Every year, the folks over at Games Done Quick put on two speedrunning events. These events run for seven days straight (that means no breaks), streaming on Twitch and all over the internet. All the best speedrunners gather together for a week full of fun and exciting runs, all in the name of charity. Every donation during the week-long marathon goes towards Doctors Without Borders, a charity that brings medical help to those who need it most. Last year’s marathon, SGDQ 2017, raised over $1.7 million for the charity, breaking numerous records. The latest event in the winter, AGDQ 2018, raised over $2.2 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. SGDQ 2018 is just under a week away, so I’ve created a handy viewing guide for those who want to tune in and join the festivities. Let’s take a look at the best runs to watch at SGDQ 2018!
The Best Runs to Watch at SGDQ 2018
Just so you know, this is by no means a definitive list. With seven days straight of programming, it’s impossible to watch every single run. I’ve been covering these events for several years now, and I’ve created this list of runs with variety in mind. There are some fantastic games that won’t be on this list, so I highly recommend you check out the full schedule for SGDQ 2018 to see every game being played. However, if you’re looking for a list of games that span a wide variety of consoles and genres, then this is a good place to start. Every run on this list will most likely be either incredibly impressive or full of fun and laughter, so I urge you to check some of them out! If you miss any, you’ll always be able to watch them later on demand.
All of the following times are listed in EST, and are subject to change. If you’re viewing this article after the event has started, I urge you to check the official schedule to make sure the time is correct. Once again, you can view that schedule HERE.
Sunday, June 24th

1:00PM: Banjo Tooie – 47 minutes
3:52PM: Kirby: Super Star Ultra – 35 minutes
4:42PM: Shantae and the Pirate’s Curse (race) – 1 hour and 10 minutes
7:12PM: The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask 3D – 1 hour and 35 minutes
8:57PM: DOOM (2016) – 50 minutes
9:57PM: Resident Evil 4 – 1 hour and 40 minutes
Monday, June 25th

2:17AM: Ninja Gaiden – 17 minutes
6:47AM: Gauntlet Legends – 1 hour and 8 minutes
8:33AM: Super Smash TV (2 player coop) – 38 minutes
2:35PM: Pikmin 3 – 1 hour and 8 minutes
5:35PM: Enter the Gungeon – 30 minutes
8:10PM: Mega Man 9 – 34 minutes
10:59PM: Rise of the Tomb Raider – 1 hour and 20 minutes
Tuesday, June 26th

1:54AM: Resident Evil HD Remaster (100%) – 1 hour and 34 minutes
3:38AM: F.E.A.R. – 1 hour and 5 minutes
6:33AM: Pet the Pup at the Party – 8 minutes
8:41AM: The Simpson’s: Hit & Run – 1 hour and 45 minutes
11:42AM: Splatterhouse 2 – 20 minutes
12:12PM: Castlevania – 15 minutes
5:16PM: Sonic Spinball – 20 minutes
5:46PM: Sonic the Hedgehog 2 – 25 minutes
7:29PM: Metroid: Zero Mission (4 person race) – 1 hour and 20 minutes
8:59PM: Metroid Samus Returns – 1 hour and 55 minutes
11:04PM: Super Metroid (100% map completion) – 1 hour and 25 minutes
Wednesday, June 27th

12:39AM: Halo 2 (Legendary) – 1 hour and 42 minutes
2:31AM: Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword – 5 hours and 15 minutes
8:31AM: Kid Chameleon – 30 minutes
12:05PM: Spider-Man & Venom’s Maximum Carnage – 22 minutes
3:53PM: Thief: The Dark Project – 42 minutes
4:45PM: Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes – 1 hour and 12 minutes
6:07PM: The Legend of Zelda: Four Swords Adventure – 2 hours and 17 minutes
8:34PM: Super Mario 3D Land – 1 hour and 10 minutes
9:54PM: Cuphead (All Flags) – 55 minutes
Thursday, June 28th

12:19AM: Celeste – 40 minutes
1:45AM: Getting Over It with Bennett Foddy – 5 minutes
2:25AM: Roundabout – 11 minutes
4:41AM: Yo! Noid 2 -12 minutes
5:45AM: Pac-Man 2: The New Adventures – 30 minutes
9:17AM: Titan Souls (Hard mode 100%) – 24 minutes
11:01AM: The Legend of Zelda (low% race) – 1 hour
2:24PM: Paper Mario – 1 hour and 55 minutes
5:10PM: Deus Ex – 52 minutes
6:12PM: Deus Ex: Mankind Divided – 1 hour and 5 minutes
7:27PM: Prey (2017) (No Out of Bounds) – 50 minutes
9:22PM: Super Mario Brothers (4 person warpless race) – 32 minutes
10:09: Super Mario Brothers 3 (All Forts race) – 1 hour
11:19PM: Super Mario World (small Mario only) – 1 hour and 12 minutes
Friday, June 29th

12:41AM: Mario Kart 8 Deluxe (200CC) – 1 hour and 37 minutes
3:38AM: Borderlands: the Pre-Sequel! (coop) – 2 hours and 20 minutes
6:18AM: Bionic Commando – 1 hour and 5 minutes
8:18AM: Catherine (1 player, 2 controllers) – 30 minutes
9:22AM: Double Dragon II – 14 minutes
10:11AM: Streets of Rage 2 – 57 minutes
2:47PM: Kingdom Hearts HD 1.5 ReMix – 3 hours and 5 minutes
6:27PM: Super Mario 64 (70 star race) – 1 hour
7:37PM: The Legend of Zelda: The Wind Waker HD – 1 hour and 15 minutes
9:49PM: TASBot plays F-Zero – 10 minutes
10:09PM: TASBot plays Super Metroid – 7 minutes and 7 seconds
10:26PM: Dark Souls (all bosses) – 1 hour and 35 minutes
Saturday, June 30th

12:11AM: Pokemon Yellow & Red (2 games with 1 controller) – 2 hours and 47 minutes
4:23AM: Super Star Wars: The Empire Strikes Back – 45 minutes
6:23AM: I Am Bread – 10 minutes
7:46M: Spyro 2: Ripto’s Rage – 32 minutes
8:28AM: Crash Bandicoot 1 (N Sane Trilogy version) – 1 hour and 2 minutes
10:05AM: Kirby’s Adventure – 50 minutes
11:05AM: New Super Mario Bros. 2 – 1 hour
12:15PM: Undertale (True Pacifist Ending) – 1 hour and 35 minutes
2:10PM: Super Mario Maker (3v3 blind level race) – 1 hour and 30 minutes
3:50PM: The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time (Bingo) – 1 hour and 30 minutes
6:47PM: Final Fantasy VI (Glitchless) – 7 hours and 2 minutes
Those are our picks for the best runs to watch at SGDQ 2018! There’s some truly awesome games being run this year, as well as some super cool variations. Two Pokemon games being played at once, a 3v3 race in Super Mario Maker with levels that the runners haven’t played, and more! Like every GDQ, there’s a huge amount of variety. There’s a bigger focus on console and PC than handheld, and it seems like the Playstation Vita is getting very little love. This is a bit disappointing, considering how many great titles there are on Playstation Vita. For a list of the best Vita games of all time, check out this list of the best PS Vita games!
For live updates, be sure to follow our Twitter account (@official90skid). We’ll be posting recaps of the best runs from each day right here, so check back in after the event has started for even more great speedrunning content! What runs are you looking forward to the most at SGDQ 2018? Be sure to leave us a comment and let us know!
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