A new year is here, which means we're in the midst of that joyous time where the entire gaming community says in one voice: "oh crap, AGDQ starts this weekend!" Yes, the charity speedrunning event has once again crept up on us all, and there's a whole lot of fun stuff on the schedule - which, for sickos like me, includes some of the worst games ever made.
AGDQ 2025 starts on Sunday, January 5 at 8:30am PT / 11:30am ET / 4:30pm GMT with a brief kickoff show, followed by a full run of Pikmin on Switch to get things started properly. As always, the event runs for a full week, concluding the night of Saturday, January 11 with a map randomizer race through GDQ mainstay Super Metroid.
You can browse the full schedule for yourself, but some of the most eye-catching speedruns include an any% blast through Final Fantasy 7 Rebirth in around six hours. That might be stretching the definition of a speedrun, but it's still a very fast way to get through an uber-meaty JRPG. We're also going to get to see a live performance of Elden Ring played with a saxophone as a controller, and a live band backing a Crazy Taxi run so the stream doesn't get muted by the game's licensed soundtrack.
For me, though, the highlight's likely to be the traditional awful block, hosting some of the worst games ever made, including the infamous lowlights that are Superman 64 and Big Rigs: Over the Road Racing, plus a whole bunch of games I've never even heard of. (Does Squirrel with a Gun really count for awful block when it's like that on purpose?)
As ever, AGDQ benefits the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and the mid-year follow-up SGDQ benefits Doctors Without Borders. You can follow the event live on Twitch or catch the VODs as they go live up on YouTube.
Charity speedrun icon Games Done Quick has a new owner, but he says the GDQ vibes aren't changing: "It's basically like a family get-together."
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