Summer Games Done Quick (or SGDQ) is a five-day event starting on June 26th ending on July 2nd. It’s a marathon where speedrunners gather together to marathon through games and raise money for charity. The charities benefiting will be Doctors without Borders and the Prevent Cancer Foundation, and the event’s stream can be found here.
Before the pandemic, speedrunners from around the world would gather in one spot to show off the art of beating games as fast as possible. SGDQ 2022 is the first time since lockdown that runners will be able to marathon through games in person again.
SGDQ’s schedule can be found here. If you’re unsure which runs you should keep an eye out for, then we’ve made this list of the most mouthwatering speedruns to tune into.
Looking for Switch games that are coming out soon? Here’s a list of the Best Upcoming Nintendo Switch Games in 2022.
1. Celeste (True Ending)
- When is it Streaming: June 30th, 7:31pm PST
- Runner: GrosHiken
- Estimated Time: 1 hour, and 3 minutes
Celeste is a 2D platforming/climbing game where players have to reach the top of a mountain, dodging rows of spikes and solve challenging jumps.
As a speedrun, Celeste is a mesmerizing display of skill. The run itself requires flawless execution of precise tricks to keep the runner moving fast and to skip parts of the game. When performed correctly, runners will fly through levels at blinding speeds and trivialize even the most challenging jumps.
This year has GrosHiken, the current world-record holder, running Celeste. Tune in to watch a true master at work.
2. Halo Infinite (All Missions, No Tank Gun)
- When is it streaming: June 28th, 4:58pm PST
- Runners: Waifu
- Estimated Time: 1 hour, 25 minutes
Halo Infinite is the newest entry into the Halo franchise. Infinite introduced a slew of new movement mechanics like a grappling hook and new sliding mechanics, which means new toys for speedrunners to use.
In this category, runners will be completing all of the campaign missions as fast as possible. The primary strategy is to get out of bounds as soon as possible and then use the grapple hook to swing through the out-of-bounds area. Sloped surfaces become opportunities to “surf” along the edges of the map’s terrain and gain speed. Watching the Master Chief slide around on near-invisible terrain is hilarious in its own right.
The world-record holder, Waifu, will be showcasing this run at SGDQ, so be sure to give it a watch.
3. Banjo-Tooie (Any%)
- When is it Streaming: June 29th, 10:04pm PST
- Runner: Duck
- Estimated Time: 34 minutes
Banjo-Tooie is the sequel to the popular Banjo-Kazooie, and stars a honey bear named Banjo and his good friend, a backpack-bound bird named Kazooie. Banjo-Tooie charmed its way into popularity through its cast of colorful characters, quirky sense of humor, and entertaining platforming mechanics.
Tooie speedruns showcase everything that makes a speedrun fun to watch. Runners have fancy tricks and odd rituals that break the game’s already fragile code. Smooth and fast movement between those tricks will determine how good the final time will be, and a slipup at any of the game’s crucial skips will be a costly loss.
Duck is the runner at this year’s Summer Games Done Quick and he’s one of the best to watch for a Banjo-Tooie speedrun. He formerly held the world record and currently holds the fifth-fastest Any% run.
4. Monster Hunter Rise (Any% with Add-ons, Magnamalo)
- When is it Streaming?: June 30th, 1:56pm PST
- Runner: JalBagel
- Estimated Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes
Monster Hunter Rise is a game all about killing huge monsters with awesome weapons. The goal of this speedrun is to finish enough of the story to reach the game’s flagship monster, Magnamalo, and slay it.
When a runner pulls it off well, movement in this game looks impressive, but the best parts of the run are the monster hunts themselves. How well the runner choreographs and executes each quest leading to Magnamalo is an impressive feat to behold.
This year’s runner is JalBagel, who holds the 12th fastest run in a similar category and is an active moderator on the Monster Hunter Rise speedrun page.
5. Super Mario World/Super Mario Maker 2 (Relay Race)
- When is it streaming?
- Super Mario World: July 1st, 8:36 pm PST
- Super Mario Maker 2: July 2nd, 4:59 pm PST
- Runners:
- Super Mario World: Barbarian, juzcook, CarlSagan42, shovda, Shoujo, ThirdWall
- Super Mario Maker 2: grandpoobear, PangaeaPanga, CarlSagan42, Aurateur, Shoujo, TanukiDan
- Estimated Time: 1 hour, 15 minutes.
The Mario runs are a staple at any GDQ event. The fast, brutal deaths and high-speed, precarious platforming create an amazing viewing experience.
Those qualities also make its relay races particularly intense, especially when the runners are all in the same room. Two teams of three runners take turns speeding their way through Mario levels. Runners will pass their controller to the next runner after each death, which makes these runs both high energy and extremely chaotic.
This year, Summer Games Done Quick has two Mario relay races. Both Super Mario World and Super Mario Maker 2 are similar in how their runs are going to function. They’ll both have ridiculous obstacles for players to run through and similar high-speed platforming. Super Mario Maker 2 will have the flashier maps and movement mechanics, while Super Mario World is closer to an extreme version of the classic Mario experience.
6. Elden Ring (All Remembrances)
- When is it Streaming?: July 2nd, 8:49pm PST
- Runner: Catalystz
- Estimated Time: 2 hours
The final game of the event is Elden Ring which is From Software’s latest addition to their Soulsborne franchise. It’s taken the gaming world by storm with its difficult bosses and gruelling combat.
“All Remembrances” is a category where the runner has defeat all of the major bosses in the game. Runs in this category showcase some of the best parts of Elden Ring’s speedruns, requiring runners to know how to quickly teleport around the map to get to each of the bosses and how to quickly assemble a build capable of slaying bosses at a swift rate.
Catalystz, the runner at this year’s Summer Games Done Quick, is currently the 5th fastest runner in this category and normally uses the Sword of Night and Flame which is a fun weapon to watch.
Need some affordable Steam games in your life? Here’s our list of the Best Steam Games Under $10 and the Best Steam Games under $5.
