The game’s sprint marathon is back. Yes, Games Done Quick (GDQ) 2023 begins today and will run through Saturday, January 14, culminating in the stream ending at midnight Sunday, January 15.
Now in its 14th year, Games Done Quick is considered by many to be the gold standard for speed running events. Every year, dozens of players participate in a series of charity events in which they race through video games as fast as they can. (Over the years, GDQ has raised more than 40 million USD for charity.) This year, the donation goes to Organization to prevent cancer.
In 2023, GDQ was originally scheduled as an in-person conference in Florida. But in September 2022, The organizers suspend material composition, quote states “continue to disregard the dangers of COVID-19” and “increased aggression towards LGBTQ+ individuals,” in addition to the costs associated with the cancellation at the scheduled location. “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 event.
How to watch GDQ 2023
You can stream the event right on Games Done Quick website or through its Twitch channel. If you miss the live stream, previous runs are usually uploaded GDQ’s YouTube page.
Here is the full schedule of GDQ 2023. This year was stacked with some really crazy-sounding runs, including a blistering tear through White Neona first person platformer game quite literally designed to run speed. Here are some runs to put on your radar:
- Run any 29 minutes % (meaning the sole goal is to get the credits as quickly as possible) through The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wildvia Player 5 (Sunday, January 8 at 1:30 p.m. ET)
- Sprint 40 minutes continuously through all levels White Neon license Blaidan (Wednesday, January 11 at 10:49 p.m. ET)
- A 23-minute race across every track of Take the Kirby planeKirby games need a sequel the most, because 1davidj (Friday, January 13 at 3:06 a.m. ET)
- A three-hour co-op program through random versions of Prime Minister Metroid and its sequel, by Uncle Reggie and BashPrime (Friday, January 13 at 10:35 a.m. ET)
