Summer Games Done Quick 2025 Stuns World with £1.8M Raised for Charity—Speedrunning Shines Brighter than Ever

Summer Games Done Quick 2025 is officially in the books, and once again, the global games community proved its heart is as fast as its controllers. Over the course of just seven days, this summer’s premier speedrunning event managed to raise more than £1.8 million for Doctors Without Borders (MSF), surpassing expectations and igniting global fan hype. That’s around $2.3 million USD or a jaw-dropping RM10.9 million in Malaysian Ringgit—and every single penny is going directly to support medical initiatives across the globe.

Organised annually by Games Done Quick (GDQ), SGDQ 2025 was streamed live from 29th June to 6th July, keeping viewers glued to Twitch with round-the-clock speedruns of titles old and new. From a Blindfolded Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice run—that proved just how wild muscle memory can get—to charming indie pledges like Balatro and Blue Prince, the event delivered high-octane entertainment for fans across the spectrum.

The Art and Heart of Speedrunning Shown Live

This year’s event might be over, but the impact is here to stay. The 2025 edition didn’t just showcase impeccable speed and mastery—every controller tap had purpose. MSF, known globally as Médecins Sans Frontières, uses these donations to fund emergency medical aid in crisis zones. And frankly, in a world where negativity steals headlines, SGDQ gives gamers a reason to stand tall.

What helped push this year’s fundraiser over the top? Speedrun highlights like the under-30-minute Mario Kart World tour, a movement-perfect Skyrim VR sequence, and the long-form Final Fantasy IX run that was nothing short of marathon-like commitment. The community got inventive too; donations climbed faster during challenge incentives and “kill/don’t kill the animals” charity debates that have become SGDQ legends over time.

As with previous years, SGDQ 2025 kept things donation-fuelled, with incentives ranging from hidden level reveals to custom fan art showcases. One crowd favourite involved a full-category run of Elden Ring on the new Nintendo Switch 2—yes, that actually happened—and it was one of the highest-viewed segments of the week. Fans worldwide tuned in not just for the incredible gameplay, but for the palpable community spirit.

The event also leveraged a strong virtual presence. While previous years took tentative steps with online engagement, SGDQ 2025 leaned in hard—with VR-integrated perspectives during Beat Saber showcases and dedicated Discord rooms for “pass-the-controller” co-op challenges. The new features were crucial to refreshing the decade-old format, not to mention keeping that Twitch chat scrolling non-stop.

Significant visual and production upgrades were also noticeable this year. The camera transitions, overlays, and studio lighting saw marked improvement, pulling SGDQ closer to polished esports levels while keeping its rugged charm. It’s evident that the massive logistical beast behind Games Done Quick knows how to balance professionalism with fan-rooted authenticity.

On preorder side notes (because every event segues into drops), publishers jumped in on the hype train. Raw Fury sneakily teased new gameplay footage for Blue Prince during the breaks while FromSoftware’s surprise Sekiro DLC got a preorder window: launching 20th September 2025 on PS4, Xbox One and PC priced at £19.99 / $25.00 / RM117. The timing couldn’t have been better—viewers were already buzzing from the marathon “no-hit” Sekiro run!

As usual, all VODs and highlight reels are already available on the official Games Done Quick archive, meaning that even if you missed the action in July, you can still catch balletic runs of titles from Elden Ring to Mario Kart World.

For many, the core magic of SGDQ lies in how it transforms niche gaming skills into a global movement. In an era where gaming news is often industry-driven, events like SGDQ stand defiantly player-first—a reminder that passion, purpose, and pure speed still rule. So whether you’re a fan of turn-based strategy showdowns or chaotic multiplayer competitive spectacles, SGDQ 2025 delivered something for everyone—and all for one incredible cause.