How speedrun timing and verification work on leaderboards

The video, not the timer on screen, is the official record

Many runners show a timer program on their stream, but that is not the time that goes on the board. Speedrun.com's site rules say the time of a run is the time in the video from the starting condition to the ending condition, not the time shown on the timer program, which is started and ended with human error.

This is why every category's rules must define a timing start and a timing end, according to the site's moderation rules. Moderators can then retime a run by finding those exact frames in the video. Speedrun.com's beginner guide reassures new runners that if they forgot to time themselves, a full recording is enough for the run to be retimed accurately.

The moderation rules also note that post-processing video can have minor effects on frame rates, which is one reason moderators look closely at the source footage for very close times.

Submitting a run, field by field

Speedrun.com's guide to submitting a first run walks through the form. In order, you typically choose:

1. The category and any sub-category or variable, such as number of controllers or whether turbo was used.
2. The players, if it was a co-op run.
3. Your time, in whatever timing method the board uses (RTA, IGT, load-removed and so on).
4. A video link. The guide names YouTube, Twitch, Vimeo and Dailymotion as common hosts.
5. Board-specific fields such as game version, physical or digital copy, and platform.
6. The date the run was played, which may differ from the day you submit.
7. An optional description, where runners often note time losses or future improvements.

The site rules add that the video field must contain a video, not an image, and that runs split across several videos can link the extra parts in the comments.

What a moderator actually checks

After submission, the run joins a queue of pending runs. According to Speedrun.com's guide, moderators watch the run, check it is legitimate and follows the game's rules, then verify or reject it.

How closely they watch depends on the run. The moderation rules say that for the top time in a category, it is generally expected that the entire run be watched; for times that are not particularly notable, reviewing parts of the video may be enough.

The standard is described as a burden of proof. The rules state it is neither "innocent until proven guilty" nor "guilty until proven innocent": the question is whether the game's community would feel the run is legitimate with the evidence provided. A run does not have to be proved to be cheated in order to be rejected for insufficient proof.

For highly competitive times in highly competitive games, moderators may ask for extra evidence, such as a history of streaming or a long video of many attempts.

How long verification takes and when to follow up

Moderators are volunteers. Speedrun.com's site rules say they are generally given 21 days to handle a submission, and ask runners to wait at least 14 days before contacting moderators about a pending run. The game-page guide gives a rough expectation of one to three weeks, and notes that very busy boards, with Minecraft given as an example, can take longer.

If 21 days pass with no response, the beginner guide suggests messaging a moderator through their profile. Moderators are listed at the bottom of each leaderboard with sword icons; the guide recommends contacting those with a red sword, who are super moderators.

If a board's moderators have been inactive for a long time, runners can request moderation through Speedrun.com's support hub, usually with a pending run and evidence of attempts to make contact.

The most common reasons a run is rejected

Speedrun.com's beginner guide lists the usual causes: not showing the complete run, not including a video, and breaking a game-specific rule. Its example is using Assist Mode in a game where the rules forbid it.

The site and moderation rules add several more:

• Video quality too poor to see everything happening in the game.
• Inappropriate images or highly offensive audio in the recording.
• Submission comments that insult users or moderators.
• A run that is clearly not attempting to finish the category quickly.

On effort, the moderation rules say a minimum requirement is reasonable, and recommend accepting at least a first playthrough done in one sitting with the intention of playing quickly. So beginners are not turned away for being slow.

Moderators are also told not to reject runs just because a newer, faster time from the same player exists; older runs stay in the database as history.

What counts as cheating under the site rules

Speedrun.com's site rules list practices that are not allowed by default, unless a game's rules explicitly permit them:

• Turbo controllers or similar non-native functions (with an exception for a console that natively supported turbo).
• Segmented runs made in several sittings, which are most often disallowed or tracked separately.
• Splicing, meaning joining parts of different runs and presenting them as one; the rules say this will most often lead to a ban.
• Cheat codes.
• Tool-assisted emulator features such as save states, re-recording and frame advance.
• Reading or changing game memory with outside tools, with community-approved exceptions such as auto-splitters and stream trackers.

The rules also forbid submitting falsified runs to "test" moderators. If you are unsure whether something is allowed, the site's advice is to ask a moderator first.

Practical habits that make verification smoother

A few habits, drawn from Speedrun.com's guidance, save time for both runner and moderator:

• Record locally as well as streaming. The site rules recommend this because stream connections drop, platforms may mute audio, and stored broadcasts have been lost before.
• Keep game audio. It is highly recommended and some boards require it.
• Show the start and end clearly. Moderators need to see the exact timing frames.
• Submit improvements as new runs rather than editing old ones, so your history stays intact.
• Read the rules tab first, including any version or hardware requirements.

Timer software such as LiveSplit can connect to Speedrun.com, according to its website, but the time moderators confirm is still the one in the video. To understand the words you will meet on submission forms, see our categories guide.