Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) 2024 is upon us, and the slate is chock-full of speedrunning streams and events for dozens of games, from Super Monkey Ball to Hades to Resident Evil. All funds being raised for this renowned charity speedrunning event will benefit the Prevent Cancer Foundation. Naturally, there are a few Zelda titles in the mix as well, so here’s what you should be looking out for when AGDQ 2024 kicks off in the morning on January 14th EST.
Sunday’s proceedings start at 11:30am EST with the pre-show, followed by the first speedrun, an Any% run of Tunic at noon, which is sure to be a pleasant Zelda-esque jumping-off point. Each day is packed with speedruns, races and interviews, even going all throughout the night, until the finale on Saturday, January 20th. Here are some notable events to look out for (all times are in EST, and written exactly as on the schedule):
- The F-Zero Grand Prix speedrun at 7:55pm on Sunday, which I imagine will look blisteringly fast for an already very fast-paced game;
- Any% completion of Final Fantasy XV: Royal Edition at 5:17pm on Monday, estimated to take just over an hour, despite the game’s lengthy story;
- Any% completion of Paper Mario: The Thousand-Year Door at 3:46am on Wednesday morning, a frightful prospect for viewers in the Western Hemisphere;
- Metroid Dread 100% completion with No Major Glitches at 12:25pm on Wednesday, which is expected to take a brisk two hours;
- And a New Game+ Any% True Ending run of Armored Core VI: Fires of Rubicon at 6:40pm on Thursday.
I could list so many more great games that will be exhibited throughout the week, but I encourage you to check out the schedule for yourself and determine which events you’d like to mark in your calendars.
As for Zelda representation, there are four featured games this year. The first is coming on Tuesday — and by first, I mean the first Legend of Zelda game, of course:
- At 11:34am, Zelda I will be run in the Any% Glitchless category.
- On Wednesday at 7:05pm, Ocarina of Time takes the stage in an MST speedrun, which stands for Medallions, Stones and Trials. In this run, you race to collect all the Sage Medallions and all Spiritual Stones, and complete all of the trials in Ganondorf’s castle before finishing the game.
- Majora’s Mask follows on Friday, with a 100% No Major Glitches Relay run at 10:34pm. This one’s unique because a relay speedrun means that it will be completed by not one, but four players on the same file, which I’m excited to view for the first time.
- And lastly, as the most recent entry in the series, the obvious fourth choice is Tears of the Kingdom, with an Any% run scheduled at 6:33pm on Saturday as the third-to-last speedrun of the whole showcase. An interview with the speedrunner, gymnast86, will take place earlier in the afternoon.
With an entire week’s worth of exciting speedrunning content ahead, there are too many highlights to name all of them here because they are from an unimaginable variety of genres and categories. Whether you’re tuning in for the Zelda games, the Soulslikes, the classic games or the hottest new releases, there’s something for everyone at AGDQ 2024. Remember, the action starts at 11:30am EST January 14 on the GamesDoneQuick Twitch channel. See you there!
