Summer Games Done Quick 2019 (or SGDQ 2019 for short) is just around the corner! The week-long speedrun marathon will be kicking off on June 23rd and running for seven straight days, providing viewers with nearly 200 hours of incredibly quick video game action. We spent some time reviewing the SGDQ 2019 schedule to pick out some of our most anticipated speedruns and share them here with you! Whether you’re a seasoned speedrun enthusiast or are currently asking yourself “what the heck is a speedrun?”, this article should provide you with plenty of reasons to tune in. Now that the SGDQ 2019 schedule is out, we highly recommend you check out the full list of speedruns at the official SGDQ 2019 website.
What is SGDQ 2019?
In case you’re not familiar with the Games Done Quick marathon events or the concept of video game speedrunning, let me quickly lay it out. Twice a year, the most talented video game players from all around the world gather in one place, and for a week straight, they play through their favorite games at blistering speeds. Using a variety of neat tricks, glitches, and undeniable skill, these gamers demolish your favorite games in unbelievable times. This is all streamed live on Twitch to an ever-growing audience (last year’s events pulled in well over 220,000 viewers and $2.3 million in donations), where viewers can donate towards charity. Except for quick technical breaks the stream never ends, providing a week straight of lightning-fast gaming. Funds raised from SGDQ 2019 will go to Doctors Without Borders, a charity that brings medical aid to those in need.
Generally speaking, the Games Done Quick events are full of positivity, entertaining gameplay, and exceptionally entertaining tricks and glitches. Imagine watching someone beat Super Mario Bros 2 in under 30 minutes, or collecting every item in Banjo-Kazooie in just over 2 hours? Well, you don’t have to imagine it, because you can watch both of those games and many more during SGDQ 2019. If you’re not sure where to start, take a look at the full schedule, or simply check out the marathon at any point to watch something new!
The Best Speedruns of SGDQ 2019
All of the times mentioned below are in Eastern Standard Time. Once again, we highly recommend you pull up the official SGDQ 2019 schedule for a full list of every speedrun at the marathon. It’s also a good idea to refresh the schedule throughout the marathon, as times and speedruns are scheduled to change.
The suggestions below are merely a small selection of the massive list of games being played at SGDQ 2019. There’s a good chance we missed something you might be excited for, so be sure to check out the full schedule.
Sunday, June 23rd
The SGDQ 2019 schedule is showing an amazing start to the marathon, with a great mixture of both classic and modern games on day one. Some of the best speedruns of SGDQ 2019 will be taking place on Sunday, so don’t miss out on these awesome runs! The event will be kicking off with a Spyro the Dragon: Reignited speedrun by ChrisLBC, one of the most accomplished runners in Spyro history. Along with Portal 2, Super Mario Bros 2, and Donkey Kong Country 2, there are more than enough speedruns to keep you watching on Sunday.
Sunday evening shows no signs of slowing down either, with excellent speedruns of Sonic Generations, The Legend of Zelda: The Minish Cap, and Devil May Cry. Late night watchers can grab their nightcap with the last run of Sunday, the classic Sega Genesis beat ’em up title Streets of Rage.
Monday, June 24th,
Monday is the first full day of speedruns, with 24 hours of complete coverage of the best runs at SGDQ 2019. The earlier morning hours have some awesome PC speedruns to watch, including the classic Final DOOM and fan-favorite Tony Hawk’s Underground 2. If you’re looking for ultra fast action gameplay, don’t miss these earlier morning runs. There’s also a great block of classic NES games from 5:30 AM – 8:00 AM, so Nintendo fans will want to tune in for some Metroid, Ducktales 2, and Contra.
The rest of SGDQ 2019 day two is packed with a slew of speedruns, including a Castlevania block and a first-person shooter block. From approximately 12:00 PM – 2:30 PM, Castlevania fans can enjoy speedruns of the original NES Castlevania, Castlevania: Portrait of Ruin, and the beloved Castlevania: Symphony of the Night. Afterwards, the rest of the evening will contain hectic and fast-paced shooters like Titanfall 2, Prey, and a lengthy “All Quests” cooperative speedrun of Borderlands 2.
Tuesday, June 25th
The first speedrun of Tuesday is a continuation of the first-person shooter block, with Metroid Prime 2: Echoes. Early morning viewers will be treated to a grab-bag of game genre speedruns, including racing titles like Split/Second and the original Uncharted on Playstation 4. The rest of the morning and afternoon is another excellent time for Nintendo fans, as there are multiple Kirby, Punch-Out, and Pokemon speedruns to enjoy. Be sure to watch zallard1’s epic speedruns of Punch-Out Arcade and Punch-Out on Wii, as he is sure to absolutely demolish these boxing classics.
