speedrun

[ speed-ruhn ]

noun

1. (in a video game) a session or instance of play in which the goal is to finish the game or level, or meet another game-play objective, as quickly as possible:

   Can you beat a 45-minute speedrun of Super Mario?

verb (used with object)

1. to play (a video game) with such a goal:

   She tried to speedrun the dungeon without fighting any ghouls.

Word History and Origins

Origin of speedrun¹

First recorded in 2000–05; speed ( def ) + run ( def )

Example Sentences

Although the series was a fun family hit, speedrunning has a dedicated community built around it.

From BBC

Similar to running in real life, speedrunning involves extensive periods of solitude and painstaking labor.

From New York Times

It’s not 24 hours of wall-to-wall speedrunning with breaks taking place at night for sleep, but the stream will still run, mimicking the strange but fascinating rise of “sleep streams.”

From The Verge

It is not known why Mekarazium chose to disclose his cheating, but members of the speedrunning subreddit r/speedrun posited it might be because he was possibly about to be outed for the deception.

From The Verge

This is how Distortion2 was able to beat the game without beating a single enemy, bypassing even Malekith, the speedrun’s only mandatory boss fight.

From The Verge