If you're tired of your game character moving like they've got lead boots on, learning how to make a sprint script is probably the first thing on your to-do list. There is nothing more frustrating than exploring a massive game map at a snail's pace. Whether you're building a high-octane horror game or a simple hobby, giving your players the ability to dash makes the whole experience feel much more responsive and professional.
Most people think coding movement is some complex math problem, but it's actually pretty straightforward once you get the hang of how the game engine listens to your keyboard. We're going to focus on the logic behind it, specifically for platforms like Roblox where this is a super common request, but the general principles apply just about anywhere.
Getting the basics down
Before we start typing out lines of code, we need to talk about what's actually happening under the hood. When you want a character to run, you're essentially telling the game: "Hey, when the player holds down this specific key, change their movement speed variable to something higher. When they let go, change it back."
In most game engines, every character has a default speed. In Roblox, for example, the Humanoid.WalkSpeed is usually set to 16. If we want them to sprint, we might bump that up to 25 or 32. It sounds simple, but you have to make sure the script knows which player is pressing the button and that it doesn't accidentally break other parts of the game.
Where does the script go?
One of the biggest mistakes beginners make is putting their script in the wrong place. Since sprinting relies on the player pressing a key on their own keyboard, we usually use a LocalScript. A LocalScript runs on the player's computer (the client) rather than the game's main server. This is important because it makes the movement feel instant. If you tried to handle every single keypress on the server, there would be a tiny bit of lag that makes the game feel "mushy."
For a sprint script, you'll typically want to drop your LocalScript into StarterPlayerScripts or StarterCharacterScripts. This ensures that every time a player joins or resets, the code is ready to go.
Writing the actual code
Let's get into the meat of it. To make this work, we need to use a service that listens for "input"—things like mouse clicks, controller button presses, or keyboard taps.
First, we define our variables. We need to reference the UserInputService (or UIS for short) and the local player. It'll look something like this:
```lua local UIS = game:GetService("UserInputService") local player = game.Players.LocalPlayer local character = player.Character or player.CharacterAdded:Wait() local humanoid = character:WaitForChild("Humanoid")
local normalSpeed = 16 local sprintSpeed = 32 ```
Now, we need to create a function that triggers when a key is pressed. We use InputBegan for this. We check if the key being pressed is the Left Shift key (which is the universal standard for sprinting, though some people like C).
lua UIS.InputBegan:Connect(function(input, gameProcessed) if gameProcessed then return end if input.KeyCode == Enum.KeyCode.LeftShift then humanoid.WalkSpeed = sprintSpeed end end)
The gameProcessed part is actually really important. It tells the script to ignore the shift key if the player is currently typing in the chat box. Without that, every time someone tries to capitalize a letter in chat, their character would start darting around!
Stopping the sprint
Of course, if we stopped there, the player would just run forever after pressing Shift once. We need to reset the speed when they let go. This is where InputEnded comes in. It's almost identical to the first block of code, but it sets the speed back to 16.
lua UIS.InputEnded:Connect(function(input) if input.KeyCode == Enum.KeyCode.LeftShift then humanoid.WalkSpeed = normalSpeed end end)
And honestly? That's the core of it. You've just figured out how to make a sprint script that works. But if you want your game to actually feel good, you probably shouldn't stop there.
Making it feel fast with FOV
Have you ever noticed that in games like Call of Duty or Minecraft, the screen seems to "zoom out" slightly when you run? That's a change in the Field of View (FOV). It's a clever visual trick that makes the player feel like they're moving much faster than they actually are.
To add this, you'd reference the CurrentCamera and tween the FOV property. When the player starts sprinting, you might move the FOV from 70 to 90. When they stop, you smoothly bring it back down. It's a small touch, but it makes a world of difference in terms of "game feel." Without it, sprinting can sometimes feel like you're just sliding across the floor.
Adding a stamina system
If you're making a survival game or a competitive shooter, you might not want players to be able to sprint indefinitely. You can add a stamina bar to balance things out. This involves creating a new variable—let's call it stamina—and having it decrease every second while the player is running.
You'd wrap your speed change in a loop or a check. If stamina > 0 and the shift key is down, let them run. If it hits zero, force the WalkSpeed back to normal and wait for the bar to recharge. This adds a layer of strategy to your game. Do they use their sprint now to get across an open field, or save it to escape an enemy later?
Troubleshooting common issues
Even with a simple script, things can go wrong. If you've followed the steps and your character isn't moving any faster, check your output window. A common culprit is that the Humanoid hasn't loaded in yet when the script starts running. Using WaitForChild("Humanoid") is a lifesaver here because it tells the script to be patient and wait for the character's body to actually exist in the game world.
Another thing to keep in mind is character resets. If your script is in StarterPlayerScripts, it might only run once when the player first joins. If they die and respawn, the script might lose its connection to the new character model. Putting the script in StarterCharacterScripts usually fixes this, as it restarts the script every time the character loads.
Why movement matters so much
You might think that spending this much time on a simple sprint button is overkill, but movement is the primary way players interact with your world. If the movement feels clunky, players will drop the game before they even see the cool stuff you've built.
Learning how to make a sprint script is basically your entry point into more advanced character mechanics. Once you understand how to listen for inputs and change player properties, you can start looking into double jumps, crouching, or even wall-running.
Wrapping things up
Setting up a basic dash or run mechanic doesn't have to be a headache. By using a LocalScript and the UserInputService, you can get a functional sprint working in just a few minutes. From there, it's all about the "extra" stuff—the FOV shifts, the stamina bars, and the smooth transitions—that turn a basic script into a polished game mechanic.
Just remember to keep your code clean, use comments if you think you'll forget what a line does, and always test it out to make sure it feels right. Happy developing, and enjoy watching your players finally move at a decent speed!