Summer Games Done Quick Raises Over $2.4 Million for Doctors Without Borders

Mon, 13 Jul 2026 00:00:00 +0000

The annual Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ) speedrunning marathon has once again delivered an impressive fundraising haul for charity, bringing in over $2.4 million for Doctors Without Borders (Médecins Sans Frontières). The week-long event, which ran from July 5 through July 11 in Minneapolis, drew roughly 2,500 in-person attendees alongside thousands of viewers watching from home via Twitch and YouTube.

Organizers confirmed the final tally of $2,408,701, marking yet another year that SGDQ has surpassed the $2 million milestone for the humanitarian medical organization.

A Week of World Records

This year’s SGDQ featured standout performances across dozens of games, but one run in particular etched itself into speedrunning history. Streamer Bluekandy set a new world record by completing a No Dupes run of Kirby Air Raiders with a blistering time of 37 minutes and 54 seconds, a feat that drew cheers from the live audience and thousands of concurrent viewers online.

Other highlights included a Balatro run that defied the odds, showcasing the kind of unpredictable, high-stakes gameplay that makes the event a staple of the speedrunning community. The Resident Evil: Requiem segment also delivered an unexpected moment when participants broke into impromptu beatboxing, adding a dose of levity to the marathon’s packed schedule.

Growing the In-Person Experience

SGDQ 2026 marked a continued return to in-person events following the pandemic era, with approximately 2,500 attendees gathering at the Minneapolis venue. The energy of a live crowd has become an increasingly important part of the Games Done Quick formula, bringing together speedrunners, developers, and fans for a shared experience that extends beyond the Twitch chat.

For those who couldn’t make it in person, all runs were streamed live on Games Done Quick’s official Twitch and YouTube channels, and a full archive of the event’s videos is now available for anyone who missed the action while it was live.

A Legacy of Giving

Summer Games Done Quick has been a fixture of the charity gaming calendar for well over a decade. The event’s format — in which highly skilled players complete games as fast as possible while providing entertaining commentary — has proved remarkably effective at mobilizing the gaming community for charitable causes. Doctors Without Borders, which provides emergency medical care in conflict zones and areas affected by endemic disease, has been the beneficiary of SGDQ’s summer events for multiple consecutive years.

Combined with its winter counterpart, Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ), which typically takes place in January and raises funds for the Prevent Cancer Foundation, the Games Done Quick organization has contributed tens of millions of dollars to charitable causes since its inception.

The full archive of SGDQ 2026 runs is available now on the Games Done Quick Twitch channel and YouTube channel.

Charity on Know the Tech

Summer Games Done Quick Raises Over $2.4 Million for Doctors Without Borders

A Week of World Records

Growing the In-Person Experience

A Legacy of Giving