How to Add a Speedrun Timer to Streamlabs Desktop

If you’ve never done a speedrun on stream before, now is the time to start! Speedruns are a great way to take a normal, everyday stream and make it exciting. Viewers love watching speedruns as the stakes are high. If you want to get more playtime out of one of your favorite games or simply show off your skills, a speedrun is the perfect way to do that. Naturally, you’ll want a timer to display on screen and keep track of your progress for your viewers. 

Today we’ll show you how to add a speedrun timer to your streams with LiveSplit. LiveSplit is one of the most frequently used timers for streamers as it’s easily customizable and totally free. It’s very easy to get started with LiveSplit. First, we’ll outline the steps, and then we’ll go over everything in detail.

1. Download LiveSplit
2. Add splits to your timer or download a premade layout
3. Add LiveSplit to Streamlabs Desktop

Easy as one, two, three! Let’s take a detailed look at how to start working with the LiveSplit speedrun timer on your streams.

Download LiveSplit (PC only)

First, go to the LiveSplit webpage and download the latest version.

The download will come as a zipped file. Once completed, you need to extract all of the files and open the LiveSplit application (exe file). A small, simple timer should pop up.

Add Splits to Your Timer or Download a Premade Layout

Now it’s time for you to customize your timer with splits. Splits are essentially goals that allow you to break up your speedrun into smaller chunks. What splits you should add will be specific to the game you’re playing. 

Right-click the timer and click “Edit Splits” to customize it to your liking. You can search popular splits by game or simply download a premade layout and import it into LiveSplit. Alternatively, you can come up with your own unique splits for the game you’re playing. The problem is, this isn’t as fun because there aren’t specific times to beat. However, if you plan on speedrunning a game several times, you can always try to beat your previous score.

Today we’re going to download premade layouts. You can use either the Speedrun website or Splits.io. 

For example, if you want to do a speedrun for the mines in Stardew Valley, you can search for a premade layout to save you the work of doing it yourself. Once you find the timer for the mines, click on the orangish percentage icon and then click “LiveSplit.” 

After you’ve downloaded the file, double-click it. The Stardew Valley mines timer we downloaded looks like this:

Now you need to set up your hotkeys. Hotkeys make it easier to start and stop your timer during your streams. You can set the hotkeys to whatever you like by right-clicking on the timer and scrolling down to “Settings.” Go ahead and set up “Global Hotkeys” as well. This ensures that no matter what window you have open, your hotkeys will still apply to LiveSplit. Right-click on your timer, then scroll down to “Control” and finally “Global Hotkeys.”

Add LiveSplit to Streamlabs Desktop

You’re almost ready to start your speed run! All that’s left is to add a timer to Streamlabs Desktop. It’s super quick and easy to add LiveSplit as a window capture.

Under sources, click on the plus sign to add a new source to your scene. Then select “Window Capture.”

Name the Window Capture (“Timer” is a good choice for clarity) and then select “LiveSplit” for the selected window.

Now all you have to do is position your timer wherever you want it on screen. 

With that, you are ready to start speedrunning your favorite games on stream! What are you going to speedrun first? Will you download a premade template or create your own? Tell us all about your speedrun over on our Twitter. Stay safe and happy streaming!