Tuesday evening has several other must-see speedruns, including the interesting Legend of Zelda: Link to the Past randomizer run, where two players will race to the finish while having to deal with items in unusual places. For a more straightforward race, you can tune in for the Super Mario Sunshine race around 10 PM, where two runners will face off in a wet and wild Mario adventure. The final speedrun of the night is appropriately creepy, as runner Bawkbasoup will be showing off the Resident Evil 2 remake speedrun for the first time at a GDQ event!
Wednesday, June 26th
The creepiness continues on Wednesday, as the first speedrun of the day is the classic Silent Hill 3 by the ever-entertaining speedrunner, Punchy. Wednesday morning is home to some of the more colorful speedruns of the event, as the SGDQ 2019 schedule has Wednesday morning packed with interesting titles. There are more races to enjoy, including a sure-to-be hilarious race of Divekick, the fighting game where everyone dies in one hit. Around 2:30 AM, you can tune in for the insanely wacky We Love Katamari, or stick around until 4:00 AM for a meme-filled run of Shrek Extra Large.
The theme of Wednesday seems to be variety, as there’s a huge number of speedruns spanning every conceivable platform and genre. We’re especially excited for the unbelievably fast and zany Clustertruck speedrun at 11:00 AM, and the Mega Man X2 “low%” speedrun at 1:40 PM. For those who enjoy longer speedruns, The Legend of Zelda: A Link Between Worlds will have a 3-hour long 100% run at 6:25 PM, followed by an “All Bosses” speedrun of Dark Souls II to end the night. Once again, we recommend you take a peek at the complete SGDQ 2019 schedule to see every speedrun being shown at the event.
Thursday, June 27th
The first speedrun of Thursday will be Dead Rising (specifically the Overtime mode), one of my personal favorites on the Xbox 360. Gameboy, Super Nintendo, and PC games are slotted for most of the early morning on the SGDQ 2019 schedule, with games like Looney Toons, Super Bomberman 2, and a double showing of arcade-shooters with Metal Slug X and Metal Slug 3. The rest of the morning is capped off nicely with some nostalgic classics, including Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles IV: Turtles in Time, Gauntlet, and Chip ‘n Dale Rescue Rangers.
Thursday afternoon and evening are packed with exceptionally notable speedruns, several of which are sure to end up being some of the best speedruns of SGDQ 2019. At around 1:15 PM, three runners will take on the first GDQ showing of Kingdom Hearts III, where they will attempt to beat the game in under 4 hours. Directly afterwards, there’s an epic relay race of Super Mario World, as well as a 100% Banjo-Kazooie speedrun to close out the night.
Friday, June 28th
Like most events, the biggest and most anticipated speedruns of the SGDQ 2019 schedule fall on the weekend. Friday kicks things off with a morning full of Mario, as Mario Kart: Double Dash is the first speedrun on the block. The rest of the early morning will be an excellent Super Mario Galaxy 2 run, which is always fantastic. Other massively popular titles like Sly Cooper, Star Fox 64, Diablo 2, and Quake make the rest of the morning an absolute powerhouse of speedrunning content.
Things only pick up from there, as both Half-Life and Half-Life 2 speedruns will be taking place around 11:30 AM and 12:20 PM respectively. The blue bomber gets some love as well, with Mega Man 3 and Mega Man 11 speedruns happening later in the evening. Be sure to catch the Tetris Effect speedrun by HardDrop at 7:45 PM, as it’s one of our most anticipated runs of the event. It will be followed up by the TASBot block, where we get to see just how fast a computer can beat Tetris and Mario Kart Wii. The last run of the night is an “All Bosses” speedrun of Dark Souls, which should be a nice follow-up after the sequel was shown earlier in the week.
Saturday, June 29th
The final day of SGDQ 2019 is utterly bursting from the seams with excellent speedruns. If we could stay awake the entire 24 hours, we probably would. This is a good time to deliver my final reminder to check out the official SGDQ 2019 schedule for a full list of the marathon’s speedruns, as this article simply cannot cover every amazing run. The first run of the morning is The Legend of Zelda: The Breath of the Wild in under 30 minutes. If you haven’t seen this speedrun, prepare to have your mind blown. Right afterwards, there’s an extensive 5-hour 100% speedrun of The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask, so Zelda fans will be pleased on Saturday morning. The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim will also pop up around 10:00 AM, followed by another one of our most anticipated runs, Pokemon: Let’s Go Pikachu.
The afternoon and evening have the three main events, including the “96 Exit” speedrun of Super Mario World at 2:50 PM. At 5:00 PM, the Zelda: Link to the Past + Super Metroid Randomizer run will definitely be cause for some hype. Finally at 8:15 PM, SGDQ 2019 will close out with a 6-hour speedrun of the fan-favorite RPG Chrono Trigger.
Remember to check back here at A 90s Kid for daily recaps of SGDQ 2019, where we will break down our thoughts on the best speedruns of SGDQ 2019. We’re exceptionally excited for this summer’s event, and it’s shaping up to be another great way to keep cool as the temperatures rise. Enjoy the marathon!
1 comment
SGDQ HYPE!!