How to Play Qwop

Last Updated: January 18, 2023

QWOP is an extremely difficult online game. Your goal is to run 100 meters with a professional athlete. The catch? You can only control your leg muscles individually. There are two approaches to success in QWOP. The "knee hopping" method is much easier. If you want bragging rights, learn how to run and beat the game as the creator intended.

Method 1

Method 1 of 2:

Knee Hopping

1
Hold W to do the splits. At the start of the race, press and hold W to clench your left thigh. One leg will shoot straight forward while the other stays behind. Just let the runner fall until he's balanced on his foot in front, and his knee in back.
- If you landed past 1.5 meters, break out the champagne.
2
Tap W to scoot forward. If your front leg isn't fully extended, tap W to scoot forward another couple tenths of a meter. Once your runner stops moving, continue to the next step.
- Forget that you ever knew how to stand up. Standing is a story that only children believe in.
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3
Tap Q to pull your back leg forward. Don't hold it down too long, or you'll tip over backward. Just tap it to bring your back knee forward, until it's a short ways behind your butt.
- If you've been playing for longer than 10 seconds, Usain Bolt would have already finished the race. Don't let it get to you.
4
Tap W repeatedly. Now that your back leg is further forward, you have more room to scoot. You can often tap W several times, hopping on your back knee or dragging it forward slowly. Stop when your front leg is fully forward, or when more tapping doesn't cause you to move.
- There are no fans in the background because they've all walked home. On their legs.
5
Alternate between Q and W. Keep repeating this knee-hop, and you'll scoot forward with very little chance of falling down. Tapping between the two keys quickly will get you there, but you'll move faster and avoid tendonitis if you move in larger spurts. Hit Q to bring your knee forward, then hit W several times to lunge forward. Repeat until you're at the hurdle.
- QWOP is too easy. We don't need those O and P keys.
6
Wait, there's a hurdle? Yes, there's a hurdle at the 50 meter mark. It is possible to stay in the splits position, knock the hurdle over, and push it to the finish line. You'll move even slower than before, but stepping over it is risky. If you do want to get over it (after knocking it down), try propping yourself up on your front foot with O. Once your front calf is tilted a little forward of vertical, hit Q and W vigorously to clear the hurdle. It's very hard to do this without falling over.
- If you've made it past the hurdle, you deserve a break from sarcastic comments. Congratulations, and good luck becoming a National Champion at the 100 meter mark.

Method 2

Method 2 of 2:

Proper Running

1
Understand the movements. Practice will help you get a feel for the controls, but it can take a long time before they make sense. Here's a straightforward explanation of what the controls actually do:^{[1]
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- Q moves the right thigh forward and the left thigh back.
- W moves the left thigh forward and the right thigh back.
- O bends the right knee and extends the left knee.
- P bends the left knee and extends the right knee.
2
Practice long key presses. Beginners sometimes don't realize that holding down the key keeps the muscles flexed. A quick tap will flex your leg and relax it right away, leading to jerky movements. For consistent, powerful strides, you want to hold the keys down for a solid second.
3
Press W and O to push with your right foot. Press and hold these keys at the same time to give the runner a little forward momentum. Think of this as one control: pushing off with the right leg.^{[2]
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- While your right leg is pushing off the ground, your left knee will flex. When well timed, it will raise the left foot up off the ground.
4
Press Q and P to push with your left foot. Just before your left foot (in front) hits the ground, release W and O, press Q and P at the same time, and hold. This will push off with your left foot, and bring your right foot all the way forward with a lifted knee.
5
Alternate between WO and QP. Keep your attention on the leg in front. Just before the foot hits the ground, release the two keys you're holding and press the other two. This will get your runner into a slow but well-balanced rhythm. He should shoot the next foot forward while leaning back, then fall forward a little further on the track.
- You can also watch the runner's front thigh. It's time to press when it falls to a level parallel with the ground.^{[3]
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6
Speed up your stride. If you don't want to spend a ton of time, you'll need to speed up. Instead of holding the keys down until your next stride, press for 1/4 to 1/2 of a second, then let go. When your forward foot just begins to fall, repeat with the other pair of keys. You'll move faster, but it will be much easier to make a mistake and fall over.
- When done correctly, your runner's torso will stay vertical. The front foot will hit the ground directly below the torso. If the foot falls behind the torso, you're hitting the keys too late.^{[4]
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7
Correct mistakes. Leaning too far back slows you down, but with practice you can recover fairly easily. The next time you hit the keys, press the thigh button slightly before the calf button, instead of at the same time. For example, instead of Q+P, press Q, take a split second pause, hit P, then release both keys.
- Forward-leaning mistakes are very difficult to correct, since you usually fall quickly. You can try pushing off hard with your back leg (repeating the same keystroke pair) and dragging the forward calf up to catch yourself.
8
Stand up. If you accidentally fall into the splits, here's how to stand back up again:^{[5]
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- If your front leg is stretched forward, tap the key for the forward calf until your calf is roughly vertical.
- Tap the key that controls the trailing thigh until it is vertical under your torso.
- Tap the key for your front calf until the trailing foot just barely starts to lift off the ground, then push off with that foot. (In other words press p-p-p-W+O if your left foot is in front, or o-o-o-Q+P if your right foot is in front.)
9
Break through the hurdle. The hurdle at 50 meters isn't as scary as it seems, as long as you don't actually try to jump over it. Stick to your steady stride pattern and you should knock it over. This will often require one of the mistake corrections described above afterward, but with practice you'll learn to recover smoothly. After that point, there are no more obstacles between you and the 100 meter finish line.
10
Keep practicing. Even after they get the running rhythm down, most people don't reach the 100 meter finish line. It takes many attempts and often hours of practice. Good luck!

Community Q&A

Question

The methods don't necessarily work at the 50 and 100 metro marks, what else can I try?

Community Answer

You have to alternate between Q and P or W and O.
Question

What website can I play QWOP on?

Iris8989

Community Answer

The website poki.com allows you to play mobile games (this game was designed for mobile). You can play QWOP on it with many other games like The Game of Life and Flip the Bottle.