Gamespeeds

Gamespeeds refer to the rate at which a game's simulation advances relative to real time. It is usually expressed as a multiplier, such as 0.5x, 1x, or 2x, and can be implemented as a time scale that affects how quickly the game world updates.

Most game engines update the world using a delta time value representing the elapsed real time since the last frame. The current gamespeed multiplies this delta, effectively speeding up or slowing down movement, physics, animation playback, and timers. Some engines employ a fixed timestep for physics, requiring careful handling when the time scale changes to preserve determinism and stability.

Common uses include giving players control over pacing (slower speed for precision, faster speed to skip repetitive segments) and supporting accessibility or assist modes. In multiplayer games, speed changes are typically synchronized or restricted to avoid desynchronization. Knowledge of time scale is also important in emulation and tool-assisted speedruns, where it is used to analyze or reproduce game behavior.

Potential issues accompany speed adjustments. High speeds can cause physics or collision checks to behave unexpectedly, AI timing to drift, and input latency to become noticeable. Some games compensate by decoupling rendering from simulation or by clamping maximum physics steps, while others simply lock to a specific rate across all clients or subsystems.

Related concepts include time scale, tick rate, and frame rate. While "gamespeed" is not a universal technical term, many engines expose similar controls—such as timeScale in Unity or time progression settings in other frameworks—to manage the pace of gameplay.