My 12 Most Anticipated Runs of AGDQ 2025

Games Done Quick is a series of charity events built around speedrunning. For seemingly being such a niche pastime, thousands of people attend in person and hundreds of thousands watch online every year. The organization has raised more than 50 million dollars for Doctors Without Borders, the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and other worthy causes. 

And they’re just getting started. 

Speedrunning, if you’ve never heard of the hobby, is exactly what it sounds like–playing a game as fast as possible or with other intense restrictions (for instance, runners have played games without taking damage or blindfolded in past events). It’s a gathering of people who are the best in the world at their specific thing and their achievements are broadcasted 24 hours a day for a week on Twitch. 

Awesome Games Done Quick 2025 kicks off this Sunday, and even if this doesn’t seem like something that would have you on the edge of your seat, I promise it’s the best background noise for whatever you are into (like writing essays about video games). 

A Shiba Inu named Peanut Butter played (and won) a game of Ken Griffey Jr. MLB live last summer. I don’t care who you are, that’s good stuff. 

There are over a hundred games being played in this marathon, but these are the ones I’m most looking forward to. The full schedule is available on the Games Done Quick website and I’d recommend checking in periodically as the week progresses because times are subject to shift as technical difficulties accumulate and runners go over their estimates. All times listed here are PST. 

Also, don’t stress if you miss something, runs are eventually uploaded to the GDQ YouTube channel. 

January 5th - 6:19 PM - The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker - Any%

Wind Waker is in my top 10 and Linkus is one of the most knowledgeable in its community. In addition to being very good at Zelda, he’s a pro at explaining why he’s doing the things he’s doing mid trick. I personally enjoy the 100% category more–but Wind Waker is pure, cel shaded dopamine in all its forms.

Polygonal happiness. Pixelated bliss. 

This would be PERFECT if it didn’t conflict with the Vikings at Lions game, but I guess that’s why god gave us the ability to put multiple monitors in one room. 

January 5th - 11:51 PM - Turok 2: Seeds of Evil Remastered - Any%

I need you all to visualize something with me. 

It’s Sunday night. The Minnesota Vikings have just won the one seed in the NFC and we’re all going to celebrate together by planting some Seeds of Evil. 

The original Turok is one of my favorite speedruns (be warned if you’ve never seen it, it can be nauseating) but I’m less familiar with its sequel. I’m curious what the most efficient way to tackle these labyrinthine levels is (my casual playthrough exactly a year ago was plagued by aimless backtracking). Repeatedly screaming “I am Turok” at my TV should be a strong way to wrap up day one.

January 6th - 3:00 PM - Metroid Prime - Any% Inbounds Race

I heard someone once call Metroid Prime the Citizen Kane of video games, and while I don’t quite understand that comparison, it is very good. This race is limited to being inbounds, which I will always prefer to a title getting completely ripped open. There’s nothing wrong with watching a game come apart at the seams, of course, but anyone who has watched a speedrun of Ocarina of Time will understand what I’m talking about.

January 6th - 4:42 PM - BONUS GAME: The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild - Any% 2 Players 1 Controller 

Breath of the Wild is considered a bonus game, which means that we will need to reach a certain dollar amount before it’s played (Zelda is a pretty safe bet to hit its goals, but you may want to put your donations towards this incentive early on, just in case). 

Breath of the Wild is a masterpiece of sandbox design, and while this will most likely be a very short run, having two players with their hands on the controller will provide an interesting wrinkle.

January 7th - 11:23 AM - F-Zero GX - All Tracks Max Speed

The F-Zero series has always been ruthless and F-Zero GX specifically is one of the most unforgiving games ever made. Take a game already built around going fast and then play the whole thing one scrape away from detonation (your life bar and boost meter are one and the same in F-Zero and FifanGX is going to be boosting a lot). I know “edge of your seat” is a tired cliche that I’ve already used once in this article, but there’s no better way to describe this run. 

January 8th - 12:04 AM - Crow Country - Any% Restricted Survival Horror

Crow Country is one of my favorite games from 2024 and I haven’t seen a single piece of speedrunning content about it. And with the full run only expected to last 23 minutes, this is as low risk as it gets. 

January 8th - 3:30 PM - Donkey Kong Country: Tropical Freeze - Any% Original 

In the same way F-Zero is basically a synonym for brutal, there are no easy Donkey Kong Country titles. It’s the franchise that got me into video games in the first place and I’ll take any excuse to listen to a David Wise soundtrack. 

January 10th - 4:00 PM - Mario Kart 8 Deluxe - 48 Tracks (DLC), 200CC, No Items

Nintendo doubled the size of base MK8 with its DLC and some of the new tracks are absolutely fantastic. I’m already less familiar with 8 than Mario Kart 64, so I’m hoping for some surprises (I’m sure there will be with the lack of items). This should also be a nice parade lap for when we finally get Mario Kart 9 next year. 

Right? Right?????

January 10th - 8:07 PM - Super Mario World - 96 Exit Race

96 Exit refers to finishing every level in Super Mario World in every way (there’s a 121 Exit category, but that’s something entirely different). I love races and this is one of the most competitive categories in SMW (good initials). If you’re new, it also helps that Mario speedrunning is easy to understand–simply run right faster than your opponent.  

January 11th - 12:52 PM - Elden Ring  - Saxophone - Controlled Boss Showcase

If your social media algorithm is anything like mine, you’ve probably seen at least a few clips of someone beating a boss with their goldfish or sniping their enemies in Call of Duty with the high-pitched squeals of a recorder. As I mentioned earlier, one of the best things about these marathons is the commentators typically provide more context to what’s going on under the hood during these feats of gaming athleticism. I need to know how to get jazzy in the Lands Between. 

And come on, who doesn’t want more Elden Ring?

January 11th - 1:27 PM - Crazy Taxi with Live Backing Band - Crazy Box

While I carry no strong attachment to Crazy Taxi, it’ll be interesting to see if the band can properly recreate the mystique of every 2000s pizza restaurant. This should be a chance for GDQ to make some crazy money. 

January 11th - 7:55 PM - Super Metroid - Map Randomizer Race

Super Metroid is one of the titles that built the foundation of the hobby. I remember watching a world record of it even before YouTube went online (for some reason, a friend had it saved on a modded Xbox). If you’re new to watching speedruns, don’t miss Super Metroid. This also being the last run of the marathon means we can expect an added layer of drama as the donation tracker creeps towards its final total and hits milestone after milestone. 

Save the frames. Kill the animals. 

Will this be your first GDQ or are you a speedrun veteran? I’ve been following the hobby since 2016 but it continues to stay fresh with new games, new personalities, new strategies, and gimmicks. Check it out, and even if you bounce off it immediately, at least buy some cool merch from Fangamer and the Yetee. 

It’s all going to a good cause.