It’s had a glow-up, but Speedrunners 2 is the same competitive party game we know and love

It’s been around for almost a decade, so Speedrunners is getting a little long in the tooth now. With basic visuals and often dull, blocky environments, it’s not the most inspiring game to look at, but it’s never really mattered. It’s always been the gameplay of Speedrunners that has won us over. This fast-paced competitive multiplayer game is as simple as it comes: simply run around a course as fast as you can, getting ahead of your opponents just enough to bump them off the screen. But simplicity works, and that’s why Speedrunners has almost 10,000 very positive reviews on Steam.

It’s also why, some nine years later, publisher tinyBuild has decided it’s time for a new version. Speedrunners 2 is on the horizon and, after getting hands-on with it this week, I can safely say that… it’s simply more Speedrunners. But with a modern graphical style that’s simply sublime and a new suite of weapons to do over your opponents with, I’m tempted to say that this may be the perfect sequel.

A game like Speedrunners doesn’t need to change. It doesn’t even need a graphical overhaul, if we’re being honest, but it’s nice. And so this is the ideal follow-up: a game that keeps everything that makes Speedrunners so great, and simply repackages it into something that feels a little more suitable in the year 2025.

You can play Speedrunners 2 by yourself, which is a nice touch if you haven’t got any friends at hand, but playing against CPU does get old quite quickly, even if you tinker with their difficulty levels. This is a game that shines when you’re playing with others, ideally locally as you all share the same screen. It’s practically a given that chaos is going to ensue, in the same way that it does when you lob a blue shell at a friend when playing Mario Kart locally.

The environments here look fantastic, though I’ve only seen a few of them so far. They’re packed with detail, with sublime three-dimensional backgrounds that make it feel like you’re running though an actual location, rather than just a blocky video game level. Initially, the additional detail can be a bit of a detriment — it’s not always clear to see which direction you’ve got to go in. But once you’ve learned the lay of each level, it won’t be a problem.

Speedrunners 2 also promises improved netcode, so if you’re playing online you should be able to experience better connections. I can’t speak from experience yet; I’ve only played locally. But a more stable connection to your opponents can only be a good thing.

There’s no release date just yet for Speedrunners 2, but if you fancy giving it a go for yourself, you can do that — right now, in fact. A free-to-join playtest is currently live on Steam, allowing you to join in the fun either locally or online with up to seven other players. The full game will be available on PS5, Xbox Series X/S and PC later this year, with a Switch release following in 2026.