Two ways to set up Minecraft speedrun timers for free

When fractions of a second are on the line, the timer is everything.

To nobody’s surprise, the timer plays a massive role in speedrunning. While the exact time of a run is usually determined by the replay, timers allow runners to monitor their runs as they happen and compare them against previous attempts.

In a game like Minecraft where RNG can be especially prevalent, speedrunners rely heavily on timers to track their progress. Whether you’re looking to set a new world record or just race against your friends, here are two free ways to set up Minecraft speedrun timers.

Best Minecraft speedrun timer program

The most popular speedrun timer across games is LiveSplit, and for very good reason. LiveSplit is extremely simple to set up and very easy to use.

Players can create custom splits with ease and view previous runs at the click of a button. To set up a Minecraft speedrun timer, head to the official LiveSplit website and download the program. The website also has resources and an FAQ for setting it up, but here’s the fastest way to get it running.

Once you’ve extracted the file, start the LiveSplit executable and right-click on the black box. Select “Edit Splits” and create a profile for your Minecraft speedrun. Write the important parts of your intended route in the “Segment Name” column. Finally, head back to the black box and right-click to go to the settings menu. Select your preferred time key, and you’ve finished setting up a basic Minecraft speedrun timer.

LiveSplit understands the importance of precision in speedrunning. Instead of using your computer’s clock, the program syncs up with an atomic clock over the internet. It will then update your split times with the atomic clock, meaning your Minecraft speedrun timer is always perfectly accurate. If you don’t want to go through the trouble of setting up a speedrun timing program, there’s one more option that’s just as viable.

Best Minecraft speedrun timer website

If you don’t want to download a special speedrun timer, you have another great option. Splitty is a web-based speedrun timer that works right in your browser. It requires no downloads and runs right in your browser. Splitty can generate and import speedrun splits from other users, which can make your Minecraft speedrun journey even faster.

Considering that Splitty is a developer’s side project, it doesn’t have quite as many features as LiveSplit. It can also be a little finicky to use with games that use a controller. Almost all Minecraft speedrunners use a mouse and keyboard, which means that Splitty is a perfectly valid alternative to an independent program.