Have you ever speeded through a game so quickly your fingers felt like they were getting ready for the Olympics? This is Ghostrunner, where you’ll fly down high walls, experiment with time and fail instantly if you make a mistake.
If you’ve ever fantasized about using parkour through a cyberpunk world as a neon ninja, you might already be a huge fan of Ghostrunner. If you find yourself wondering how to speedrun Ghostrunner without getting toasted up, keep reading this guide for Ghostrunner control tips.
Get your katana ready, stretch your fingers and we’ll go over the Ghostrunner controls, strategies and impressive tricks used by top runners.
What is Ghostrunner, Really?
Ghostrunner, a first-person action-platformer, developed by One More Level, 3D Realms and Slipgate Ironworks. Many people soon became fans thanks to the game’s quick pace and rule that you’d lose in one hit.
The game takes place in a futuristic tower called Dharma Tower, where you are Jack, a cybernetic warrior out to climb to the top to take down a cruel ruler.
Here’s the thing: the whole aim of the game is to use your speed to get ahead. Go for it, dash, climb over walls and slice everything up over and over. Speedrunners find that Sonic the Hedgehog is either a very cleansing experience or an experience where fire and ice mix.
Core Controls: Learn Them Like You Learn Your Pizza Order
Take some time to learn the easy controls of Ghostrunner before diving into advanced technology. These are your basic cyber defenses that protect you like the bread in a sandwich.
Basic Movement Controls:
Action | Default Key (Keyboard) | Description |
Jump | Spacebar | Leap across death traps and rooftops |
Dash | Shift | Short burst of speed; slows time in-air |
Slide | C | Slide under things, speed up movement |
Grapple | E | Zip-line toward specific targets |
Attack | Left Mouse Click | Slice enemies (and bad vibes) in half |
Sensory Boost | Hold Dash in the Air | Slows down time for dodging/projecting movement |
Ghostrunner Speedrun Controls Explained
Here’s the interesting best Ghostrunner speedrun strategies.Top positions on the leaderboard require you to use the right controls at just the right moments during a sideways pass through the laser maze.
1. Dash-Slide-Jump Combo (DSJ): Your New Best Friend
Getting to this level in Ghostrunner speedrunning is the ultimate goal.
- The first step is to dash forward.
- Now, click to drag your card immediately into the middle space.
- Right at the end of the slide, push off the ground.
- You move ahead, still carrying the momentum you had.
Bonus idea: Give a sensory boost to players mid-air for time slowing-down.
Using DSJ allows speedrunners to jump over platforms, fly even higher than normal and maintain their speed. It feels just like skating over butter in the Matrix.
2. Sensory Boost Abuse
If you hold any of your dash in the air, time will slow down for you. You should also try aiming the mouse to weave around the bullets.
It lets speedrunners change where they are going, jump in place to avoid being hit by a sniper and jump further than expected. In a look at the fastest 50 Ghostrunner runs, 95% relied on Sensory Boost for quickly removing enemies.
3. Bunny Hopping (B-Hop)
Ghostrunner has the ability as well. Spam takes advantage of the correct time to keep going faster than just running. It’s not taught in tutorials, but it is very effective.
- More comfortable for systems using a keyboard and mouse.
- Some players choose to use the scroll wheel in order to jump on cue.
How to Speedrun Ghostrunner Like a Katana-Wielding Wall Gecko?
You’ve got the moves, now you need the method. Let’s walk (run?) through the essentials of a clean Ghostrunner speedrun.
1. Know Your Categories
Ghostrunner runs are divided into several categories:
Category | Description | WR (as of 2025) |
Any% | Beat the game, any glitches allowed | 21m 37s |
Glitchless | No exploit use, pure skill | 28m 12s |
All Collectibles | Get everything | 45m+ |
2. Use a Timer Tool
Using LiveSplit, you can monitor how quickly you’ve run each section and compare it with your average. Anyone who takes Ghostrunning seriously uses these.
3. Check videos of current World Record times
Watch the action on slow motion if you need to. Cease your study, jot down your thoughts and keep practicing the rooms one by one.
- Many players who own WRs often build their decks to work from level 100 to the lowestures
- A few players will die in order to get their respawn locations closer to objectives.
Ghostrunner advanced control techniques
Adjusting Sensitivity
Aiming accelerates noticeably when you increase DPI under Sensory Boost. A lot of professionals rely on:
- Range: 800–1200
- My sensitivity when I play the game is between 1.5 and 2.
- You can’t go too fast or you may not make the target, but you also can’t take too long or you might burn it.
Performance Matters
Minor differences in time make a big difference. You should:
- Limit your frame rate to 144 or 240 if the monitor supports it.
- Set motion blur, V-sync and depth of field to off in your options menu.
- Put The Sims 4 on an SSD — it will speed up getting into the game.
- Some 76% of players who beat the game in under 25 minutes were reported to be playing on high refresh monitors with FPS even higher than 120.
Best Ghostrunner Speedrun Strategies
Prioritize Enemy Rooms
You will spend a ton of time in combat during your Ghostrunner adventure. You should:
- Identify all the enemy bases throughout the map
- Make sure to use Dash and Sensory Boost to move out of the way ahead of time.
- Because it’s timed, you never stand still.
Use Checkpoint Warps Strategically
If you die in Ghostrunner, you may actually find it benefits you. Sometimes, people set themselves on fire to recover with good positioning or skip filling up their energy meter.
Ghostrunner Advanced Control Techniques
Once you’re feeling comfy, here are some tricks:
Flying with Air Control Drift
To drift under air corners, use a dash + Sensory Boost + hard right or left mouse turns.
Practice Pre-Corner Grapple Manoeuvers
Before reaching a grapple point, jump and turn your back and, as soon as possible, look toward the spot and grapple. It launches you ahead with amazing speed.
Conclusion
Familiarizing yourself with the speedrun controls in Ghostrunner means you’ll be dying well, a lot. With every person who leaves, our perfection gets that much closer.
Following these methods will let you run faster, attack with ease and dice through everything blocking your way.
Stay hydrated so your fingers do their job at their best!
If you want to learn more tips for more action game? Click here!