From Glitches to Exploits: The Most Unbelievable Speedrun Techniques

24 April 2025

Ever watched a speedrun and thought, how on Earth are they doing that?! You're not alone. The world of speedrunning is ridiculously fascinating—it’s a wild mix of precision, science, and a bit of “what if I press this button while standing on that pixel?” Whether you’re a hardcore gamer or just someone with a passing interest in video games, speedrunning has its own magnetic charm.

At its core, speedrunning is about beating a game as fast as possible. But as you dive deeper, you’ll find it’s much more than just blazing through levels. It’s digging into a game’s code, breaking what’s meant to be unbreakable, and bending the rules until they snap. Let’s dive into some of the craziest glitches, exploits, and downright jaw-dropping techniques that speedrunners have pulled off over the years.

What Exactly Is Speedrunning?

Before we jump into the crazy stuff, let’s make sure we’re on the same page. Speedrunning isn’t just about playing a game fast. It’s an art form (yes, I said art), honed through endless practice, a borderline obsession with details, and sometimes, just pure dumb luck.

Games are typically divided into categories in the speedrunning world, like:
- Any%: Finish the game as fast as possible. Doesn’t matter if you skip half the levels.
- 100%: Complete everything. No shortcuts here!
- Glitchless: No breaking the game allowed. Play it as intended (boring? Maybe).

While there are more, these are the big three. And trust me, when glitches are allowed, speedrunners turn into mad scientists.

The Art of Breaking Games

Here’s the thing. Video games are designed by humans, and humans? We mess up. Every game, no matter how polished, has cracks in its armor. And speedrunners? They’re like the water seeping into those cracks, slowly but surely expanding them into full-blown chasms.

Some glitches are accidental discoveries—someone trips over them during casual play. Others? They’re meticulously hunted down. Let’s not forget that speedrunners are armed with an arsenal of tools like frame-by-frame analysis and community-driven research. They’re not just playing games; they’re reverse-engineering them.

The Wildest Speedrun Techniques

Now, to the main event. Here are some of the most mind-blowing techniques from speedrunning history. (Warning: Prepare to question reality.)

1. Backwards Long Jump (Super Mario 64)

If you’ve ever speedrun (or watched someone speedrun) Super Mario 64, this one probably rings a bell. The Backwards Long Jump, or BLJ, is an iconic glitch that defies physics in the most entertaining way.

Here’s how it works: Mario’s long jump gains momentum with each frame, but if you do it backwards, the game kinda… forgets to cap that speed. The result? Mario zooms backward at light speed, clipping through walls and skipping entire sections of the game.

Think about it—Bowser’s elaborate puzzles and locked doors? Gone. All thanks to Mario’s uncanny ability to break the laws of physics.

2. Wrong Warp (The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time)

You’d think Ocarina of Time—a masterpiece of game design—would be bulletproof, right? Nope. Enter: the Wrong Warp.

This technique involves tricking the game into loading the wrong area when you pass through a loading zone. With the right setup (and a sprinkle of black magic), Link can warp straight to the end credits.

Yup, you read that right. Go from the start of the game to the end credits in seconds. Speedrunning gold.

3. Save Corruption (Various Games)

This one’s not for the faint of heart. Save corruption involves messing with a game’s save files in wild and creative ways.

For example, in The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening, players can manipulate the game’s memory by saving and quitting in just the right spots. The result? Skipping huge chunks of the game—and sometimes even rewriting how the game behaves.

It’s like hacking the Matrix, but without the cool sunglasses.

4. Out of Bounds (Almost Every Game)

“Out of bounds” glitches are the bread and butter of speedruns. Ever wondered what’s behind those walls you’re not supposed to reach? Speedrunners not only reach them—they exploit them.

Take Portal, for example. By strategically jumping and placing portals, runners can clip out of the intended play area, effectively teleporting to their destination. It’s like taking a shortcut through another dimension.

And it’s not just Portal. Out-of-bounds skips show up in everything from Metroid Prime to Dark Souls. It’s a universal speedrunning staple.

5. Bomb Jumping (Metroid Series)

Samus Aran doesn’t need elevators or stairs—she has bombs. In this technique, speedrunners use bombs to launch Samus into the air, bypassing obstacles and reaching areas long before they’re "supposed" to.

It’s a simple concept, but mastering it takes insane timing. Watching a skilled runner bomb jump their way through a level is like watching a virtuoso perform. Absolute poetry.

6. Item Duplication (Minecraft)

Remember when you first stumbled into Minecraft and painstakingly gathered diamonds? Speedrunners laugh at that struggle.

With item duplication glitches, they can multiply resources like diamonds, iron, or obsidian. One well-known method involves dropping items and saving the game at the exact right moment. Done correctly, the game doubles the items.

It’s like turning one dollar into a hundred with some sleight of hand.

Why Do Speedrunners Do This?

Okay, so speedrunners spend thousands of hours finding these obscure glitches, perfecting skips, and, frankly, breaking games in ways their developers never imagined. But… why?

For some, it’s the thrill of the challenge. For others, it’s about community—the collective effort to push games faster and faster. And let’s not ignore the sheer joy of sticking it to a game’s boundaries. After all, rules are meant to be bent.

It’s also about discovery. Every glitch, exploit, and skip found is like unearthing buried treasure. You’re uncovering something that was always there but hidden in plain sight.

The Ethical Question

Now, here’s a thought: Is this cheating? Some purists argue that speedrunning using glitches isn’t “real” speedrunning. They prefer glitchless runs, where players rely purely on skill and game knowledge.

But honestly, isn’t breaking the game a skill in itself? Speedrunning isn’t about following rules—it’s about redefining them. In many cases, the glitches themselves require insane precision and timing.

The Future of Speedrunning

As games get more complex, so do the glitches. Speedrunning communities are still discovering new tricks in games that are decades old. And with modern tools like modding and TAS (Tool-Assisted Speedruns), the possibilities are endless.

Whether you’re a fan of the classic games or the shiny next-gen titles, one thing’s for sure: speedrunning will keep pushing the limits of what’s possible.

It’s a living, breathing testament to human creativity and obsession. Because if there’s one thing speedrunners have taught us, it’s this: There’s always a faster way.