Speedrunners Build 18052020 🚀 🎯

In modern SpeedRunners (post-2021), the grapple shot has a 2-frame wind-up. In build 18052020, the grapple was instant. This allowed for "frame-one saves" where a player falling off the screen could hook a pixel at the edge of the map—a maneuver now impossible.

In this build, Bastion Remnants did not exist. The Nether was dangerous and inefficient. Consequently, the "Iron Age" strategy was dominant:

In the sprawling, chaotic, and incredibly niche world of competitive speedrunning, few phrases spark as much curiosity and confusion as "speedrunners build 18052020."

On the surface, it looks like a technical error—a rogue string of numbers that escaped a database. To the uninitiated, it might seem like a software version or a forgotten patch note. But within dedicated speedrunning communities, particularly those centered around indie platformers and early-access titles, this specific build number has taken on an almost mythical status. speedrunners build 18052020

But what exactly is "speedrunners build 18052020"? Is it a mod? A lost version of the hit game SpeedRunners (by DoubleDutch Games)? Or something else entirely?

This article dives deep into the origin, the glitches, the controversy, and the lasting legacy of one of the most debated build numbers in recent speedrunning history.

The problem? No one can prove it exists. In modern SpeedRunners (post-2021), the grapple shot has

Every few months, a burner account appears on Twitter or a speedrunning Discord with a single screenshot. The screenshot shows a developer console with the string: build_id: 18052020_DEBUG.

The post is always deleted within 24 hours.

Veteran runners like GanondorfMain64 and LoadRemover_Actual have spent thousands of dollars on eBay looking for old hard drives from former devs of the studio (which shut down in 2022). So far, they’ve found six corrupted hard drives, two fake ROMs loaded with malware, and one very angry former QA tester who threatened a cease & desist. As of 2025, there are approximately 200-300 active

Since no official record exists, the community has spun a few entertaining theories:

Despite being three years old, build 18052020 is experiencing a renaissance. In late 2023, a group of Russian and German modders created the "Legacy Launcher"—a third-party matchmaker that hooks into the 18052020 executable.

How to join the active community:

As of 2025, there are approximately 200-300 active players on the 18052020 build during peak hours. Tournaments still offer cash prizes for "Old Physics" categories.

Speedrunners in this build utilized several "classic" strategies that are now obsolete or heavily evolved: