Games Done Quick (GDQ) is a twice-a-year video game speedrun charity event held in the United States. It was first organized by the Speed Demos Archive and SpeedRunsLive communities. Since 2015, the event has been managed by Games Done Quick, LLC. GDQ has been held since 2010, and the events have raised money for many charities.

The two main events hosted by GDQ are Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) and Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ). AGDQ takes place in early January each year and raises money for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. SGDQ usually happens in late June or early July each year and raises money for Doctors Without Borders. Both events last for seven days. In addition to these events, GDQ also hosts other broadcasts throughout the year, such as smaller marathons for different charities, special events for unique occasions, and regular GDQ Hotfix programming.

The events are live-streamed on Twitch and broadcasted on YouTube at the same time as AGDQ 2026. Viewers are encouraged to donate during the streams for rewards, such as choosing the name of a save file or main character, asking runners to complete harder challenges, or entering contests for a chance to win prizes. As of January 2026, over $59.8 million has been raised through more than a million individual donations.

Format

Speedrunners take turns showing their skill by beating video games as quickly as possible. These events happen in front of an audience and are also streamed on Twitch. Sometimes, runners complete games in special ways, such as finishing every level, playing blindfolded, or racing against others to finish first. Games played in these events include both older and newer titles. Most runs include commentary from the runner or experienced commentators, as well as messages from an announcer about donations.

Popular runs often include video game glitches and conversations between the runner and commentators. These discussions usually explain techniques or include jokes and friendly exchanges. Humor is especially common during parts of the game that are not interactive or require little skill. Donations from viewers may include jokes that are understood by the speedrunning community or personal messages about the donations. Because the events are broadcast live to a large audience, runners and commentators are encouraged to avoid strong language or offensive actions.

When donating, supporters can choose how their money is used for specific rewards. These rewards might include extra speedruns, demonstrations of special tricks, or decisions in the game, such as naming the player character.

History

Writer and speedrunner Eric Koziel points out two important events that came before Games Done Quick: the "Desert Bus for Hope" donation drive started by LoadingReadyRun in November 2007, and a series of charity speedrun events held by TheSpeedGamers beginning in March 2008.

Users of the Speed Demos Archive website planned a charity marathon in January 2010 during MAGFest 8. The event focused on 8-bit and 16-bit video games and was named "Classic Games Done Quick," inspired by the 1990s speedrunning project Quake Done Quick. Internet problems at the MAGFest hotel forced SDA administrator Mike Uyama to move the event to his mother’s home. Despite this, the event raised over $10,000 for CARE.

After this success, the first Awesome Games Done Quick marathon took place in January 2011. It lasted five days instead of two, included newer games like Halo and Portal, and raised more than $50,000 for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. The first Summer Games Done Quick event happened in August 2011, raising $20,000 for the Organization for Autism Research. Both events have happened every year since, raising much larger amounts than the early marathons.

A one-time event called Japan Relief Done Quick was held in March 2011 to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. It raised over $25,000. Another one-time event, God of War Done Quick, was held on March 20, 2015, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the God of War franchise. Over five hours, it raised $3,500 for The AbleGamers Foundation.

Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, the Summer 2020 marathon, both 2021 marathons, and the Winter 2022 marathon were held online. In-person attendance returned for SGDQ 2022 with strict rules, including social distancing, masks, and vaccine requirements. Attendees needed full vaccination and booster doses, and remote runners were included alongside on-stage participants. The Winter AGDQ 2023 event was planned to be in-person in Orlando, Florida, but was moved online due to controversies related to Florida’s laws on LGBT rights and vaccine mandates. This decision had serious financial effects for the organization. Uyama said the situation was "a make-or-break deal" that limited growth for several years. He also noted that low attendance caused by Florida’s laws could have led to greater financial losses. The organization stated it would not risk attendee safety for money. Uyama announced he would leave his role in GDQ after 13 years to focus on his health, but later postponed his departure to help his successor.

