RPG runs to watch at this year's Summer Games Done Quick charity marathon
One of my favorite times of the year is upon us - Summer Games Done Quick! This weeklong charity event brings some of the best speedrunners from around the world together in Minneapolis to help raise money for a good cause. This year’s summer charity of choice is Doctors Without Borders, and it runs from July 5-11, with the kickoff at 12:30 pm ET on the 5th, continuing 24/7 until it concludes.
Unlike events like RPG Limit Break, SGDQ features runs of games from all sorts of genres. That said, this year’s lineup features some great RPG runs. The following are just some that we recommend checking out!
As always, you can find the full schedule (automatically in your timezone) here with all the runs streamed over on the GDQ’s Twitch page, with VODs later uploaded to their YouTube channel.
RPG Runs to watch
Sunday, 7-5-2026
Fire Emblem: Three Houses - Blue Lions — NG+ (Azure Moon)
4:00 pm ET
Coming in as only the third game of the event, this Fire Emblem: Three Houses run by the runner gretaicevixen is estimated to only take 1 hour and 22 minutes to complete a New Game + run, siding with the Blue Lions.
Check out our review for Three Houses in the meantime
Castlevania: SotN - Any% (Luck Mode)
8:45 pm ET
Run by Dr4gonBltiz, the Any% (Luck Mode) variety will task them with beating the game as fast as possible, using a version of Alucard with an incredibly high LUCK stat, and every other stat being very low. The estimate for this one is only 20 minutes!
Monday 7-6-2026
Dragon Quest XI - Sword of Light%(PC)(Est: 2:00:00)
9:10 am ET
This 2-hour-long estimated run will see runner Jerikandra rush through Dragon Quest XI and reach the point in the story where you forge the Sword of Light. Taking you right up to the start of Act 2!
Check out all three of our reviews for DQXI, including DQXI: Echoes of an Elusive Age, DQXI S, and DQXI S: Definitive Edition!
Tuesday 7-7-2026
System Shock 2 - Any%
2:30 am ET
How fast have you ever taken out SHODAN in System Shock 2? With a mere 25-minute estimate, runner BloodThunder will be pulling out all his tricks to get it done
Check out our review of the System Shock 2 Remaster!
Ogre Battle: The March of the Black Queen- Any%
4:00 am ET
The first game to be released in the Ogre Battle / Tactics Ogre series, and “Episode V” of the entire Ogre Battle Saga, runner Sheez will be marching at double pace. With an estimated run time of 1 hour and 10 minutes, definitely tune in and give this classic SNES strategy RPG a watch!
Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door - Any%(GC)
3:10 pm ET
Arguably the best of the Paper Mario titles, this Any % run of the original GameCube version by Sway will be a delight to watch. With an estimated time of only 1 hour and 40 minutes, a little Paper Mario is sure to make your Tuesday better, as you enjoy the various glitches and tricks that Sway will pull off during his run.
Check out our original review (one of the earliest ones on the site!)
Wednesday 7-8-2026
Earthbound Beginnings - Any%
9:50 pm ET
Recounting the complicated history of Earthbound Beginnings would probably take longer than runner Czukubi’s actual run of it! Clocking in with an estimate of 45 minutes, Earthbound Beginnings will see the young boy and his baseball cap faster than ever before, resulting in a great watch for NES RPG fans!
Thursday, 7-9-2026
Elden Ring - All Bosses Co-op
10:10 pm ET
Elden Ring is known for its beautiful world and its menacing inhabitants, so runners Mitchriz, LilAggy, YoJosherino, and star0chris are teaming up to blaze a trail through The Lands Between, taking out all the bosses along the way. This co-operative run is estimated to take only 3 hours and 15 minutes to complete!
Check out our reviews for Elden Ring and its expansion - Shadow of the Erdtree.
Saturday, 7-11-2026
Kingdom Hearts 2 Final Mix - Randomizer — Hitlist Co-op
2:40 pm ET
ZaktheRobot and spikevegeta team up to clear objectives as fast as they can in the Kingdom Hearts 2 Randomizer. With an estimated time of only 2 hours 15 minutes, expect the two of them to be bouncing around the various worlds lightning quick, making this a super exciting watch!
Clair Obsure: Expedition 33 - Any% (Restricted)
11:30 pm ET
Closing out Summer Games Done Quick is Z3R01337 and Expedition 33 in an Any% run. The restricted aspect of this run allows some glitches to be used but rules out big ones, which should help keep it exciting. At least for the 1 hour and 25 minutes it is planned to take.
Check out our review of last year's massive hit!