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 was a resounding success, raising over $2.5 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation. This impressive total surpassed the 2024 event's fundraising by more than $100,000. The annual winter event, hosted by Games Done Quick (GDQ), featured thrilling speedruns of popular games such as Crazy Taxi, Super Metroid, and a diverse range of titles across various genres.

Awesome Games Done Quick, held every January, is one of the two flagship events organized by GDQ each year. The summer counterpart, Summer Games Done Quick, takes place in July. In addition to these main events, GDQ also hosts smaller events like Frame Fatales and GDQ Express to keep the community engaged throughout the year. In October 2024, GDQ organized an impromptu Disaster Relief Done Quick event in response to Hurricane Helene's devastation in the Southeastern US. This event successfully raised over $45,000 in just over two days for Direct Relief, a charity focused on providing emergency supplies, transportation, and medical assistance to disaster-affected areas.

As the new year began, Awesome Games Done Quick 2025 showcased the community's dedication to supporting cancer research. From January 5 to January 13, the event raised over $2.5 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, exceeding the previous year's total by over $100,000. The Prevent Cancer Foundation's mission emphasizes early cancer detection, prevention, research, and outreach programs. This event marks another milestone in the long-standing partnership between GDQ and the Prevent Cancer Foundation, which has collectively raised over $26 million across multiple GDQ events. AGDQ 2025, held in Pittsburgh, kicked off with a swift run of the Switch version of Pikmin by speedrunner Ray0ken, completed within an hour.

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

One of the standout moments of AGDQ 2025 was the speedrun of Crazy Taxi, a beloved Dreamcast game. Known for its fast-paced gameplay, Crazy Taxi presents streaming challenges due to its copyrighted soundtrack. However, speedrunner Chuckles825 ingeniously collaborated with a live band that played the game's music live during the run. This innovative approach not only avoided streaming issues but also enhanced the experience, leading to the 18-minute run raising over $24,000 in donations.

The final event of AGDQ 2025 featured a randomized, four-player race of the SNES classic Super Metroid. The race was incredibly close, with runners Eddie and Andy finishing within one second of each other. GDQ's next major event, Summer Games Done Quick 2025, is scheduled for July 6 in Minneapolis, where the organization will continue its efforts to support Doctors Without Borders.