach it.

Do one full run at the end of a session to string it together, and reset less often than you want to. A completed run with two mistakes teaches you the late game. A reset teaches you nothing new.

Avoiding burnout and keeping it fun

Speedrunning has a reputation for burnout, and it is deserved. Grinding the same 20 minutes for weeks can turn a favourite game into a chore. A few habits help:

1. Cap sessions at 60 to 90 minutes. Your reflexes and focus drop after that, and you will start making mistakes you had already fixed.
2. Set process goals, not just time goals. "Land the skip 7 times out of 10 in practice" is something you control. "Get under 25 minutes" depends on a lot going right at once.
3. Take breaks between personal bests. After a big improvement, play something else for a few days. Many runners come back and beat their time on the first attempt.
4. Watch your posture. Long sessions add up. A setup that supports you properly matters here, as we covered in gaming chair vs office chair.

Submitting your first run and joining the community

When you finish a run you are happy with, upload the video to YouTube or Twitch as unlisted or public, then submit it on the game's speedrun.com page with the link and your time. Read the category rules carefully before you start recording: things like timing method, allowed settings and whether the run must include the start screen often lead to rejections.

Verification can take a few days to a few weeks on smaller boards, since moderators are volunteers. Join the game's Discord while you wait, introduce yourself in the beginner channel and ask questions. Most communities hold occasional races, which are a relaxed way to meet other runners at your level, much like the social side we described in why LAN parties still matter.

Frequently asked questions

What is the easiest game to start speedrunning?

Short games with active communities make the best start, such as Refunct, Portal or Celeste. Choose a game you already enjoy and a category under 30 minutes. A friendly Discord server matters as much as the game itself.

Do I need a powerful PC to speedrun?

No. Most popular speedgames run well on modest hardware, and stable frame rates matter more than high ones. Many leaderboards use load removers so slower loading times do not count against you.

How long does it take to get good at speedrunning?

Most beginners see large improvements in the first two to four weeks of regular practice, often cutting several minutes off their first time. Progress then slows into smaller gains. Practising hard sections separately speeds things up considerably.