Despite the reputation of Summer Games Done Quick for showcasing speedruns of all types of games, no one quite expected Google Maps to make an appearance—let alone be a total hit. But that’s exactly what happened when a speedrunner by the name of Havrd managed to earn a perfect score in Geoguessr in under 35 minutes, according to the stats on the official schedule.
For those who are unfamiliar, Geoguessr is a browser-based game in which players have to guess their location after being dropped into Google Maps Street View. Using all contextual clues available, they must determine their whereabouts, which could be any of over 52,000 pinpointable locations around the world. The game consists of five rounds, and players are awarded points based on how close their guess is to the actual location. If a player’s guess falls within 600 feet (185 meters) of it, they are awarded the max amount of 5,000, making the highest possible score 25,000.
In his impressive speedrun at Summer Games Done Quick, Havrd proved to be a master of both geography and deductive reasoning. By moving within the map and searching for contextual clues, he was able to accurately guess his location in all five rounds within 600 feet and in just 31 minutes and 31 seconds. Kotaku provided details about Havrd’s speedrun, listing an airport in Turkey, somewhere in Nevada, and a suburb in Nigeria’s capital of Abuja as some of the locations that he was able to guess with remarkable precision. Considering that the general population has trouble navigating their own cities without a GPS, this type of geographical awareness is astounding.
The creativity with which Havrd managed to deduce his location made it particularly compelling to watch. When he had trouble guessing his whereabouts, he quickly navigated through surrounding roads and streets to find clues that could help him determine his position. These could include anything from obvious landmarks and road signs to particular regional characteristics, like the type of bush growing on the side of the road or the look of an emergency vehicle. For example, Havrd said he can always tell when he’s in Kenya because their Google Maps cars have “snorkels” on them.
While a Geoguessr speedrun may have had initial appeal simply for being an unusual addition to the schedule, Havrd’s speedrun performance was undoubtedly entertaining to witness. It just goes to show that watching someone beat a game at impossible speeds, even one based on Google Maps, is just darn good fun to watch.
