Gaming’s marathon of sprints is back. Yes, Games Done Quick (GDQ) 2023 kicks off today and will run through Saturday, Jan. 14, culminating in a finale stream during the wee hours of Sunday, Jan 15.
Now in its 14th year, Games Done Quick is widely considered the gold standard for speedrunning events. Every year, dozens gamers put on a slew of charity streams wherein they race through video games as fast as possible. (Over the years, GDQ has raised more than $40 million for charity.) This year, donations go to Prevent Cancer Foundation.
For 2023, GDQ was initially planned as an in-person convention in Florida. But in Sept. 2022, organizers called off the physical component, citing the state’s “continued disregard for COVID-19’s dangers” and “increased aggression towards LGBTQ+ individuals,” in addition to the costs associated with cancelling at the intended venue. “We do not believe it is a safe place for our community at this time,” organizers said.
Instead, GDQ 2023 will be an entirely online affair.
How to watch GDQ 2023
You can stream the event right on the Games Done Quick website or via its Twitch channel. If you miss the event live, past runs are generally uploaded to GDQ’s YouTube page.
Here’s the full GDQ 2023 schedule. This year is stacked with some truly bonkers-sounding runs, including a blistering tear through Neon White, a first-person platformer quite literally designed for speedrunning. Here are a handful of runs to put on your radar:
- A 29-minute any% run (meaning the only goal is to hit the credits as fast as possible) through The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild, by Player 5 (Sunday, Jan. 8 at 1:30 p.m. ET)
- A consecutive 40-minute sprint through every single level of Neon White level, by Blaidan (Wednesday, Jan. 11 at 10:49 p.m. ET)
- A 23-minute race through every track of Kirby Air Ride, the Kirby game most in need of a sequel, by 1davidj (Friday, Jan. 13 at 3:06 a.m. ET)
- A three-hour co-op run through randomized versions of Metroid Prime and its sequel, by UncleReggie and BashPrime (Friday, Jan. 13 at 10:35 a.m. ET)