Summer Games Done Quick 2024 was yet another spectacular speedrunning event, organized by Games Done Quick and highlighting some of the best runners and games around. Streamed for seven days straight live on Twitch, all day and all night, SGDQ 2024 offered a week full of live speedrun action, all for a good cause. As players challenged themselves to beat their favorite games as fast as possible, the stream also pulled in charitable donations, all going towards Doctors Without Borders. Pulling in thousands of viewers throughout the week, SGDQ 2024 raised over $2,500,000, another positive reminder of the power of gaming. This successful event also marked a massive milestone for the organization, as Games Done Quick has now raised over $50 million for charity!
As always, the entire event was great entertainment and rarely left our television screen. If you missed the stream while it was live, don’t worry, since every SGDQ 2024 speedrun is available to watch on YouTube or Twitch VOD. We recommend checking out the entire event and watching anything that catches your eye, but if you don’t know where to start, check out any of these must-watch runs from SGDQ 2024.
The Best SGDQ 2024 Speedruns
Please note that the speedruns mentioned below are just a small selection from the week-long marathon, as SGDQ 2024 contained over 120 different speedruns from countless communities of talented gamers. We highly recommend that you also check out the entire SGDQ 2024 YouTube playlist and watch anything that catches your eye. There’s a good chance you’ll find a hidden gem along the way!
Classic Retro Speedruns
As expected, SGDQ 2024 was host to a vast assortment of nostalgia-filled retro speedruns, covering all the iconic consoles of years gone by. There were some 8-bit NES bangers, like the Any% speedrun of Super Mario Bros by GTAce, and the Any% run of Mega Man 4 by ColonelFatso. On the 16-bit side, we had a blast watching the 4-player Any% speedrun race of Super Metroid, an SGDQ staple. Premium comfy content could also be found with a 4-hour speedrun of Lufia II: Rise of the Sinistrals, a fantastic JRPG for the Super Nintendo.
Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper marathon without a speedrun of The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, showcasing several new glitches in the N64 masterpiece. SGDQ 2024 also represented the original PlayStation well, featuring a mind-boggling “Reverse Boss Order” speedrun of Castlevania: Symphony of the Night, and a 4-game speedrun mini-marathon of Tony Hawk’s Pro Skater 1, 2, 3, and 4.
Home consoles weren’t the only star of the show, as SGDQ 2024 displayed some love for handhelds with a 100% speedrun of Metroid Fusion, 32 tracks of super fast Mario Kart DS, and quite a few more. We were also thrilled to see one of our favorite PC games get some time in the limelight, with the Terran Campaign speedrun of Starcraft: Brood War. For another great non-console run, this time for a game you’ve probably never heard of, we highly recommend checking out the speedrun of Killing Time, a Macintosh exclusive game where the player’s speed is only limited by their mouse movement.
Modern Favorites Done Fast
Moving closer to the modern era of gaming, SGDQ 2024 supplied several speedruns of sixth-generation masterpieces, covering a wide variety of genres. We got our RPG fix with the back-to-back speedruns of Elder Scrolls: Morrowind, including an All Main Quests run and the ultra-quest Any% route. For a much wackier but equally impressive display of gaming skill, be sure to check out the All Goals speedrun of Katamari Forever, and prepare to bask in the “royal rainbow”!
If first-person shooters are your cup of tea, look no further than the solo Legendary speedrun of Halo 2, or for an added element of cooperation, the four-player Legendary speedrun of Halo 3. We were also especially pleased to catch the Any% speedrun of Mirror’s Edge, which displayed both fun first-person movement and some wild glitches. Of course, SGDQ 2024 also featured several modern blockbusters, including an “Alan%” speedrun of Alan Wake 2, the Any% speedrun of the System Shock remake, and a glitchless run of the fan-favorite Elden Ring.
The Silly Games Block and Other Gems
One of our favorite parts of any Summer Games Done Quick marathon is the “Silly Games” block: a chunk of the marathon that’s set aside to showcase meme-worthy or altogether ridiculous speedruns. The SGDQ 2024 Silly Games block contained 13 different speedruns, all equally worth your time and attention. To whet your appetite, we recommend checking out the Any% speedrun of the PS2 hidden gem, Mad Panic Coaster, or fuel up for the testosterone-filled All Levels run of Muscle March.
SGDQ 2024 held some other unique, non-traditional showcases and segments, offering a bit of a palette cleanser throughout the week. For instance, you can absorb some minor eSports vibes with the final matches of the Evil Zone fighting game tournament, or check out the team-based relay race of custom Super Mario World levels. To really blow your mind, check out the Super Mario 64 Randomizer 10-star blindfolded speedrun, or better yet, you can watch a dog speedrun Ken Griffey Jr. Presents MLB. No, I’m not kidding, it’s an actual dog speedrunning Super Nintendo.
Summer Games Done Quick 2024 not only provided a week full of gaming entertainment for us to binge, but also an avenue for the community to shine through selfless fundraising. Thanks to the generosity of the runners, crew, audience, and corporate donors, Doctors Without Borders now has an extra $2.5 million to use for their life-saving medical work. Event after event, it’s always impressive to see Game Done Quick continue their quest of philanthropy via video games, and SGDQ 2024 marks another job well done
