Japanese Speedrunner Clears Zelda: Breath of the Wild at a Nintendo Switch 2 Experience Event

Ikaboze, a Japanese speedrunner, cleared the Nintendo Switch 2 version of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild in about 10 minutes. He achieved this while attending the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience event, where attendees had a chance to test the much-anticipated console.

The current world record for the fastest time to clear the “Any%” category of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild is Player5’s 22 minutes and 58 seconds, just slightly over the time allotted for the game’s demo. Ikaboze, on the other hand, does not run an “Any%” clear and has only submitted a single run under the “All Dungeons” category.

For context, an “Any%” run means that players try to beat the game as fast as possible. This is the most popular type of speedrunning. “All Dungeons” means clearing all the dungeons—in this game, the Divine Beasts—then beating Ganon in Hyrule Castle.

Ikaboze’s run at the Nintendo Switch 2 Experience saw him load a save just outside Hyrule Castle, toss all his items aside, and rush to fight Ganon inside the castle. 

In the demo, Link appears to have beaten all four guardians and is completely decked out with powerful armor, weapons and shields to fight Ganon. While not as impressive as actual “Any%” runs, which involve Link with starting items and just three hearts, it’s still certainly a feat because he’s the first one to have done it during the Switch 2 Experience event.

The Switch 2 is coming out on June 5, 2025, and it’s available for pre-order at gaming retailers. Players who want to upgrade their The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild copy to the Switch 2 version will have to fork out $10. However, those subscribed to Nintendo Switch Online + Expansion Pack will get the upgrade with no additional cost.