Long read: The beauty and drama of video games and their clouds

"It's a little bit hard to work out without knowing the altitude of that dragon..."

If you click on a link and make a purchase we may receive a small commission. Read our editorial policy.

Elden Ring speedrun record now below 10 minutes

How low can you go?

Another day, another Elden Ring speed running record to be left in awe by. And this time, it is a sub-10-minute run. In fact, it is so good, it is actually a sub-nine run, but that didn't sound quite as catchy.

This new record was achieved by Distortion 2, who has previously achieved and broken many other Elden Ring speed running records. This included the game's first sub-20 run in March.

Cover image for YouTube videoElden Ring Side Quests for dummies: Side Quests You Need to do - Elden Ring PS5 Gameplay

20 minutes now seems like eons for the streamer, as their new record is an impressive 8 minutes and 56 seconds. This was achieved by using a Zip Glitch, which YouTube commentor Sketchy explains as being performed by "guarding and then walking at a specific time afterward for a specific number of frames. These are frame perfect.

"The zip is caused by the specific way the walking and guarding animations overlap. Zips are reliant on hardware (and are therefore only allowed in unrestricted runs) and lower resolution makes them more consistent." The more you know.

To make these zips even more effective, Distortion2 chose Vagabond as their Elden Ring class, as equipping a halberd makes this character nice and heavy, and thus allows for further zips.

You can check out Distortion2's new record-breaking run below.

Cover image for YouTube videoElden Ring Any% Unrestricted Speedrun in 8:56 (WORLDS FIRST SUB 9 MINUTES)

The content creator is now aiming for a sub-seven time, so keep your eyes peeled for more. At this rate, they will complete the game faster than it takes most of us to load up the title screen.

Elsewhere on Eurogamer, you can check out some Elden Ring cut content (that is not underwear), and an unexpected cheese for General Rhadan.