What Supernatural Games Are Best For Speedrunning?

I tend toward short, intense runs, so my top picks are 'Luigi's Mansion' (the original GameCube one) and 'Resident Evil 4'. 'Luigi's Mansion' is brilliant for speedrunning: small levels, consistent ghost behavior, and clever vacuum mechanics let you optimize movement and routing quickly. There are any% and 100% categories, and the game’s charms make practice sessions feel like fun instead of grind. 'Resident Evil 4' sits on the other end — longer, but full of movement tricks, RNG management, and boss strategies that reward repetition. Both have active leaderboards and tons of tutorial content; for beginners I recommend focusing on any% or a simple subcategory, setting up LiveSplit, and learning one clip or skip at a time. After a few runs, you’ll see visible improvement and start spotting new routes of your own.

There’s something about supernatural themes that make speedrunning so tasty — the warped physics, the scripted scares, the ways the game’s rules can be bent. For me, the best supernatural games to speedrun are the ones that mix consistent, learnable mechanics with enough quirks to reward creativity. If you like tech-heavy runs, 'The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time' is basically a masterclass: wrong-warp tricks, item-based skips, and an enormous community to learn from on Speedrun.com. It’s a classic for a reason — short-ish routing for any% but deep tech for 100% or glitchless runs. I spent nights watching old RTA marathons and trying that OOT hookshot clip until my thumbs ached; the payoff of pulling off a major warp never gets old.

If you prefer fast, action-heavy runs that still keep a supernatural vibe, I’d point at 'Devil May Cry 3' and 'Bayonetta'. Both have insane movement tech, frame-perfect combos, and style systems that speedrunners exploit to shave seconds. They attract a slightly younger, tech-focused community and have tons of category variety. On the other end of the spectrum, psychological thrillers like 'Alan Wake' and atmospheric horror staples such as 'Silent Hill 2' are surprisingly fun for speedrunning because of sequence breaks and save/load optimizations. 'Alan Wake' has a tidy any% and some routing complexity with coffee thermos collection challenges, while 'Silent Hill' runs reward meticulous map knowledge and clever encounter skips.

For roguelike or indie lovers, 'The Binding of Isaac' and 'Hades' are worth mentioning. They’re not supernatural in a spooky-house way, but demon-infused, mythic worlds and quick runs make them ideal if you like run-to-run variation and leaderboard races. And if you're into Soulsborne-style brutality, 'Bloodborne' has a passionate speedrun crowd — visceral fights, boss skips, and routing choices that separate the elite from the rest. Practical tips from someone who’s been dabbling in all these: pick one category (any% is friendliest), get LiveSplit going, watch top runs and VODs to steal routing tricks, and practice specific trick rooms until muscle memory takes over. Also, join the game’s Discord — community input is gold.

Personally, I switch favorites depending on my mood: some evenings I want the pure technical satisfaction of a perfect 'Ocarina of Time' warp; other times I crave the flashy combat and inputs of 'Bayonetta'. If you tell me what kind of pace or skill curve you enjoy, I can narrow the list and suggest starter routes and tutorials that saved me countless hours of frustration.