What is AGDQ 2021?

Awesome Games Done Quick, or AGDQ, is an annual charity event that generally happens in the winter, and it’s based around a niche hobby called speedrunning. Simply put, speedrunning is the act of playing through a full video game as fast as possible from beginning to end. Those leading runs in AGDQ 2021 can clear classic games like Super Mario Bros., Donkey Kong Country and Mega Man much faster than you likely thought possible. Some runs may allow glitches, some do not and others may even be played by robots.

But blazing through a beloved digital catalog is just one part of the festivities, as charity takes center stage. Over the next seven days participants will be playing on behalf of the Prevent Cancer Foundation, which works to stop cancer at its source. During the past decade Games Done Quick has raised more than $28 million for charity, with $3.16 million accrued during AGDQ 2020 alone. Typically AGDQ would involve more than 1,000 attendees playing these titles live at a hotel for a virtual and in-person audience, but COVID-19 restrictions have pushed the entire event online this year.

How to watch AGDQ 2021

The primary place to watch AGDQ 2021 is the Games Done Quick Twitch channel. It’s the main destination where you’ll be able to watch runs live as they happen, and each run will be archived as its own video after it’s finished. Those who miss a particular run can also keep an eye on the Games Done Quick YouTube channel as well, which hosts an additional archive of runs on a more permanent basis.

This year in particular, fans may also want to pay attention to the Games Done Quick website too, where promoters promise an all-new virtual crowd experience that goes beyond what’s possible on Twitch. We don’t quite know what it involves, but it sounds exciting nonetheless.

AGDQ schedule and games list

AGDQ 2021 is set to start January 3 at 11:30 a.m. EST and finish around January 10 at 2 a.m. EST. Barring the occasional break speedruns will be happening during that entire window, so you’ll have plenty to watch.

While you can read the complete schedule of speedruns on the AGDQ website, we’ve broken down the lengthy lineup to include what we see as the highlight events of each day. You can see our games list and times below. All times are listed in Eastern Standard Time.

January 3

12 p. m.

  • Mirror’s Edge1:03 p. m.
  • Donkey Kong Country3:09 p. m.
  • Ratchet & Clank (2016)3:58 p. m.
  • Mega Man X59:54 p. m.
  • Metroid Zero Mission

January 4

2:25 a. m. Metal Gear Solid 412:28 p. m.

  • Sonic 1 (2013)1:03 p. m.
  • Sonic 3: Angel Island Revisited1:55 p. m.
  • Sonic Mania3:03 p. m.
  • Sonic the Hedgehog (2006)6:37 p. m.
  • The Elder Scrolls V: Skyrim 8:17 p. m.
  • Dishonored 2

January 5

8:07 a. m.

  • River City Girls9:27 a. m.
  • River City Ransom9:51 a. m.
  • Strider10:28 a. m.
  • Aladdin (Genesis)10:55 a. m.
  • Metroid11:27 a. m.
  • Mega Man12:17 p. m.
  • Mega Man 111:04 p. m.
  • Mega Man X33 p. m.
  • Metroid Prime5:05 p. m.
  • Braid6:40 p. m.
  • Cuphead7:25 p. m.
  • Hades

January 6

12:45 a. m.

  • Axiom Verge2:47 a. m.
  • Resident Evil (Director’s Cut)6:29 a. m.
  • Into the Breach2:12 p. m.
  • Spyro 3 (Reignited)3:27 p. m.
  • Crash Bandicoot (N. Sane Trilogy)7:27 p. m.
  • Super Mario World 2: Yoshi’s Island10:19 p. m.
  • The Legend of Zelda: Skyward Sword

January 7

12:19 a. m.

  • Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon10:37 a. m.
  • The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX12:15 p. m.
  • Pokémon Platinum5:45 p. m.
  • Halo 3: ODST7:30 p. m.
  • Halo 39:10 p. m.
  • Half-Life9:52 p. m.
  • Star Wars Jedi: Fallen Order

January 8

12:07 a. m.

  • Resident Evil 56:55 a. m.
  • Night in the Woods8:27 a. m.
  • Metal Gear Solid: The Twin Snakes10:27 a. m.
  • Luigi’s Mansion11:05 a. m.
  • Super Mario Land 2: 6 Gold Coins11:45 a. m.
  • Wario Land: Super Mario Land 312:25 p. m.
  • Wario Land 41:46 p. m.
  • Donkey Kong Country 2 Unveiled3:11 p. m.
  • Warcraft III: Reign of Chaos4:46 p. m.
  • Final Fantasy VII7:01 p. m.
  • The Legend of Zelda: Majora’s Mask7:41 p. m.
  • Super Mario 648:46 p. m.
  • Super Mario Sunshine

January 9

9:24 a. m.

  • Celeste9:54 a. m.
  • Castlevania III: Dracula’s Curse10:39 a. m.
  • Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia11:24 a,m.
  • Bloodstained: Curse of the Moon 212:04 p. m.
  • Super Mario Bros. 212:26 p. m.
  • Super Meat Boy5:09 p. m.
  • TASBot plays The Legend of Zelda: Link’s Awakening DX6:04 p. m.
  • Sekiro: Shadows Die Twice6:41 p. m.
  • The Legend of Zelda: A Link to the Past8:01 p. m.
  • Super Mario 3510:31 p. m.
  • Pokémon Blue

January 10

12:36 a. m.

  • The Legend of Zelda: The Ocarina of Time

These start times may fluctuate due to scheduling constraints or as bonus games get introduced to the lineup, so be sure to check the official schedule in the event the times don’t quite match up.

AGDQ 2021 runs January 3 through January 10.

Which of these speedruns are you most looking forward to watching? Are there any snubs you expected to see on this list of games? Tell us in the comments section!