Guide to Speedrunning GTA V: Categories, Timing, Gear, Community
Learn the essentials to start speedrunning GTA V: which categories exist, how timing works, what gear and recording to use, and how to tap into the community.
1. Categories
Choose the category that matches your goals and platform before you start routing or practicing, leaderboards separate Legacy/Enhanced/console versions and PC variants, so pick the one you’ll submit to. Any% is the usual entry point: finish the game as fast as possible and expect glitches and sequence breaks; 100% forces completion of collectibles and objectives and demands route planning and patience. Mission‑only categories and individual level (IL) leaderboards let you focus on specific chunks of the game, these are ideal for learning mechanics and shaving seconds without running an entire campaign. Many communities also support glitchless and New Game+ variants; glitchless runs emphasize clean execution while New Game+ can change available strategies, so always confirm the exact category name on the leaderboard you want to join.
2. Timing
Understand which timer your leaderboard uses and set up accordingly: Real Time Attack (RTA) is wall‑clock time and is commonly recommended for streamed attempts because it includes loads and user time, while in‑game time (IGT) excludes load screens and can better reflect pure in‑engine performance. Use consistent timing software (LiveSplit is ubiquitous) and display your splits on stream or in your VOD so verifiers can see start/stop points; if the leaderboard requires IGT, make sure your run file or emulator recording includes the in‑game timer footage. Before submitting, re‑verify whether the category requires RTA or IGT, submitting with the wrong timing method is a common rejection reason. Streaming favors RTA for viewers; practice with the same timer you will submit under to avoid surprises.
3. Gear & recording
Set up reliable capture and recording so your run is verifiable and edit-free: OBS is a solid free option for PC capture, while console players should use a hardware capture card to record uncut footage. Keep your VOD unedited and include both game audio and microphone if possible; verifiers need continuous footage to confirm timing and rule compliance, and audio helps establish context for events and inputs. Maintain attempt logs (time, seed or route changes, notes) and back up recordings immediately, cloud or external drives protect against corruption and save lost runs from becoming wasted hours. Pay attention to framerate and input lag: run at a stable frame rate and minimize extra processing that can add latency; consistent hardware and controller setups make PBs more reproducible.
- exact category name and platform (match the leaderboard naming)
- timing method used (RTA or IGT)
- uncut VOD link and splits file
- short run description (route notes, major glitches used)
- any required additional files (run file, seed, or replay)
4. Community, rules, technique and submissions
Tap into the GTA speedrun Discord and the speedrun.com GTA V leaderboard as your primary hubs: join pinned strat guides, mentor channels, and practice partners to accelerate learning and troubleshoot routing questions. Always consult the game page on speedrun.com for current rules, those pages list allowed tools, timing method, video requirements, split settings, and the submission process; following rules exactly speeds verification and earns respect. Learn by watching verified WR runs and break a full run into ILs: practice single missions until you can perform the optimal strat consistently, then stitch segments into a full run; use frame advance or save states for practice where permitted, but never use those tools during an official run unless the rules allow them. When you're ready to submit, follow this checklist exactly:
Respect etiquette: label channels clearly when asking for help, credit strat authors, be patient in mentor threads, and avoid spamming attempts in community comparison streams.
Starter tips and learning path Begin by practicing a single mission or segment until you hit consistent times; consistency beats one lucky fast run when you're starting out. Record every attempt, habitual recording makes it easy to find reproducible mistakes and incremental gains. Focus on routing slowly: adopt small optimizations one at a time, and measure their impact rather than chasing every trick at once.
Closing practical wisdom Speedrunning GTA V is a blend of showmanship, persistence, and community tradecraft, pick a category, lock your timing and recording setup, and plug into the Discord and leaderboards for feedback. Small, repeatable improvements compound quickly; keep a clean VOD, practice segments, and treat every run as data you can learn from.
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