More than 2.9 million dollars. That’s how much money Summer Games Done Quick 2021 raised for Médecins Sans Frontières (Doctors Without Borders) during a week-long, 24-hour livestream of speedruns. Hard work? Sure, but there was a heck of a lot of fun to be had too. We’ve rounded up some of the best speedruns from SGDQ 2021 below to catch up on or enjoy once more. Prepare for ridiculous performances in Nintendogs, Geoguesser, Demon’s Souls, and more.
The best speedruns at SGDQ 2021
© Games Done Quick
Nintendogs speedrun in 16m 56s
Early in the schedule, SGDQ 2021 blessed us with the glorious beast that is a Nintendogs speedrun. Along with providing an adorable puppy to admire, this run by ZooKetra demonstrates how the 3DS’ dodge voice recognition makes shouting “Lasagne” and bizarre sounds the most reliable method of teaching tricks.
Gone Golfing speedrun in 13m 6s
The less you know about indie release Gone Golfing the better when it comes to this entertaining run by teddyras. The runner and co-commentator Jeff: In 3D! commit to the act fully as increasingly unusual events start to occur while navigating minigolf stages.
Geoguessr speedrun 31m 31s
Arguably the most impressive run of the entire show – and it’s not even a traditional game. Aiming for a perfect score here means runner havrd must guess his starting location on the entire globe within a precision of 185 meters. Prepare to be amazed at how well the runners have memorized signs, car shadows and all kinds of indicators to spot their countries and cities.
Halo 2 speedrun in 1h 21m
What’s harder than running speedrunning just one character? Controlling two at the same time. In this glitch-packed run of Master Chief’s second outing, Monopoli directs two Spartans at once to pull off ridiculous exploits to jump through walls and possess NPC units. Try to keep up, as the tricks come thick and fast.
Doom Eternal DLC speedrun in 33m 3s (and 29m 40s)
If you’re new to speedrunning and want to be blown away, the modern Doom games are the best place to start watching. Arena-shooter movement and physics allows runners like BloodShot9001 to bunnyhop and boost their way through levels with glorious finesse, dissecting enemies the instant they spawn. Even if you don’t have a clue what’s happening, it’s a glorious ballet of blood, guts, and rapid reactions. This SGDQ 202 speedrun takes us through both of Doom Eternal’s challenging DLC segments on Nightmare difficulty.
Paper Mario speedrun in 26m 12s
No, we didn’t list the wrong video. In this Stop ‘n’ Swap run, JCog makes use of a Ocarina of time bug that preloads code onto the N64 expansion pass, allowing him to trick the game into skipping directly to the credits by accessing it in a specific stage. It’s bizarre, entertaining, and far too confusing for us to make sense of. Stick around for a showcase of silly glitches for the beloved RPG.
Demon’s Souls speedrun in 53m 57s
Half the fun of a new GDQ showcase is taking a look at runs for new releases. Speedrun strategies are still forming, offering an exciting glimpse inside the process. Intriguingly, Demon’s Souls runs make use of a PS Plus exclusive mechanic. The control center’s cards can be used to warp between zones faster than normal play would allow, enabling the player to zip between bosses and unlocked doors.
Bowser’s Fury speedrun in 31m 59s
Also on the new speedruns front is Bowser’s Fury, the Switch expansion to Super Mario 3D World. This Any% Bowser’s Fury Speedrun sees runner fir_ directing both Mario and Bowser Jr to snag cat shines at breakneck pace. Make sure you don’t miss the Luigi-driven Bowser bus explanation at 5m 40s – it’s crucial stuff.
Astro’s Playroom speedrun in 23m 22s
Team Asobi’s PS5 DualSense showcase is already an utter joy, but Xeilius’ commitment to the performance makes this nippy run all the more entertaining. Despite the Astro’s Playroom being a modern title, what follows is largely a precise platforming run, interspersed with some lightning-fast motion control sequences.
Super Mario 64 blindfolded speedrun in 1h 49m 59s
Much as we admire the craft, not many of us have time to sit down for the full duration of lengthy, hours-long speedruns. This Super Mario 64 70-star run is worth admiring, however, due to the fact that the entire thing is performed blindfolded. That’s right, speedrunners are completing the game faster than us without even needing to see what they’re doing. Exceptional stuff and easily one of the best speedruns at SGDQ 2021
Resident Evil 7 race speedrun in 1h 30m 34s
We couldn’t complete a roundup of best speedruns at SGDQ 2021 without at least one race. Katlink and CaptainEzekiel’s Resi 7 competition (commentated by marphoria) was packed with details about the run entertaining bugs like flinging Mia’s body at 17m 45s. If you're a coward like us, it's a great opportunity to laugh at a game that caused intense bouts of terror when played normally. There’s a slight technical issue right at the start, so be sure to dive in once things get started again at 6m 45s.
Seen any other brilliant speedruns at SGDQ 2021? Share them with us in the comments section below. Want to help a good cause? Head to the Médecins Sans Frontières website to donate now.
