Games Done Quick (GDQ) is a twice-a-year video game speedrun charity marathon 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. The events began in 2010 and 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 happens in early January each year and supports the Prevent Cancer Foundation. SGDQ usually takes place in late June or early July and supports Doctors Without Borders. Both events last for seven days. In addition to these events, GDQ also hosts smaller marathons, special events for unique occasions, and regular broadcasts called GDQ Hotfix throughout the year.

The events are shown live on Twitch and also broadcast simultaneously on YouTube since AGDQ 2026. Viewers can donate money during the streams to earn rewards, such as choosing the names of save files or main characters, encouraging runners to complete harder challenges, or entering contests to win prizes. As of January 2026, more than $59.8 million has been raised through over a million individual donations.

Format

Speedrunners show their skill by completing video games as quickly as possible. They perform these runs in front of an audience and on a livestream through Twitch. Sometimes, runs are done in special ways, such as finishing every level in a game, completing a game while blindfolded, or having multiple runners race to finish first. Games played in Events called Games Done Quick include both older and newer video games. These runs usually include commentary from the runner or experienced commentators, as well as messages from viewers read by an announcer.

Most popular runs include using video game glitches and conversations between the runner and commentators. These discussions often explain techniques or include jokes and friendly banter, especially during parts of the game that don’t require much skill. Donations from viewers may include humorous messages with jokes known only to the speedrunning community or personal messages about the donations. Because the event is broadcast live to many people, runners and commentators are encouraged to avoid using strong language or offensive behavior.

When donating, viewers can choose how their money is used. Options include extra speedruns, special tricks or glitches shown, or in-game choices like 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 organized by LoadingReadyRun in November 2007, and a series of charity speedrun marathons held by TheSpeedGamers starting in March 2008.

Users of the site Speed Demos Archive decided to hold a charity marathon in January 2010 during MAGFest 8. The event focused on 8-bit and 16-bit video games and was called "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 continued every year since, raising much larger amounts than the early marathons.

A special event was held in March 2011 to help victims of the earthquake and tsunami in Japan. Japan Relief Done Quick raised over $25,000. Another special event took place on March 20, 2015, to celebrate the 10th anniversary of the God of War franchise. Over five hours, God of War Done Quick 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 like social distancing, masks, and vaccine requirements. Attendees had to be fully vaccinated, and some runners participated remotely. The Winter AGDQ 2023 event was planned to be in-person in Orlando, Florida, but it was moved online due to controversies involving Florida’s laws on LGBT rights and vaccines. This decision caused financial challenges for the organization. Uyama, who stepped down from his role in GDQ in 2023, said the move was a critical moment that limited future growth.

In its early years, GDQ faced criticism for allowing casual bigotry among runners and commentators, and its Twitch chat was not well monitored. Founder Mike Uyama later admitted he had limited knowledge about LGBTQ+ issues and proper representation. From 2016 to 2018, GDQ worked to address these problems. The organization adopted a zero-tolerance policy against harassment and banned some people. It also expanded efforts to include underrepresented groups through satellite organizations and programs like Frame Fatales and Hotfix streams.

Over time, a tradition developed at GDQ events: donors who sent messages during speedruns often ended their messages with "trans rights." This became so common that in-person audiences began shouting "trans rights" back in unison during marathons, no matter the time of day.

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

List of marathons

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

This event was introduced in 2011 as a partner to AGDQ. It usually happens in late June or early July and helps raise money for Doctors Without Borders. Since 2015, the event has mostly occurred in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul area.

Games Done Quick Express (GDQx) is a yearly three-day event held at TwitchCon since 2018. No GDQx events happened in 2020 or 2021 because TwitchCon was canceled those years. Also, no GDQx event took place during the 2022 TwitchCon.

Frame Fatales is a seven-day event that includes only women 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 happens twice a year in February–March and August, called Frost Fatales and Flame Fatales, respectively.

Controversies

As GDQ events have become more popular, there have been several disputes. Some players and commentators have been banned, and the stream chat has been muted at times. GDQ advises attendees to avoid discussing topics that are polarizing or controversial. They also ask attendees to avoid harassing other players. Some people have been banned for making inappropriate comments, though others believe some bans may not have been fair.

In 2017, a commentator named PvtCinnamonBun was banned from future events for allegedly wearing a "Make America Great Again" (MAGA) hat on stream shortly after Donald Trump’s election. This incident happened during a time when GDQ was changing its rules to be stricter about behavior. Before these changes, some runners who wore MAGA hats or acted in sexist ways were 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 supposedly unplugging a power strip. Another runner, Cyberdemon531, was banned for owning the MAGA hat.

In 2018, a speedrunner named "BubblesDelFuego" was banned from future GDQ events after sharing edible medicinal cannabis with a friend. This caused the friend to have a panic attack and be taken to the hospital. Bubbles used cannabis to manage chronic pain from Hodgkin lymphoma. He told Kotaku he understood the reason for his ban but believed GDQ staff made mistakes about tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), the active chemical in cannabis.

At SGDQ 2019, a speedrunner named "QuinnAce" (formerly "ConnorAce") used a spliced run to unfairly claim the world record for the "NoAbility%" category in Clustertruck. This prevented the true record holder from being invited. The run was suspicious because it was not officially submitted to speedrun.com, and the video was unlisted on YouTube before QuinnAce joined SGDQ. In October 2019, the YouTuber Apollo Legend exposed the 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 went viral for stating 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, but details about the ban’s length were not provided.

At SGDQ 2022, a speedrunner named "Mekarazium" admitted to faking a run of Metal Gear Rising: Revengeance Blade Wolf DLC. The game was played remotely, unlike most others 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.