SGDQ 2021 is almost here, and as always, will provide seven days of speedrunning fun. Twice a year, the folks over at Games Done Quick put on a week-long marathon of retro and modern speedrunning, all in an effort to raise money for charity. From July 4 – 11, Summer Games Done Quick 2021 will be streaming live on Twitch, with donations going toward Doctors Without Borders.
With a week full of excellent speedruns, there are plenty of reasons to sit down and enjoy the show. Now that the SGDQ 2021 schedule is live, we’ve whipped up a short viewing guide for each day. If you’re new to GDQ or speedrunning in general, here’s a run-down of what to watch during SGDQ 2021. As always, we’ll be covering SDGQ 2021 throughout the entire week, so be sure to come back for more articles over the course of the event.
SGDQ 2021 Schedule – What to Watch
Note: As always, the games/speedruns listed below represent a small portion of the SGDQ 2021 schedule. Our picks are based on our personal favorite games, speedrunners, and planned events. We highly recommend you check out the full SGDQ 2021 schedule so you don’t miss any of your favorite games. With seven full days of speedrunning to enjoy, there’s enough gaming fun for all types of players, so we recommend using this article as a starting point rather than a strict viewing guide.
All of the times mentioned below are in Eastern Standard Time and subject to change. If you’re viewing this article after the marathon has started, we highly recommend pulling up the full schedule to check local times and any unexpected changes. If you miss a speedrun you were looking forward to, don’t worry! All speedruns will be available on Twitch VODs and the Games Done Quick YouTube channel.
Sunday, July 4
The SGDQ 2021 festivities kick off on Sunday, July 11 at approximately 11:30 with a traditional GDQ pre-show. After the interviews, skits, and general goofs are over, the marathon will kick off with the first speedrun of the week, Dragon Age: Inquisition. In general, Sunday is a grab-bag of all different genres and franchises, so there should be something for everyone to enjoy. We’re especially looking forward to the Psychonauts speedrun at 1:00PM, as well as the four-runner race of Mega Man X at 3:30PM.
The afternoon of SGDQ 2021 also holds some gems, including an Any% run of Kirby Super Star at 5:25PM and the massively underrated 007: Nightfire at 6:30PM. Sunday night will close with some classics, including a run of The Legend of Zelda: Oracle of Ages at 10PM. The last run of the night is an hour-long run of Metal Gear Solid: Portable Ops at 11:45PM, so stealth fans will want to tune in for that.
Monday, July 5
Monday is the first full 24-hours of speedrunning at SGDQ 2021, kicking off with Max Payne 2: The Fall of Max Payne at 1AM. Nintendo fans can enjoy some Pikmin 3 Deluxe action at 3:30AM, as well as an “All Beginners Contest Gold” speedrun of Nintendogs at 5:20AM. Following that, there’s a fantastic block of retro NES games running from approximately 6AM to 9:15AM, including titles like Tiny Toon Adventures, Ninja Gaiden, and more. Be sure to stick around afterward for TheMexicanRunner’s speedrun of Ghost ‘N Goblins Resurrection at 9:35AM, along with some handheld speedruns like Cave Story 3D at 12:30PM.
Nintendo is the name of the game throughout the afternoon and evening of Monday, starting with Metroid Prime 2: Echoes at 2PM. While the Any% Hard mode run of Shadow of the Colossus offers some PlayStation fun at 3:30PM, it’s right back to Nintendo afterward with back-to-back Kirby speedruns. We’re especially excited for the “All Challenges” speedrun of Kirby’s Dream Collection at 6:40PM. The Super Mario Odyssey “Talkatoo%” speedrun should be tons of fun at 7:15PM, followed by the first Bonus Game of the marathon, Paper Mario at 9:30PM. Some hack ‘n slash action finished off the night with Devil May Cry 5: Special Edition at 10:30PM and Bayonetta at 11:50PM.
Tuesday, July 6
The early morning hours of Tuesday start with the creepy Penumbra Trilogy at 1:50AM, so horror fans can enjoy one of the several spooky speedruns on display during SGDQ 2021. There are a few indie games afterward to lighten the mood, including Gone Golfing at 3:30AM, and Resogun at 4:45AM. Some Nintendo 64 games keep the morning nostalgic, including an 18-minute long run of Yoshi’s Story at 7:15AM. A hefty Castlevania block takes us into the afternoon starting with Bloodstained: Ritual of the Night at 8:25AM, along with some retro titles for good measure. We’re looking forward to the Castlevania 64 run at 9:55AM and the four-runner race of Castlevania on NES at 12:25PM.
The NES action continues at 12:45PM with a 100% speedrun of one of the most challenging games ever made, Battletoads. Get your first-person stealth fix with Dishonored at 3:15PM, followed by a lengthy 2-hour run of Horizon Zero Dawn on Ultra Hard difficulty at 4:15PM. The rest of the evening is jam-packed with highly anticipated runs, including the second Bonus Game, Grand Theft Auto III at 6:30PM. A handful of horror games cap off Tuesday night, with a two-runner race of Resident Evil VII: Biohazard at 9:35PM and an Any% speedrun of Dead Space at 11:20PM.
Wednesday, July 7
The planned runs on the SGDQ 2021 schedule for Wednesday are also fantastic, starting with a run of the miniature horror game Little Nightmares II at 1:10AM. The rest of the early morning is a grab-bag of different titles, from the first-person shooter Star Wars: Republic Commando at 2:45AM to the hectic yet adorable Dreamcast shoot ’em up, Twinkle Star Sprites at 6AM. A lengthy six-hour speedrun of the JRPG Golden Sun: The Lost Age starts at 8:20AM and carries the SGDQ 2021 schedule into the afternoon.
