Awesome Games Done Quick 2025 is over, raising just over $2.5 million for the Cancer Prevention Foundation. Every Games Done Quick event is worth tuning into either live or later via VODs, but this AGDQ was uniquely fantastic, filled with performances that will go down as some of the best GDQ has to offer. Here are some of our favorites:
New Wii Super Mario Bros
The great thing about the speedrunning community is that being the fastest runner of a given game is often not enough. This is boring. For Wes, just running New Wii Super Mario Bros it was not enough to satisfy him. He had to get creative with it, deciding to master the game as quickly as possible playing the piano. But how can one play a video game if both hands are occupied, you ask? The answer is clear: controlling the game with the head and feet. I don’t know what inspires a man to do such a thing and I don’t care. All that matters is that Wes displayed the depth of human ability (and multitasking) on screen, and it was awe-inspiring to watch.
The Elden ring bonus showcase
Speaking of incredible human talent, how much to play The Elden ring – a game known for its punishing difficulty – with saxophone. I had been looking forward to this run all week and Dr. Doot did not disappoint, but not for the reason I expected. It’s one thing to beat the likes of Malenia, Blade of Miquella with a specially programmed aerophone. But nothing could have prepared me for every input, from the attack to the use of consumables, the sound of a funny “doot” noise. I cried laughing, it was so funny.
Super Metroid
Super Metroid is a staple of GDQ, often anchoring the final day of the event in a week’s worth of programming. But recently, GDQ has moved away from simply showcasing the game to showcase all of its work Super Metroid The modding community has put a lot of effort into keeping this game from 1994 fresh and interesting. This four-way race e Super Metroid included a map randomizer, meaning the game’s normal layout was shuffled and merged into a completely new setup.
Map randomizers for one Metroid games are extremely dangerous because all the skills you need to progress are no longer defined in a logical way. Samus can run into the fiery pits of Lower Norfair long before she finds the heat shielding Varia suit. And with the random map, it’s now much harder (and more time consuming) to find where the suit is. Now add an element of competition, and you have one of the best contests in AGDQ history.
Crazy Taxi with live backing band
It used to be that if you wanted to avoid DMCA strikes for playing a game on Twitch with licensed music, you’d just turn off the music. But AGDQ has come up with a new way to overcome this age-old problem. For this purpose Crazy Taxievery song was played by a cover band that transformed AGDQ from a fast-paced video game event to an impromptu punk rock show — mini-mosh pit and all — and that decided it. I won’t share any details. Just go see for yourself.
GDQ is a uniquely special event for more reasons than just showcasing cool, creative or crazy runs. In a world where cowardly corporations have decided it’s okay to call women and LGBTQ+ people a joke, and a world where gamers have a unique reputation for being horrible to each other over differences beyond our control, Games Done Quick has been very vocal in its support for the marginalized. the people. Be it his diverse programming with Frame Fatales or Black in a Flash or just the fact that every other donation contained a Trans Rights message, which was enthusiastically read and enthusiastically cheered by the live crowd.
Games Done Quick has been a shining example of how intentionally curated communities can foster acceptance and be a source of joy and kindness in a climate of need, and AGDQ 2025 was one of the best.
