Just hours after launch, the speedrun record for Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom sits at just over 90 minutes

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It's not even been out for a full day and already a speedrunner has beaten Tears of the Kingdom in 94 minutes

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom screenshot
(Image credit: Nintendo)

The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom finally launched today, and while a lot of players won't even have had the chance to load it up yet, one has already managed to cross the finish line in just over an hour and a half.

As reported by VGC, speedrunner gymnast86 completed the game in just 1:34:33. Their full playthrough is available to watch on YouTube, but if you'd rather not see spoilers and the end of the game right away, it's best to avoid it for the time being. For those interested in how they pulled it off, gymnast86 has also released a separate video highlighting the route they took through the game and explaining some of the strategies they used to get that speedy finish.

It's an incredibly impressive time, given that Tears of the Kingdom is only a matter of hours old. Still, as you read this, other speedrunners are likely already hard at work looking for even faster ways to finish Link's latest adventure, and we could see this time significantly reduced as they get better acquainted with the world.

According to Speedrun, the current record for completing Breath of the Wild is 23 minutes and 42 seconds. Getting a time similar to this might be tricky in the sequel, though, as, according to gymnast86, "almost none of the glitches that were present in Breath of the Wild seem to have made it into Tears of the Kingdom". This includes whistle sprinting, a technique that allows you to run without using up stamina and BLSS, which lets you fly almost anywhere in Hyrule, both of which are extremely helpful when you're against the clock.

The speedrunner adds that this "doesn't necessarily mean that we won't ever be able to perform these glitches, but just that the methods we know of activating them in Breath of the Wild won't work in this game." Also, we're sure that with the new abilities Link has at his disposal, players will find some new and interesting ways of getting to the credits quickly.

In our Tears of the Kingdom review, we said it "builds on what Breath of the Wild did previously – and with a platform like that to work on, the result can't help but be fantastic. Though with the occasional hiccup in execution, the end result is a game as broad as it is deep, and something that comfortably justifies the six-year wait."

Need help getting started in Hyrule? Check out our Zelda Tears of the Kingdom tips.

Anne-Marie Ostler
Anne-Marie Ostler
Freelance Writer

Originally from Ireland, I moved to the UK in 2014 to pursue a Games Journalism and PR degree at Staffordshire University. Following that, I've freelanced for GamesMaster, Games TM, Official PlayStation Magazine and, more recently, Play and GamesRadar+. My love of gaming sprang from successfully defeating that first Goomba in Super Mario Bros on the NES. These days, PlayStation is my jam. When not gaming or writing, I can usually be found scouring the internet for anything Tomb Raider related to add to my out of control memorabilia collection.