Wikipedia speedrun
A Wikipedia speedrun is a race from one Wikipedia article to another using only the links inside the pages. It's the same game as a wiki race. "Speedrun" just puts the focus on beating your own best.
Two ways to score a run
| Format | Winner | Good for |
|---|---|---|
| Fewest clicks | Shortest route; time breaks ties | Thinking, planning, fair on slow connections |
| Fastest time | First to arrive, however many clicks | Streams, parties, quick reflexes |
WikiRacer Live uses fewest clicks, then time, so a careful route beats frantic clicking, but speed still matters when two players tie.
Why almost every run is short
English Wikipedia has millions of articles, but they're densely linked. Most pairs of articles are only three or four clicks apart, because a small number of "hub" articles (big countries, major cities, centuries, broad sciences) link to a huge share of everything else. A good run is about finding the right hub quickly.
Strategies fast runners use
1. Climb, then descend
From a narrow start, click up to something broad (a country, a field, a time period), then come back down towards the target's world. "Croissant → France → Europe → …" climbs fast.
2. Work backwards from the target
Before clicking anything, ask what page would definitely link to the target. For "Volcano" that's "Plate tectonics". For a footballer, it's their club or country. Now you're racing to an easier target.
3. Read the top, not the whole page
The lead paragraph and the infobox hold the densest, most general links. Long articles hide good links far down, but scrolling costs seconds.
4. Know your hubs
"United States", "United Kingdom", "World War II", "Latin", "Biology", "Mathematics" and the century pages ("20th century") connect almost everything. Learn which ones lead where.
5. Don't back-track unless you're sure
Going back costs a click. A slightly worse link forward is usually better than a step backwards.
Practise
- Daily challenge: one hard pair a day, the same for everyone, with one attempt.
- Solo: Easy, Medium and Hard with time limits of 2:30, 5:00 and 10:00.
- Race ideas: 50 pairs sorted by difficulty on the ideas page.
- Race people: Quick match or a private room shows everyone's full route at the end, which is the fastest way to learn new shortcuts.