Speedrunning the 15 Wildest Things That Happened During AGDQ 2023
Gotta go fast!
Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) 2023 wrapped up over the weekend, following a week of incredible speedruns and raising just over $2.6 million for the Prevent Cancer Foundation during that time. Even though the event was held virtually this year, there were still plenty of moments that were stunning to watch. Here’s a little speedrun of our own that breaks down the 15 wildest moments at AGDQ 2023.
If we’re going to talk about speedrunning, then you have to mention the fastest character in video games, Sonic the Hedgehog. This skip by Speck in Sonic Unleashed looks outstanding. What makes it even more ridiculous is that it was a crucial part of beating the TAS run. For the uninitiated, this is essentially the equivalent of a human beating a chess supercomputer.
Speck is keeping pace with his gameplay on commentary! What's more – this skip apparently helped him BEAT THE TAS?
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 11, 2023
Sonic block at #AGDQ2023 is off to a lightning-fast start!https://t.co/umiMSaefOZ pic.twitter.com/r7jFdhyj15
You may have heard of rocket jumping, but how about dynamite jumping?
.@kaos_wulf is leaping his way through Cultic right now at #AGDQ2023. This first-try skip was… explosive! pic.twitter.com/gCYIaz63is
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 9, 2023
If that’s not enough speed for you, then Neon White most definitely will be. Anyone who has ever heard about this game or seen it played knows it’s one of the fastest games of the last year. Letting a group of speedrunners get their hands on the game is dangerous. The full thing is well worth the watch, but the fastest run is just under 13 and a half minutes. This watch is worth every frame.
It wouldn’t be an AGDQ without some classic runs. No matter how many times we see the wrong warp in SMB3, it never becomes any less impressive or wild.
We wrong warped straight to the end of Super Mario Bros. 3, as well as the end of #AGDQ2023.
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 15, 2023
Even though this event is coming to an end, one thing stays unchanged. Were #HereTogether 💙 pic.twitter.com/xupQ4aeNDD
The caption on this one is perfect, but also, the movement in Breath of the Wild is just ludicrous.
Folks rushing to their PC after hearing there's new "The Legend of Zelda: Tears of the Kingdom" news #AGDQ2023 https://t.co/x81FahevHc pic.twitter.com/DhlhaqMPcx
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 8, 2023
Buffet Time’s Half-Life: Alyx run from SGDQ 2020 showed off how wild VR speedruns can get with tons of wacky out-of-bounds antics. This time around, Buffet Time showed off even more fun-to-watch strats like this crouch movement.
The one and only @buffit_tim has been schmoving through Half-Life: Alyx with their impressive ✨crouching strats✨ #AGDQ2023 https://t.co/umiMSaefOZ pic.twitter.com/0FbkTXE7k4
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 14, 2023
Adding in rhythm games to the GDQs was such a good idea.
Gamers you did it! You unlocked all of the Stepmania incentives. @bromid even did death runs 😲. Such a great showcase!#AGDQ2023https://t.co/x81FahevHc pic.twitter.com/Iz2vuqXZKG
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 14, 2023
Trackmania Turbo is crazy enough without speedrunners getting their hands on the game.
WARNING: Professional drivers on an open course.#AGDQ2023https://t.co/umiMSaefOZ pic.twitter.com/aHUlW0WZgN
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 13, 2023
The out-of-bounds movement and skips in the Metroid Prime games are always a sight to behold.
This Metroid Prime 1 and 2 co-op crossgame rando run with @UncleRoogie and @BashPrime has been going on for over two hours, but that doesn't make the skips any less complex!#AGDQ2023 https://t.co/umiMSaefOZ pic.twitter.com/Mj0xpHcR3x
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 13, 2023
You know it’s about to get wild when the speedrunner breaks out a blindfold. With how many visual queues are in the Skyward Sword final boss fight, being unable to see them didn’t seem to phase speedrunner gymnast86 in the least.
What a FINALE to Skyward Sword as @MrGymnast86 beat the final fight BLINDFOLDED!
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 13, 2023
But buckle in, we're closing in on that $1MIL mark – are you ready?#AGDQ2023https://t.co/umiMSaefOZ pic.twitter.com/P2ie7unXZ3
3D Legend of Zelda speedruns always have wild movement. Who needs Epona when you can run as fast as a horse?
This is a SPEEDRUN marathon, so Link needs SPEED #AGDQ2023https://t.co/umiMSaefOZ pic.twitter.com/0az6BAVG2H
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 12, 2023
No, this is not someone speedrunning Sonic Colors: Ultimate on two systems with one controller. This is in fact two people perfectly synced up in the middle of a race.
The Sonic Colors: Ultimate race at #AGDQ2023 is as close as can be – look at these PERFECTLY SYNCED bossfights from @thebluemania_ and @Subbaro_, with @NyuDergy not far behind!https://t.co/umiMSaefOZ pic.twitter.com/Y96oqXO2mg
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 11, 2023
The long-awaited Resident Evil Village DLC has a terrifying final boss. However, it’s not really that terrifying when you consider how incredibly fast speedrunners are able to blow through this battle.
In case you were wondering how fast the final boss of Resident Evil Village’s DLC can be defeated, @7rayD did it in less than a minute. #AGDQ2023 https://t.co/umiMSaefOZ pic.twitter.com/BZZ4BbQUXE
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 11, 2023
Super Mario Galaxy 2 has some of the best 3D platformer level design and speedrunner jhay just skips it all with multiple frame-perfect jumps.
level?
— Games Done Quick (@GamesDoneQuick) January 10, 2023
what level?
who said anything about a level? @NotImJhay? #AGDQ2023 https://t.co/umiMSaefOZ pic.twitter.com/QFKhZjhRkB
The Hitman franchise is known for its ridiculous strategies, and threeballer97 showcased multiple in his Hitman: Bloodmoney run.
Even with a full list of 15 moments, there are many more speedruns worth watching from the past week. The full playlist of AGDQ 2023 can be found right here. All in all, it was a memorable week filled with tons of highly talented people, incredible speedruns, and plenty of money raised for a great cause.
It’s a shame that we have to wait another six months for Summer Games Done Quick, but at least there are over 160 hours of content to watch on YouTube until then.
- When is AGDQ 2023 & How to Stream It? Answered
- AGDQ 2023 Dates Announced, Will Be Held Online Only
- 10 Best Speedruns of AGDQ 2022
- AGDQ 2022’s Full Schedule Gets Locked In With Plenty of Bonus Games to Look Forward To
- AGDQ 2022’s Games List Includes Deltarune, Deathloop, FFVII Intergrade; Starts Jan. 9
