AGDQ 2025: Over $2.5M Raised for Charity

Summary

• Awesome Games Done Quick 2025 raised over $2.5 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, surpassing the 2024 total by $100,000.
• The organization's mission is focused on early cancer detection and prevention, along with funding research and outreach programs.
• The 18-minute Crazy Taxi run stole the show, raising over $24,000 in donations.

From January 5 to January 13, the Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) 2025 event raised over $2.5 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, exceeding the 2024 event's total by over $100,000. This annual winter event, hosted by Games Done Quick (GDQ), featured speedruns of popular games including Crazy Taxi, Super Metroid, and others across various genres.

Awesome Games Done Quick, held each January, is one of GDQ's two flagship events, with Summer Games Done Quick taking place in July. GDQ also hosts smaller events like Frame Fatales and GDQ Express to keep the momentum going between the main marathons. In October 2024, GDQ organized an impromptu event called Disaster Relief Done Quick in response to Hurricane Helene's impact on the Southeastern US. This event raised over $45,000 in just over two days for Direct Relief, a charity dedicated to providing emergency medical aid and supplies to disaster-stricken areas.

As the new year began, Awesome Games Done Quick 2025 successfully raised over $2.5 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, surpassing the previous year's total by more than $100,000. The Prevent Cancer Foundation focuses on early cancer detection and prevention, as well as funding research and outreach initiatives. This was not the first collaboration between GDQ and the Prevent Cancer Foundation; together, they have raised over $26 million across various GDQ events. AGDQ 2025 was held in Pittsburgh and kicked off with a swift run of the Switch version of Pikmin by speedrunner Ray0ken.

Awesome Games Done Quick 2025 Raises Over $2.5 Million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation

A standout moment of AGDQ 2025 was the run of Crazy Taxi, a beloved Dreamcast title. Due to its copyrighted music, streaming Crazy Taxi can be challenging, often requiring muting or risking a Twitch takedown. However, speedrunner Chuckles825 performed alongside a live band that played the game's music, enhancing the 18-minute run that raised over $24,000 in donations.

The event concluded with a randomized, four-player race of the SNES classic Super Metroid, where runners Eddie and Andy finished within a mere second of each other. GDQ is set to return with Summer Games Done Quick 2025 in Minneapolis on July 6, supporting Doctors Without Borders.