This is a running list of discovered strategies that can be used in Monument Valley speedrunning.

The general rule of thumb, though, is to wait as little as possible and make Ida move. Since Ida moves at a set pace, great care is taken to ensure that every ounce of movement is used.

Tap-backs

This is a rather simple technique to master, and once done, it can lower your time by easily a couple of minutes. How to: If you tap on a square, Ida moves there. If Ida is moving from one square to another and you tap to another square, Ida immediately starts moving to the tapped square after she reaches the next square. This means that movement is granted during certain cutscenes and time can be saved from Ida waiting around. Discoverers: LeftistTachyon and possibly Take_Pills, independently

Waterfall skip

This skip applies mainly to Chapter 4, but it can have other applications, such as in Chapter 2. How to: If you rotate the stage in Chapter 4 with the waterfall clockwise and let go in such a way so that it doesn't oscillate, the cutscene shortens significantly. Also, make sure that the waterfall is facing "forward" when performing this skip. NOTE: You can also use an auditory cue to verify that you did this glitch correctly. If you rotate the stage slightly and you hear a note twice when the stage rotates back, then you have executed this glitch correctly. Discoverers: LeftistTachyon, new consistent setup found by Cribley

Exit-game strategies

This skip can shorten or skip certain cutscenes. Most cutscenes that involve screen transitions or other major scenery changes can be skipped, but some cutscenes may not be worthwhile skipping due to the current timing rules (exiting and opening the game counts towards time). UPDATE: It is most optimal to exit after the game says "Loading...", but you might need to wait a little afterward depending on your phone's performance. How to: Exit the game and come back. It doesn't get any simpler than that. 👍 Make sure you "swipe it out." Discoverers: LeftistTachyon for after Chapter 1 only, greatly optimized and popularized by Cribley

Door jank

It turns out that you can usually enter doors even if their angles are not strictly orthogonal, or conforming to the standard 3D grid. How to: Spam tap/click the tile that the door is on. Ida will enter on the first opportunity, and the doors don't necessarily need to be open to enter the doorway. Discoverers: Many, many people concurrently. I might've been the first one to show it, though.

Chapter 10 Ending Control

After leaving the last room that you complete in Chapter 10, you have control over Ida for a couple of seconds. NOTE: this isn't needed if the level exit glitch is used instead. How to: While the screen transitions downwards, do a lot of inputs to help you move Ida towards the ending hexadecagon. Inputs may vary depending on your route. Discoverers: Take_Pills and LeftistTachyon, independently

Stair spam

This can save a marginal amount of time off of Chapter 9 if you do it. It's not hard, either. How to: Spam to the next step while on the descending staircase in Chapter 9. You can also perform a tap-back on the last stair section to save a minimal amount of time. Discoverers: LeftistTachyon and Cribley, independently

Early control in Chapter 6

It's a janky strategy, but it's worth the savings. How to: For the rising platform that rotates with the golem and Ida on it, you can control both the golem and Ida. Be careful to not jump the gun and do it too early, otherwise, the game will lock you out of control. Discoverers: LeftistTachyon and possibly LPuke, independently

Walk-though strats

Just a minor save to prevent jank. How to: In the section of Chapter 6 with the two buttons that the golem and Ida have to press, you can make Ida walk through one button onto a finishing button to save time. Discoverers: Imaproshaman

Input-heavy

Why is it called so? Because it's input-heavy. How to: In the area with the crow oscillating between two buttons that make the platforms that Ida can stand on rotate, you can use two hands to move both Ida and the platform that the crow is standing on to save time from waiting around. It is crucial to wait a split second before hitting the button that changes the perspective if this strat is utilized, though, since that eliminates the need to wait for the crow to walk back and forth again before pressing a button. Discoverers: LeftistTachyon

Moving while rotating

This happens only rarely, since moving most rotating platforms with Ida is disallowed. However, those controlled by open circles can be moved. How to: Move a rotating platform while Ida is moving along it to avoid waiting. Notable examples of this skip are in Chapter 4 and even in Chapter 8 as well as Chapter 10's Green section. Discoverers: Many, many people. Unique usages are probably me, though. 🤔

Glitch in Room 4 of Ida's Dream

This glitch is iOS-only and saves around four seconds. It is also a form of early control. How to: While the pole with the three open dots in room 4 of Ida's Dream is rising, you can move it up or down prematurely to skip the wait for it to come to a stop. It should be noted that it can only be done at a specific time and place. Discoverers: VirtualCoins

Chapter 8 Visual Glitch (a.k.a. Swag Glitch)

This isn't a skip or strategy per se, but you can use this to gauge your pace or speed of input. This glitch also showcases that you can direct Ida towards blocks that you can't directly see. As the name implies, this glitch is purely for swag. How to: On the last portion of Chapter 8 (The Box) where the top of the elevated parts rotates upwards, step past the button and into the doorway and immediately onto the button on the other side. If done correctly, the rotating part should stay vertical as opposed to the intended horizontal position. Discoverers: LeftistTachyon

Spam Reduction

This may or may not reduce the load on your GPU and therefore make your gameplay faster. How to: It's in the name: just don't spam as much. Discoverers: Cribley

Chapter 4 faff

This thing has no name, but it's neat to have in your toolbox. It saves a tad of time. How to: On the second screen, walk Ida to the edge of the first rotating platform after hitting the button. Then slide the thing over and spam onto it. Ida should move despite being on moving ground. Discoverer: Cribley

Fade cancel

This trick can give the player control much earlier than intended or even skip some parts of cutscenes. For a Full Game run, this trick can save a significant amount of time. NOTE: this trick can also be used in Ida's Dream, where it can also save a fair bit of time. How to: Buffer the pause menu into an action, such as entering a door or starting a cutscene. Once the action starts or shortly before it starts, you should cancel the menu. Discoverer: angry

"Hitbox?!??"

Saves a few seconds and looks pretty neat. Definitely would be a pivotal WTF moment in a full run. How to: In the room in FS5 where the totem gets crushed by a rock in a cutscene (last room), if you let Ida walk onto the button, walk off, and walk on again, the rock won't stop the totem from moving inside. You can put the totem inside the rock without waiting for the rock to go up. Discoverer: VirtualCoins

Other notes

This is a current work in progress since I can't just think of all the skips and strats on the fly. There's just too many. If you know one that's not on the list (or even better, found a new one), please let me know! Also, let me know if I didn't attribute a skip to you! If you don't know what a certain skip looks like, reference my PBs in Main Game and Ida's Dream. If you can copy those skips and have clean movement, you're instantly a top-level player!