sub60

Sub60 is a competitive speedrunning category for the classic Nintendo 64 platformer Super Mario 64. In this discipline, runners aim to complete the game in under sixty seconds, a time that is far shorter than the average playthrough yet longer than the one‑move Amiga glitches used in some older titles. The category was popularized in the early 2010s as speedrunners sought new challenges beyond the existing 107-star “high‑score” category and the “int'l” world record which allows for more than one-star world‑record methodology.

The fastest recorded Sub60 run as of 2024 was achieved by the runner Anonymous at 58.39 seconds, breaking a long‑standing record of 59.12 seconds set in 2017. Achieving this time requires precise execution of a sequence of glitches, often called the “Perfect Playthrough.” The techniques involve phase‑advancing the character's position within certain small environmental pockets, utilizing the game’s control detection quirks, and perfectly timing jumps to avoid the need for any Mario characters to collect the missing two stars. The run also relies on pre‑loading certain frame buffers and exploiting certain in‑game memory states produced by carefully stylized inputs.

Because of the extremely high skill ceiling, Sub60 has a relatively small runner community. It is widely recognized as a showcase of both proficiency in the base game mechanics and mastery of the underlying game engine. The category remains an active subject of discussion in speedrunning communities, with regular updates to strategies, in‑game debugging tricks, and new record attempts.

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