Requesting a Game & Game Request Rules

Requesting a Game

If a leaderboard doesn't already exist on Speedrun.com, you can request the creation of a leaderboard using this page. Be sure to read the game request rules beforehand, and try to fill out the form as best as you can, providing as much information about the game in question as possible.

Game Request Rules

General

The introductory information for game request rules is listed on the Game Request Page

  • Well-known users or moderators of other games in a series may request unreleased games beginning 21 days prior to launch. In rare cases, requests for unreleased games may be accepted by well-known users and only at site staff discretion. Games will not be added prior to release for users who are not well-known.
  • Game series must be requested by a moderator of at least one game within that series. If you want to request a game as part of an existing series, consult a series moderator first for their approval. They will either add the game themselves or recommend you use the "Request game" button on the respective series' page for your submission.
  • Each game is generally limited to one board. A "Category Extensions" board may be allowed to popular games to accommodate additional category sections on a case by case basis. Category extension boards must be requested by moderators of the existing game through the Support Hub.

Request Processing Details

Game types such as ROM hacks, modifications, mobile games, webgames, Gamejolt, and Itch.io games will be held to some level of scrutiny.

  • The game should have a reasonable length such as 5 minutes or longer as a casual playthrough.
  • The game should show that a reasonable level of effort has been put into development from a functionality standpoint.
  • The game ideally will have been played by a reasonably large number of people.
  • The gameplay should show some potential for optimization through speedrunning.
  • Fangames with common names that create confusion in the search bar may also be held to a higher standard. There are hundreds of generic Mario fangames.
  • In cases where a game doesn’t fit one or more requirements listed here but has already developed a speedrun community, an exception may be made.

ROM Hacks If you are submitting a ROM Hack, then additional information including the following is appreciated: How different is this hack from the standard game? What kind of mechanical or design changes are present that alter the way it plays from the original? We generally do not want to add a very short ROM hack, a ROM hack that only adds one or two mechanics to the original game, or a ROM hack that is primarily a reskin of the original game.

Early Access Titles Games in a very early development stage will be examined much more thoroughly, and if balancing and bug changes are happening quite frequently we may hold off on accepting the request for a board until the game is more developed.

Demos/Pre-release Versions/Prototypes If a page for the full-game is already present, we would suggest you send these requests to the moderators of the game in question, as they may add it as a category and avoid the need for an additional game listing. We may deny your request on the basis that we don't want two separate pages to track the exact same game, with the only key difference between the two being that one has less content or content of an earlier version. These are dealt with on a case-by-case basis.

PvP PvP games are allowed on the basis that there is some sort of speedrunnable single player mode. Solely PvP speedruns will be put under extreme scrutiny and will be expected to have measures to prevent unfair advantages and cheating.

NSFW content - Current site precedent is to not accept games built around NSFW content. If it's worse than an "R" rated movie or an "M" rated game, we probably don't want to track it. This may include certain taboo topics of a sexual nature and games that need patched to remove inappropriate content. We may find better ways to isolate this content in the future, but for now we definitely do not want to expose users to these types of games.

API Based Games - We generally do not accept games based on frequently changing web APIs such as Google maps, Google searches, or Wikipedia.

Site Staff reserve the right to reject any game request even if it meets the minimum specified criteria.

Naming and Multiple Consoles

Game names need to be provided in English where possible. Japanese-only releases may use romaji to express the game name in an English readable format. If the primary language of the game release was not English, an additional title in the release language may be provided in parentheses after the game name.

Games existing on multiple consoles may or may not have multiple boards. In general, if the versions and ports of a game are comparable by some metric, they are generally contained in the same board. If they are not very comparable due to significant differences, then the game may be given multiple boards, grouping comparable versions and ports appropriately. Common examples of comparable versions are SNES/Genesis, and PS2/Xbox/GC. Comparing a SNES game and a GBC game in the same board is probably not useful due to the engines running much differently.

If a console needs to be specified in the game name, for consistency, it should appear like the following: Tetris (NES/GB). For some games a year of release in parentheses may be more clear than the console. At times, site staff may make minor changes to game names to maintain consistency in the search bar.

Examples of console abbreviations are as follows:

  • NES, SNES, N64, GC, Wii, Wii U, GB, GBC, GBA, DS, 3DS, Genesis, Mega Drive, PS1, PS2, PS3, PS4, Xbox, 360

Series Managing Game Additions

The following communities generally manage adding of their own games via forum threads or other methods:

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