Jeremias Heppeler from laut.de rated the album two out of five stars. He found that Giesinger was "putting everything on the line for a hit; the production has a clear objective in mind and pursues it single-mindedly. As a result, this album will undoubtedly find its audience. However, I predict it will be forgotten just as quickly. Sadly, Der Junge, Der Rennt resembles the work of a Voice of Germany finalist rather than that of a dedicated artist. With a bit more individuality, it could have been so much more."[1] Johannes Mihram from Plattentests felt that while his "debut album Laufen lernen [...] still had its moments that went against the grain, every moment on Der Junge, der rennt is smoothed out."[2]
Der Junge, der rennt deuted at number 20 on the German Albums Chart in the week of 15 April 2016.[3] It was not until 27 January 2017, that it peaked at number 17 on the chart.[3] The same year, the album was certified Platinum by the Bundesverband Musikindustrie (BVMI) for sales and streaming figures in excess of 200,000 units.[4]
