We love speedrunning and we love GDQ over at Streamer Tactics. We tune in every year and we often watch old runs on YouTube from years gone by. There are so many classic GDQ runs from over the years, some showing incredible skill and others were just a great atmosphere and couch.
Here is our selection of the best runs from previous editions of Games Done Quick (in no particular order).
Best GDQ Speedruns
Super Metroid 4-Way Race
| Year | 2014 |
| Edition | AGDQ |
| Runner | Zoast, Garrison, Ivan, Krauser |
Super Metroid is a GDQ staple and it has been run many times over the years bringing the famous “Kill the animals” donation incentive. What makes this run so special is that it is a 4 way race going on at the same time and the race is very close throughout bringing buckets of tension. On top, the couch and commentary are spectacular. This is one of the most entertaining GDQ runs ever and it holds incredibly well from way back in 2014 when GDQ was still very rough around the edges.
Pokemon Blue 151 by Eddaket
| Year | 2021 |
| Edition | AGDQ |
| Runner | Eddaket |
There are plenty of Pokemon runs to choose from in the GDQ archives, from pure speedruns to challenges, but we had to pick one and we choose this one. Why? Well, the first is Eddaket breaking the game but explaining exactly why it breaks and what he can do with it.
The things he does in this retro classic will astound you decades after its release.
The second, is the natural chemistry between Eddaket, Keizaron and Shenanigans making it a pleasant speed run to have in the background while you work or study.
Resident Evil 7 Biohazard
| Year | 2018 |
| Edition | AGDQ |
| Runner | CarcinogenSDA |
This might be a bit biased as we are big Resident Evil and CarcinogenSDA fans at Streamer Tactics, but this amazing RE7 run from 2018 is amazing to even casual fans. Carci takes you on a trip through the experience which many see are the return to form for the series, showing just how well he knows the game.
Best yet, it is totally glitchless and follows the strict rules Capcom have put in.
It is on the hardest difficulty and some things don’t go to plan, Carci shows great poise to adapt and turn it back to his favour. Let’s not forget, this was in front of an actual audience and thousands of streamers online!
Back that with great chemistry on the couch and you have yourself a seriously memorable speed run.
Blindfold Punch-Out!!
| Year | 2019 |
| Edition | SGDQ |
| Runner | Zallard1 |
Most runs include a runner, a controller and a route they need to take. This one is incredibly entertaining because zallard is playing it blindfolded with only memory and audio cues to go with all in front of an audience!
At the time, there was no official leaderboard for this category, not only did zallard post a personal best during SGDQ2019 but technically a world record!
Diddy Kong Racing World Record
| Year | 2013 |
| Edition | SGDQ |
| Runner | Toufool31 |
There’s a certain charm in the early days of GDQ and as you can see from 2013, the room is tiny and the facilities leave a lot to the imagination. There are plenty of people who have had World Records during a live GDQ but we like this one because the game is a fan favourite and run itself is fun to watch.
There are moments in this run where it was genuinely hilarious and heartwarming and at no point tense! A wonderful GDQ run from the early days.
The Infamous Bonesaw Jak and Daxter Run
| Year | 2016 |
| Edition | SGDQ |
| Runner | Bonesaw577 |
You will either love this or hate this but there’s no denying that this is one of the most legendary and infamous speed runs ever from any GDQ event. Some people have called the run internet gold, others have said it is the most entertaining GDQ run, ever. The sheer amount of memorable and quotable lines will astound you.
We’ll let you decide for yourself.
Bonesaw is now banned from GDQ so sadly this is a run that will never be repeated.
Animorphs
| Year | 2016 |
| Edition | AGDQ |
| Runner | Keizaron |
It’s hard to describe this run it is just that bonkers. The game is absolutely terrible and we would absolutely not recommend it but it the couch selection is so good that it makes watching it so much fun that you don’t care about the game, you’re just having a good time.
Not only is it a terrible game, but it is a terrible run as well with restarts all over the place. But it made no difference whatsoever.
Keizaron is somewhat of a legend in GDQ and we think this run shows just how much fun playing terrible games can be.
Tetris Grandmaster
| Year | 2015 |
| Edition | AGDQ |
| Runner | KevinDDR |
Most of the best AGDQ runs we’ve listed so far have been fun, but this one here is all about true skill as KevinDDR performs moves that humans shouldn’t be capable of, all whilst in front of an audience. A truly remarkable feat of skill, forward planning and hand eye coordination.
Perhaps the most impressive thing is that wasn’t even that good of a run by his standards.
TASbot plays Brain Age
| Year | 2016 |
| Edition | AGDQ |
| Runner | micro500, xy2_ |
This goes down as one of the best runs from a GDQ and one of the Best TAS runs, too. Brain Age doesn’t sound like a fun game to watch but when a tool plays it instead it becomes one of the most hilarious runs ever recorded in front of an audience. Every single question answered correctly by drawing a wide variety of memes and pictures.
It needs to be seen to be believed.
FF7 Full Story
| Year | 2017 |
| Edition | SGDQ |
| Runner | ajneb174 |
Over 1 million views on YouTube despite lasting 7 hours, that’s how good this GDQ run is. What makes it amazing is just how relaxing and cosy it is thanks to knowledgable couch and well thought out commentary which delves into the story as they go through it.
I often work from home and this is the kind of run I’d put on in the background as I work, it’s not intrusive and it’s very chilled out which takes you back to your teenage years playing games with your friends before the advent of the internet. A remarkable experience and one of our favourites.