Wednesday afternoon and evening are full of sci-fi, stealthy titles, but before that, a highly unique run of the geographic discovery game GeoGuessr starts at 2:35PM. Catch some PlayStation classics with Ratchet & Clank: Into the Nexus at 3:20PM, followed by the fresh Crash Bandicoot 4: It’s About Time at 3:55PM. If enough donations are raised, the third Bonus Game of the marathon, Hitman 3, will kick off at 5:40PM. The rest of the night is dominated by blockbuster titles like Mass Effect 2 at 7:45PM and The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask (100%) at 9:45PM. To finish the night and start the “silly games done quick” block, there will be a 100% cooperative speedrun of Untitled Goose Game at 11:45PM.
Thursday, July 8
The early morning of Thursday gives us more speedruns in the “silly games” block. You can enjoy exceptionally weird speedruns of games like Fight Crab at 12:35AM, Link: The Faces of Evil at 1:55AM, and Arabian Nights at 4AM. After that, there’s a racing game block, including some lesser-known titles like Paris Chase at 5:45AM and Wheels! at 7:10AM. Some grab-bag variety takes up the rest of the morning, with titles like Tomb Raider Anniversary at 8:25AM and X-Men 2: Clone Wars for the Sega Genesis at 10AM. An “All Red Rings” speedrun of Sonic Colors on the Nintendo DS kicks off the four-game Sonic the Hedgehog block at 11AM.
After the Sonic block wraps up with Sonic Adventure 2: Battle at 1:35PM, it’s time for a 100% speedrun of the indie sci-f hit Outer Wilds at 2:25PM. There’s a six-runner showcase of Destiny 2‘s Deep Stone Crypt raid at 3:45PM, with more FPS action in the form of Doom Eternal: The Ancient Gods Part 1 & 2 at 6:10PM. After a comfy two-runner race of Pokemon Black/White at 7:30PM, Thursday of SGDQ 2021 wraps up with the fourth Bonus Game of the marathon, Halo 2 at 11:25PM.
Friday, July 9
As with most GDQ marathons, the weekend is considered prime time viewing at SGDQ 2021, so expect non-stop entertainment to enjoy. Some violent action games are scheduled for the early morning hours, including Return to Castle Wolfenstein at 1:30AM and Charlie Murder at 3AM. Don’t miss the two-runner race of Mega Man II on Game Boy at 4:20AM, or the ridiculous fangame I wanna be the Knight in Shining Armor at 5:40AM. We get some classic GDQ goodness with coolkid’s speedrun of Super Mario Bros 2 at 7:15AM, followed by the fantastic beat ’em up Streets of Rage 4 at 7:50AM. A speedrun of the Half-Life mod Black Mesa takes us into the afternoon, starting at 12:10PM.
Friday night is eclectic and exciting, featuring some big-name speed games and modern arcade hits. Expect platforming at light speed when the Celeste (Custom Maps) speedrun starts at 3:05PM. A tool-assisted speedrun of Sonic Heroes offers a palette cleanser at 4PM before the arcade madness starts with a showcase of DANCERUSH STARDOM at 4:50PM. After the dancing has subsided, get comfy for a two-hour long “All Dungeons” speedrun of The Legend of Zelda: Breath of the Wild at 6PM. After that, it’s right back into arcade rhythm games with the fifth Bonus Game of the marathon, maimai FiNALE at 8:10PM. There’s also a two-runner race of Fire Emblem: Three Houses at 10PM, before the night is closed out by the quirky mini-game compilation The * Bishi Bashi at11:45PM.
Saturday, July 10
As if the rest of SGDQ 2021 wasn’t exciting enough, Saturday is chock full of speedruns we can’t wait to see. We’re heading under the deep blue waves for the first game of Saturday with Spongebob’s Truth or Square at 12:25AM. That’s followed by a mini Super Nintendo block, including a 100% speedrun of Mega Man X2 at 2:50AM. Sega Genesis fans get some love too, with quick speedruns of Batman: The Video Game at 3:40AM and QuackShot Starring Donald Duck at 4:05AM. The retro gaming keeps coming with Donkey Kong Country 3: Dixie Kong’s Double Trouble at 6:15AM, as well as the three-hour run of Pokemon Emerald at 8:15AM. Things get a bit more modern as we come into the afternoon, with an Any% run of Bowser’s Fury on Switch starting at 11:30AM.
We’re going to be glued to the screen for almost all of SGDQ 2021, but Saturday evening will be especially binge-worthy. It all kicks off with a run of Mario Kart 64 at 12:20PM, followed by the incredibly hyped three-runner, 100% race of Super Metroid at 1:20PM. The mind-blowing runner Bubzia returns to the GDQ stage with a signature blindfolded 70-star speedrun of Super Mario 64 at 2:55PM, which should be one of the most impressive runs of the entire event. The difficulty doesn’t stop there, with a speedrun of Dark Souls 3 at 5:35PM. The sixth and final Bonus Game of SGDQ 2021 will be the Demon’s Souls Remake, starting at 6:55PM. Expect more incredible speedrunning skill when the two-runner “Warpless” race of Super Mario Bros 3 starts at 8:10PM. To wrap up SGDQ 2021, everyone can tuck in with Sora and friends in Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix at 10PM.
Those are our most anticipated speedruns and recommended runs to watch at SGDQ 2021! As a final reminder, we highly suggest you check out the full SGDQ 2021 schedule to see every single speedrun planned for the week. As always, we’ll be posting our favorite speedruns after every day of SGDQ 2021, so be sure to come back once the marathon starts! We’ll also be live-tweeting and discussing various runs on Twitter, so stop by (@official90skid) and say hello. Enjoy the marathon!
