Speedrunner Uncovers Major Glitch in Pokémon FireRed for Switch

Pokémon has a massive following, particularly within the speedrunning community, where its long-standing titles have become a playground for players looking to exploit coding quirks. The original games are notorious for their fragile programming, with glitches that even casual players can stumble upon. For speedrunners, any exploit is like finding a rare candy, and a newly discovered time skip in the recent Pokémon FireRed Switch port has reignited the competition for record-breaking runs.

This updated version of Pokémon FireRed, released to celebrate the franchise’s 30th anniversary, has encouraged speedrunners to dive back into the game in search of fresh exploits. The most significant find came about by chance when Swiss runner iamClemi was in Professor Oak’s lab, aiming to snag a Charmander with optimal stats. While attempting to navigate the interface, iamClemi accidentally pressed the L button, which is more prominent on the Switch than on the original Game Boy Advance, inadvertently opening the help menu. It was then that they noticed something unusual: the sound cue typically heard when picking up a Poké Ball was missing. While it didn’t save time in that moment, seasoned runners know that any anomaly could lead to a breakthrough.

Activating the help menu indeed silenced many sound prompts throughout the game. In certain situations, like collecting items or healing at Pokémon Centers, the player character remained silent, seemingly paying tribute to the absent jingles. However, when capturing wild Pokémon, the usual celebratory pause is skipped entirely, allowing players to jump straight to the PokéDex entry.

“This is by far the largest time save discovered in any Game Boy Pokémon game since RNG manipulation was found nearly a decade ago,” remarked runner Gunnermaniac in a video. “This is huge.”

Gunnermaniac currently holds the record for completing the Elite 4 Round 2 category, a challenge introduced in the FireRed and LeafGreen versions. To conquer this task, players must meet specific criteria, including capturing at least 60 unique Pokémon. The newly discovered skip saves 2.68 seconds for each captured Pokémon, which may seem minor, but those seconds accumulate rapidly across various speedrunning categories. Gunnermaniac recognizes that this new find puts their record at risk, adding an exciting twist to the ongoing competition.