Games Done Quick is a speedrunning marathon event that raises funding for charities. Its main events are Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) in January and Summer Games Done Quick (SDGQ) in the summer but these days they run smaller events throughout the year as well.
I love the event and there are so many fun runs that for various reasons have found a sweet spot in my gamer heart. These are in no particular order.
Ratatouille by adef, SGDQ 2023
“We’re gonna take this easy, chefs!”
adef is one of the most charismatic and nicest people in the speedrunning community and this 2023 run of Ratatouille is a prime example of a fun run that I love. For me, the fun banter between the runner and the couch commentators are way more important than the gameplay itself and generally I don’t enjoy runs where most of the speed tech is just glitching out of bounds and skipping most of the game.
I can’t see myself ever playing Ratatouille myself but just listening to these guys have a blast with a ton of chef, restaurant and food related puns and jokes is so much fun.
Super Mario 64 Relay by 70 Runners, AGDQ 2026
Community has always been a big aspect of the event’s DNA. That’s especially why the 2026 Super Mario 64 relay was such a joy to see. In the run, you collect 70 stars before beating Bowser and in this run, each star was achieved by a different runner — many who don’t even run Super Mario 64 normally as there are a lot of easier stars that can be reached without a ton of experience in the game.
It’s a great display of how speedrunning can be for anyone and how collaboration is a lot of fun. For a long-time GDQ viewer, it was kind of like the scene in Avengers: End Game where all the heroes get together to fight Thanos. You might not have seen all of their individual bits but there was enough for every fan to recognise and get excited about.
Pokèmon Red race by Gunnermaniac3, Keizaron, Extratricky and Exarionu, SGDQ 2016
Maybe my all time favourite run in GDQ is this Pokémon Red race from 2016. Not only is the race itself tight, always evolving and exciting but the commentary by Shenanagans is so brilliant it sets up every viewer ready to understand the game with its quirks and details and makes watching any future speedruns of the Pokémon games more enjoyable.
Star Wars: Jedi Knight - Jedi Academy by CovertMuffin, SGDQ 2016
CovertMuffin is one of the funniest and most wholesome runner GDQ has ever seen and this run is just one of the many examples. His Jedi Academy run is awesome. His enthusiasm for the game is infectious and I keep returning to this run every time I need of positive moods.
New Super Mario Bros. Wii On Piano by Wes, AGDQ 2025
Speedrunning is hard. It takes a lot of practice, muscle memory, mastering controls and gameplay and tricks. Performing a speedrun live in front of an in-person audience and thousands watching online is even harder.
And then there’s Wes. Wes didn’t just play New Super Mario Bros fast. He did so while playing the music of the game on a piano. While controlling the game with one joycon strapped to his head so he can move back and forth by tilting his head and another joycon strapped to his foot for running and jumping.
This is one of the most impressive runs I’ve ever seen.
Beat Saber by Kungfufruitcup, SGDQ 2025
Beat Saber is a fun VR game where you hit boxes and dodge obstacles with your lightsabers to the rhythm of the music.
Kungfufruitcup does that in such an impressive way in this Beat Saber showcase. I love the game myself and I can usually beat the easier levels on easier difficulties (and I play without obstacles because I worry I crash my living room when dodging them). She demolishes the game on Expert+ and plays through some incredible mod showcases too. And she keeps commenting on throughout.
This run also has incredible production values, filming her play in front of a green screen and projecting the game world around her. It makes watching it even more enjoyable than it would have been with a regular GDQ setup.