Our must-see runs of Summer Games Done Quick 2024

It’s that time of the year, speedrun fans. That’s right, Summer Games Done Quick 2024 is right around the corner! This charity event will run day and night on Twitch from June 30 through July 6, with plenty of spectacle, silliness, and overall positivity to be had. And as some of the biggest superfans of all things GDQ-related, Mitch and I are here to make sure that you tune in at some of the most hype moments.

We’ve shared the dates in Central time, but be sure to check the Games Done Quick website for all the latest updates to the schedule. Games Done Quick’s schedule page will reflect your local time and is regularly updated with any timing adjustments.

Sunday, June 30

Yoshi’s Story, All Melons (12:00 p.m.)

Dang, we’re opening with a game from my childhood and how could it NOT be my first pick? Yoshi’s Story is one of those games I rented repeatedly as a kid until finally getting it as a gift… and then replaying it a ton, all over again. I’m not sure I ever 100%’d the game, though, so I can’t wait to see all the things from my childhood that I missed. – Mitch

Ratchet & Clank, All Gold Bolts (3:52 pm)

I’m partial to seeing any chapter run in the saga of the lombax and his robot buddy. It’s some of the most fun, yet most broken 3D platforming to watch in a speedrun. And a someone who will frequently spot a gold bold in my casual playthroughs and think “there’s no way I can reach that,” it’s extra rewarding to see every single piece of the shiny hardware finally retrieved in an All Gold Bolts run. – Anna

Monday, July 1

Kirby 64: The Crystal Shards 100% (11:16 a.m.)

Wow, another game from my childhood! Like Yoshi’s Story, this is another that I rented a ton (and, I think, finally received as a gift the same time as Yoshi’s Story). It’s not a super challenging game by any means, but the power-up combination feature is one of my favorites in any Kirby game and there’s a real charm to both the levels and the music here. – Mitch

Celeste Custom Maps: Monika’s D-Sides (7:57 p.m.)

Celeste is one of those games that immediately became part of the speedrunning canon. Now, we can not only play Maddy Thorson’s original masterpiece, but also the custom maps built by the game’s fanbase, who seem to have an even deeper love for causing platforming pain. Celeste specialist Carrarium is going to tackle a brutally challenging set of custom maps in this run. – Anna

Tuesday, July 2

Poppy Playtime: Chapter 3, any% and the start of the Horror Block (11:22 p.m. on Monday night)

This one technically starts Monday night for a lot of timezones — but since it kicks off the very early morning Tuesday Horror Block, it gets shout-out honors. The Horror Block in general is a fun time, and I always love staying up as late as possible Monday night into Tuesday morning so I can catch some spooky goodness. – Mitch

Dishonored, glitchless (4:48 p.m.)

The fact that this is a glitchless run has my curiosity more than a little piqued. Dishonored games have traversal that can sometimes make normal movement feel quick, so watching it done with intentional quickness in 30 minutes is going to be a treat. – Mitch

Wednesday, July 3

Power Wash Simulator (1:46 p.m.)

Speedrunners often talk about ‘clean’ movement, but PowerWash Simulator takes that to a whole new level. A crew of six well-known runners will tackle the game’s SpongeBob DLC. And really, what more do you need to know? – Anna

Kaizo Mario Galaxy showcase, (4:50 p.m.)

Kaizo Mario runs are practically a gimme at this point, but I don’t care. I’m incredibly excited to see what a Mario Galaxy Kaizo looks like. 3D platforming in Kaizo runs is a spectacle to behold, and I’ll be there to watch it. – Mitch

StarCraft: Brood War (10:49 p.m.)

To be honest, this isn’t a run I know anything about. But we’d be remiss as Blizzard Watch staffers if we didn’t make note of a rare sighting of a Blizzard game on speedrunning’s biggest stage! I have fond memories of watching the StarCraft 2 pros battle it out online in my early days of esports fandom, so even without much context, I’m looking forward to seeing a PVE version with this Any% run of the Terran campaign. – Anna

Thursday, July4

TrackMania Sunrise, puzzle + stunts any% (2:59 p.m.)

TrackMania is one of those games I always forget to put on these lists — but not this time! This game shows off some hilariously absurd racetracks traveled across at impossibly fast speeds. Even if you have no familiarity with this game, even if you don’t know what’s happening, it’s still completely worth tuning in for. (Especially because I have no idea what the “puzzle” element is, but I’m here for it.) – Mitch

Ken Griffey Jr. Presents Major League Baseball (7:43 p.m.)

I know, that doesn’t sound like the kind of game that’s going to make for a super-exciting, high-octane speedrun. But this game will be played by a doggo. For real. Shiba inu Peanut Butter won our hearts at AGDQ earlier this year with the help of owner and speedrunner JSR_ and I am so very happy that the duo will be back for more cuteness this summer. – Anna

Sekiro (8:20 p.m.)

FromSoft makes some of the best speedrunning games to watch. That’s a real plus for someone like me who can only handle playing them for about 20 minutes before giving up. Not only will talented runner Mitchriz be tackling one of their most challenging titles, but he’s going to do it without taking a single hit. Takes the ‘git gud’ philosophy to a whole new level. – Anna

Friday, July 5

Super Mario World Kaizo Relay Race (6:00 p.m.)

This is a winning formula for any GDQ event. Take some of the world’s absolute best kaizo speedrunners, including legends like Shoujo, Shovda, and GlitchCat7. Add never-before seen original levels from the best creators in 2D platforming. Mix with super hype energy from the crowd. It’s a must-see moment. – Anna

Grand Poo World 3, any% (10:36 p.m.)

Look, there are a lot of good games on Friday. There’s even a Tony Hawk 1-4 run in the early hours of the morning! But I have to give my Friday pick to Grand Poo World 3, an incredibly challenging Super Mario World Kaizo hack. Yes, I’m also hyped about the relay race mentioned above — but I’ve seen GrandPooBear as he learned each level, and my goodness, it was a delight. Watching another runner try these levels with GrandPooBear commentating AND see it done super quickly? Absolute must-watch. – Mitch

Saturday, July 6

Super Mario 64 Randomizer, 10-star blindfolded (3:31 pm)

The closing day lineup is always stacked, but you’ll want to make sure you tune in starting on Saturday afternoon. Runner Bubzia has become an expert at not just playing games fast, but playing them fast without seeing them. He previously showed off a blindfolded run of Super Mario 64 on the GDQ stage. This time, he’s upping the ante by tackling the randomizer blindfolded. – Anna

Everything else that comes after (4:26 p.m. Saturday – 1:05 a.m. Sunday)

Yup, I’m cheating a bit here. But you know what? It’s the final day, and, not surprisingly, the schedule is stacked full of amazing games. Baldur’s Gate 3, a Super Metroid race and Super Mario Maker 2 “troll level race,” Elden Ring, and finally the Super Mario RPG Remake close out the marathon — and good Yogg, I’m going to be getting comfy in my seat because I don’t want to miss any of these.

The races in particular always make for an exciting time, and the restrictions placed on some of the others (like BG3) make games you’ve seen dozens of time still feel new and fresh. – Mitch

 

That’s it for our top picks! There are, of course, dozens more games being run and they’re all worth a watch for their own reasons. As always, I highly suggest checking the schedule yourself to see what games stand out to you (and because times are always changing a bit as runs complete). If this is your first Games Done Quick, welcome! There are few things in gaming as wholesome as GDQ. If you’re not new, welcome back! Let’s raise some money for charity.