Doom Eternal speedrunning world record smashed at Break the Record: LIVE

Speedrunner Xiae has broken the Doom Eternal world record at Break The Record: LIVE. Yes, the American finished the game with no major glitches in just 1 hour, 8 minutes and 52 seconds, beating the previous record by an incredible 48 seconds.

Seven of the best Doom Eternal speedrunners battled to get the fastest time in the first-ever open speedrunning event that took place over 14 hours of intense competition. Although many players set personal bests to beat the previous world record it was Xiae who smashed the competition with his scintillating glitchless run.

The open competition was co-developed by The ESA and Beta Alliance, the creative agency for cybersecurity company Kaspersky. Indeed, Xiae set the world record with Kaspersky Internet Security installed and its Gaming Mode on, a mode specifically designed for gaming which is light on PC resources and cuts out the pop-ups that slow down gameplay. 

• Read more: The secrets of speedrunning – How to get faster at your favorite games

Following his victory, Xiae said: “I ran with Kaspersky Gaming Mode on and I broke the world record, it was perfect. It was a cool event. I’m not going to lie, at the very end, I thought bowsr was going to clinch it and he was close.”

While Kaspersky’s Gaming Mode undoubtedly provided a smooth gaming experience for Xiae, it was his overall familiarity and skill that made his Doom: Eternal run so dominant. After all, speedrunning is notoriously competitive and it takes a certain caliber of player to remain calm under pressure.

Viewership peaked at 10,000 concurrent viewers as fans tuned into both Twitch and the European Speedrunner Assembly’s website to watch the high-octane action unfold. Fortunately, Xiae managed to keep his nerves in check and claimed the $3,250 prize, beating the likes of bowsr, BloodShot900, and ShiningFace.

Bowsr, who came in second was happy with his finish and his $2,000 in prize money, although he believed that he could have done better.

“I’m honestly pretty satisfied,” he said. “My goal was top three. I think I could have beaten the WR but I made two crucial mistakes and I lost a lot of time.”

• Read more: How to get faster at Doom Eternal

Meanwhile, Bloodshot, who finished in third to win a $1,000 bounty, took a lot from the experience, too. “I think events like this are really important. It helps to legitimize speedrunning and prove it’s fun and entertaining…. I think this is a really cool thing that I’m excited to see more of.”

As with previous ESA Marathon events, Break the Record: LIVE will be donating the proceeds raised in the event to Alzheimerfonden, a Swedish Alzheimer’s Foundation. Make sure you check out the VODs above to catch up on all the speedrunning action.