In its early years, GDQ faced criticism for allowing casual bigotry among runners and commentators, and its Twitch chat was not controlled. Founder Mike Uyama later admitted he knew little about LGBTQ+ issues and proper representation, saying he learned about transgender people around 2012 or 2013. From 2016 to 2018, GDQ worked to address these problems. The organization adopted a strict rule against harassment, banning some people. It also reached out to underrepresented groups through other groups and special events like Frame Fatales and Hotfix streams.

Over time, a tradition developed at GDQ events: donors who send messages during speedruns often end with "trans rights." This became common enough that in-person audiences began shouting "trans rights" together during the marathons, no matter the time of day.

Speedrunning records have been set at GDQ marathons for games like Super Mario Galaxy 2, Superman 64, and Tony Hawk's Pro Skater 3.

List of marathons

Originally named Classic Games Done Quick (CGDQ), this yearly event takes place in early January. It collects funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation.

This event was first held in 2011 alongside AGDQ. It usually occurs in late June or early July and supports Doctors Without Borders. Since 2015, it has typically been hosted in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area.

Games Done Quick Express (GDQx) is a three-day event held annually at TwitchCon since 2018. No GDQx events occurred in 2020 or 2021 because TwitchCon was canceled those years. Similarly, no GDQx event was held at the 2022 TwitchCon.

Frame Fatales is a week-long event that includes only female and non-binary participants. It began in 2019 as a four-day event and started raising money for the Malala Fund in 2020. As of 2022, the event is held twice yearly: once in February–March as Frost Fatales and once in August as Flame Fatales.

Controversies

As GDQ events have become more popular, there have been several disagreements. Some players and commentators have been banned, and the stream chat has sometimes been muted. GDQ advises attendees to avoid conversations that cause strong opinions or are controversial. They also ask people to avoid harassing others. Some attendees have been banned for making inappropriate comments, though some people believe these bans may not have been fair.

In 2017, a commentator named PvtCinnamonBun was banned from all future GDQ events after wearing a "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) hat on stream shortly after Donald Trump became president. This happened during a time when GDQ was changing its rules to be stricter about behavior. Before this change, some runners who wore MAGA hats or acted in ways that were considered offensive were still allowed to attend events. However, Kotaku reported that PvtCinnamonBun’s ban was later removed because the hat was not actually a MAGA hat. He was banned again for unplugging a power strip cable. Another runner, Cyberdemon531, was also banned for owning a MAGA hat.

In 2018, a speedrunner named "BubblesDelFuego" was banned from future GDQ events after sharing edible medicine containing cannabis with a friend. This caused the friend to have a panic attack and be taken to the hospital. Bubbles used the medicine to manage pain from a medical condition called Hodgkin lymphoma. He told Kotaku he understood the reason for his ban but believed the staff who enforced the rules did not fully understand the effects of tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active chemical in cannabis.

At SGDQ 2019, a speedrunner named "QuinnAce" (formerly "ConnorAce") used a fake run to claim a world record for the game Clustertruck in the "NoAbility%" category. This prevented the real record holder from being invited. The run was not officially submitted to speedrun.com, and the video was not publicly listed on YouTube before QuinnAce was accepted into SGDQ. In October 2019, the YouTuber Apollo Legend exposed the fake run.

At AGDQ 2020, several runners, including "Luzbelheim" (or "Luz"), were scheduled to participate in a relay playthrough of Final Fantasy VIII. However, Luz’s Twitter bio became widely shared online because he wrote that he dislikes "feminazism," identifies as "deminonbinary," and uses the pronouns "luz/luz." News outlets criticized GDQ organizers for allowing Luz to play in the relay. Luz was banned without details about how long the ban would last.

At SGDQ 2022, a speedrunner named "Mekarazium" admitted to faking a run of the game Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Blade Wolf DLC. The game was played remotely, unlike most other games at the event, and the DLC was a donation incentive. While the main game was played live by Mekarazium, the DLC was pre-recorded. Viewers noticed problems with the run, and Mekarazium admitted to faking it. He was banned from future GDQ events.