My 5 Favorite SGDQ 2021 Speedruns To Stave Off The Post-GDQ Blues

Summer Games Done Quick 2021 wrapped up over the weekend, and while it's always a bit of a bummer to see these GDQ marathons come to an end, it gives all of us a chance to catch up on any runs we may have missed while the event was live. With more than 150 speedruns performed during SGDQ 2021, it can be difficult to know where to start, so here I've listed five fantastic speedruns from SGDQ 2021 that are sure to entertain.

For a lot of people, it seems one of the surprises of SGDQ 2021 was the Gone Golfing run by Teddyras with commentary from Jeff! In 3D. While the name of Gone Golfing suggests it's one of the dime-a-dozen golfing games available on Steam, it's actually a survival horror game with a creepy antagonist and some spooky golf-themed puzzles. Teddyras and Jeff play it straight the entire time, making for one of the funniest runs of the entire event.

Sometimes, races at Games Done Quick events can be lopsided affairs. After all, these are competitions between speedrunners, so one mistake is often all that needs to happen to give one runner the lead for the entire race. However, that wasn't the case with the Pokemon Black & White race between PulseEffects and Swiftalu, as it was a close, competitive showdown the entire time. Before SGDQ 2021 kicked off, I said that this race would be one to set aside some time for, and it turns out that prediction was right on the money.

There's nothing particularly special about the Sonic Adventure 2: Battle speedrun because we've even seen it numerous times at past GDQs. However, what's special about this one is its runner, Dage4, who manages to make nearly every risky time-saving trick in the run look effortless. Even Dage4's commentators are left dumbfounded by the tricks he pulls off during the speedrun. It's definitely one to watch if you're looking to be wowed by technical skill.

Like Sonic Adventure 2: Battle, Halo 2 is a speedrun we've seen at GDQ many times in the past. This any% run is filled with glitches, most notably one called "arbitrary unit possession," which allows runner Monopoli to glitch into the bodies of NPCs, enemies, and vehicles. It's a completely broken run that's super interesting in large part because of Monopoli's excellent commentary.

Being the final run of the event, Kingdom Hearts II Final Mix by Ninten was always going to have some level of hype behind it. Even without that, however, it turned out to be a fantastic run full of technical skill and the commentary from SpikeVegeta and JHobz – two very familiar faces for those who watch Games Done Quick regularly – was top notch. The fact that it capped off what was largely a fantastic marathon is just icing on the cake.

The five runs listed here are really just the tip of the iceberg. GDQ has already uploaded each run from SGDQ 2021 to its YouTube channel, so if you're having a hard time picking a jumping-off point, just start at the beginning and work your way to the end of the marathon from there. What was your favorite run from SGDQ 2021? Head down to the comments section and let us know!