Summer Games Done Quick 2024 to speed through Alan Wake 2, Balatro, and plenty of classics

This June marks the return of a summer speedrunning staple, as Summer Games Done Quick prepares to kick off another weeklong stream of incredible gaming feats. It all starts on June 30, and ahead of that the full list of games has been revealed. 

There are a ton of classics being revisited this time around, and there’s also the typical mix of new games getting their very first run in the spotlight. Chief among them is the PlayStation 5 version of Alan Wake 2. Speedrunner suavepeanut has an “Alan%” run — meaning just the Alan-centric Initiation chapters from Remedy’s celebrated sequel — planned, aiming for roughly an hour and some change. 

Developer LocalThunk’s poker roguelike Balatro is also in the mix for the first time as a Bonus Game. These games are typically inserted into the schedule after a specific fundraising incentive has been met. Folks who donate to the cause, which is once again humanitarian medical nonprofit Doctors Without Borders, can decide which goal they want to contribute toward. Keep that in mind if you’re dying to see a “3 Deck Random Seed, Skipless” run of Balatro! 

While no one has tossed in the sprawling Like a Dragon: Infinite Wealth into the mix yet, tapioca is cooking up a 90-minute any% run of Like a Dragon Gaiden: The Man Who Erased His Name. Happybythree will throw their hat into the heist-pulling ring with an Any% PlayStyle A run of Turnip Boy Robs a Bank. The week typically closes with a lengthy role-player, and this time it’s the Nintendo Switch remake of Super Mario RPG from runner V0oid. There’s no better way to bring the house down than to bring Smithy down LIVE.  

Still goin’ fast

If you’re familiar with the Games Done Quick streams, you’ll see plenty of familiar titles this time around, from a handful of Mega Man games — Mega Man 4, Mega Man 9, and Mega Man X5, specifically — to a Super Metroid race. There are welcome oddities in there, too. Celeste 64: Fragments of the Mountain will have TheShadedMaster going for 100% in roughly 15 minutes. There’s also the Silly Games Done Quick block, which features the likes of Arzette: The Jewel of Faramore, Barbie on NES, Birds Aren’t Real: The Game, Mad Panic Coaster, and more.

Most importantly, there’s a Chibi-Robo! race on the way, pitting Jaxler and Kobazzco against one another in the 1v1 Lockout Bingo category. It all goes down June 30 – July 6 at the Hilton Minneapolis Downtown in Minnesota, streaming live on Twitch and the official site. If you see my productivity dropping that week, you know what’s up.