Summer Games Done Quick 2023 kicks off this weekend

Running fast for a good cause

The summer is here, and what better way to celebrate than with SGDQ? Summer Games Done Quick 2023 kicks off this coming Sunday, with a bevy of speedrunning exhibitions planned from May 28 through June 4.

Starting at 10 a.m. PT / 1 p.m. ET, this year’s SGDQ 2023 will kick off and run for 24 hours a day, all the way through to June 4. The speedrunning event will air live on GDQ’s Twitch channel.

If you’re unfamiliar with the concept, Games Done Quick is an organization that hosts speedrunning exhibitions benefitting different charities. Players will showcase runthroughs of games played at their absolute fastest, using glitches, techniques, and skill to get to their goal as fast as possible. And many categories impose interesting, non-traditional goals too. While “Any%” can just mean seeing the credits roll, further categories offer different and unique challenges for the runner.

GDQ week is usually a week of good times and fun runs, and this event will be back in person. (SGDQ’s counterpart, Awesome Games Done Quick 2023, called off its in-person event and went online due to Florida’s stances on COVID-19 policies and “increased aggression” towards LGBTQ+ individuals.)

There’s frankly no shortage of excellent runs this year, too. I was looking over the schedule this morning and was a bit surprised at how stacked this event felt. If you’re looking for pointers, I’ve pulled some highlights from the schedule below, including the run category and runner(s).

Summer Games Done Quick 2023 runs to watch for

Sunday, May 28

• Sonic Frontier Any% – AlphaDolphin
• Mega Man Maker Any% – megamarino
• Ring Fit Adventure Beat World 1 Intensity 30 Restricted – Verxl

Monday, May 29

• Banjo-Kazooie 100% no FFM – duck
• Crisis Core: Final Fantasy VII – Reunion Any% Race – desa3579, BigSid
• Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon Any% Ultimate – The Blacktastic
• StepManiaX Game Showcase – ZephyrGlaze, WDRM, chezmix

Tuesday, May 30

• Chained Echoes Any% No CW  Fresh File – moonblazewolf
• Bastion Live Tutorial Showcase – Cosmic_Bones, SeaAverage

Wednesday, May 31

• Signalis Any% Casual Difficulty / Memory Ending – DruciferPlays
• Lil Gator Game Any% – ItzBytez
• Sonic Adventure DX All Stories Relay – SpacebarS, shovelclaws, Themimik, Yoshipuff, AlphaDolphin, Allegro
• The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask Blitz Randomizer – spikevegeta

Thursday, June 1

• True Crime: New York City Any% – pmcTRILOGY
• Give Me Toilet Paper! Hand% – Asuka424
• Pizza Tower Any% – SoaringSloth
• Titanfall 2 Any% – Blaidan

Friday, June 2

• Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse All Dark Magic, Pirate Mode, No OOB – TheSoundDefense
• Dark Forces Easy (TFE) – CovertMuffin
• The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Any% Co-op – AmberCyprian, TGH
• Clone Hero Showcase – Frif
• Celeste TAS True Ending – Lmjacks, tmscalvins, Vamp

Saturday, June 3

• Kingdom Hearts Final Mix Any% Proud Race – MistMaster1, Violin
• Superhot VR Any% – davidtki
• Elden Ring Any% Glitchless – Mitchriz
• Super Mario Maker 2 Relay Race – TheRileyC, Aurateur, PangaeaPanga, TanukiDan, Shoujo, Caspur189, LilKirbs, Thabeast721
• The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild Any% Blindfolded – Bubzia

Sunday, June 4

• Baron of Shell 100% – grandpoobear
• Super Metroid Co-op Any% – ShinyZeni, zoast

Let us know what you’re looking forward to below!