Robot Hospice Speedrun Guide: Tips, Routes, and Strategies

Understanding the Speedrun Landscape in Robot Hospice

Speedrunning in Robot Hospice is a unique challenge. Unlike action-platformers, this is a narrative-driven simulation game about caring for dying robots. The goal isn't to defeat a final boss but to complete the game's core objectives as quickly as possible. This involves optimizing dialogue, managing your daily tasks efficiently, and understanding which interactions can be skipped or sped up.

Before you start, it is crucial to familiarize yourself with the basic mechanics. If you haven't already, read our Beginner Guide to understand the core loop. The main time sinks are walking between rooms, waiting for animations, and reading through dialogue. A successful speedrun minimizes all three.

Route Planning: The Optimal Order of Operations

The key to a fast run is a strict sequence of actions. Wasting time early on can cost you precious seconds later. The following route is based on community-verified strategies for the current version of the game. You will be visiting specific robots in a specific order to trigger the ending sequence.

Phase 1: The Initial Shift

Your first task is to complete the introductory tutorial as fast as possible. Skip all optional dialogue with the supervisor. Your first objective is to meet the first robot, Unit 734. Do not explore the facility; head straight to the East Wing.

1. Complete the Tutorial

   Follow the on-screen prompts without deviation. Accept the clipboard and the cleaning tool.

2. Visit Unit 734

   This robot requires a simple "memory playback" interaction. Do not listen to the full memory; skip it immediately when the option appears.

3. Report Back

   Return to the main office. The supervisor will give you a keycard. Grab it and leave immediately.

Phase 2: The Mid-Game Rush

With the keycard, you can access the West Wing and the Garden. This is where the route becomes more complex. You must locate two specific robots: "Old Pete" and "The Poet." These two interactions are mandatory.

After completing these tasks, you must return to the central hub. Do not interact with any other robots. Your goal is to trigger the "Final Farewell" event.

Advanced Techniques and Glitches

While Robot Hospice is a polished game, there are a few techniques that speedrunners use to shave off time. These are considered "glitchless" as they rely on game mechanics rather than exploits. However, some advanced categories use a specific "dialogue skip" glitch.

The "Dialogue Skip" Glitch (Advanced)

By pressing the interact button and the cancel button simultaneously during a dialogue prompt, you can sometimes skip the entire conversation. This is extremely precise and requires practice. If you fail, you will be locked into the dialogue, costing you more time than if you had just clicked through it normally.

Optimizing Movement

Movement in Robot Hospice is not just about walking. There is a hidden "dash" mechanic that is not explained in the tutorial. By double-tapping a direction key, your character performs a short dash forward. This can be chained to move faster across long hallways. Master this technique to improve your time significantly.

Key Items and Their Uses

Knowing which items to pick up and which to ignore is vital. The game is filled with "flavor" items that serve no purpose in a speedrun. A clean inventory means less time spent sorting.

Item	Location	Use in Speedrun
Keycard	Supervisor's Office	Mandatory. Opens West Wing and Garden.
Rust Remover	Supply Closet	Optional. Used for a side quest, but not needed for Any%.
Old Photo	Garden Bench	Mandatory. Required for Old Pete's quest.
Music Box	Library Shelf	Mandatory. Required for The Poet's final memory.

Final Stretch and Ending

Once you have completed the mandatory interactions, you will receive a notification to go to the "Observatory." This is the final area. Walk to the top floor of the main building. A cutscene will play.

• Ensure you have the Music Box in your inventory.
• Do not talk to any other staff members.
• Walk directly to the Observatory door.
• Watch the final cutscene without skipping (skipping can cause a softlock).

After the cutscene, the credits will roll. Congratulations, you have completed an Any% speedrun of Robot Hospice! For more details on the game's story and other endings, check out our Endings Guide.

What is the world record time? As of the last community update, the world record for Any% is around 4 minutes and 32 seconds. The 100% category record is just over 15 minutes.

Can I speedrun on Mac? Yes. The game runs on both PC and Mac. The techniques are the same on both platforms.

Does the game have a built-in timer? No, you will need to use an external timer like LiveSplit or a stopwatch.