We explain all the different types of Minecraft speedruns

Speedrunning has taken over the Minecraft world, but not all Minecraft speedruns have the same goal in mind.

The diverse world of Minecraft demands an equally diverse set of speedrunning categories for its players to compete in. The goals can vary from attaining achievements, to collecting items, to destroying the Ender Dragon. If you want to see your name on the leaderboards, these are the most competitive categories for Minecraft speedruns.

All of the times and category rules were taken from speedrun.com’s Minecraft: Java Edition Category Extensions.

Filtered Seed Glitchless Minecraft Speedrun

Filtered seed glitchless is what most players think of when they hear the phrase Minecraft speedrun. This category involves completing the game by defeating the Ender Dragon. This particular Minecraft speedrunning ruleset uses a list of approved seeds that have been found by the community. 

That approved list has to led to times that are incredibly low despite the sheer amount of stuff that needs to be done. The current FSG Minecraft speedrun record holder is Feinberg, with a record time of 5:42.117. That record is nearly a minute faster than the second-fastest filtered seed Minecraft speedrun.

Kill Bosses Minecraft Speedrun

If you want a more action-oriented speedrun, the Kill Bosses category might be for you. In this Minecraft speedrun variation, players have to kill the Ender Dragon, a Wither, and an Elder Guardian in succession. Taking on the three toughest enemies in the game might sound troublesome, but clever players have gotten the record time down to under 9 minutes.

There’s a massive gap between the time achieved on random seeds and set seeds. The random seed all bosses Minecraft speedrun record is currently 39:47.850 thanks to French gamer MathoX. The set seed variation is just over a fifth of that at 8:23.400 set by nEmerald. Having a good world spawn shaves more than 30 minutes of the total run.

How Did We Get Here? Minecraft Speedrun

In this variation of Minecraft speedrunning, the goal is to get what many consider to be the most difficult achievement in Minecraft. How Did We Get Here? is awarded to players who somehow manage to be affected by every modifier at the same time. That list includes 28 different effects including all buffs and debuffs.

How Did We Get Here? is one of the most taxing methods of speedrunning Minecraft. The current record on a randomly generated seed with no glitches is just under six-and-a-half hours set by M4xx. With a set seed and glitches, Curcuit was able to cut that down to 32:03.067.

The weirdest Minecraft Speedrun categories

In addition to all the standard Minecraft speedrun formats listed above, there are a few categories that are completely different from the standard fare. These usually involve acquiring a specific item or earning a certain achievement.

The All Swords Minecraft speedrun requires players to craft wood, stone, gold, iron, and diamond swords as quickly as possible. There are several variations between patches, structures, seeds, and more. The absolute fastest time is currently by Australian gamer 8w who acquired all five swords in 13.667 seconds.

The current record holder for Hero of the Village achievement Minecraft speedrun is DylanDC14 with a time of 1:25.900. The innovative player discovered a way to skip the raid fight entirely. His run relies on a set seed, the geometry of which forces the raid to spawn far enough away for the game to think the raid is completed. 

Lastly, the Sonic, Tails, and Knuckles speedrun requires players to dye three separate sheep blue, red, and yellow. This absurd Minecraft speedrun category is currently held by tinpot with a record speed of 7.817 seconds.