Awesome Games Done Quick 2025, the annual speedrunning charity event, has been particularly lively this year, and to enhance the experience, a live rock band performed alongside a speedrun of Crazy Taxi.
A professionally trained opera singer concluded their Ratchet and Clank speedrun with a powerful performance, while a pianist played the entire New Super Mario Bros. Wii soundtrack while racing through the platformer, and yet another speedrunner completed a no-hit run of Elden Ring with a saxophone – making AGDQ 2025 a more musical event than most years.
However, the title for most inventive musical speedrun undoubtedly belongs to the 19-minute Crazy Taxi run, featured below, which showcased a live rock band playing in harmony with the game. Speedrunner chuckles825 navigated through the 16 levels of the arcade classic’s Crazy Box mode, all while using an in-game bike, and the band on stage would restart a song whenever the speedrunner failed or finished a level. Unsurprisingly, this led to significantly less commentary on speedrunning techniques and strategies than usual, but the catchy tunes and enthusiastic audience more than compensated for it.
Crazy Taxi with Live Backing Band by chuckles825 in 18:59 – Awesome Games Done Quick 2025 – YouTube
The overall musical performances contributed to yet another substantial amount raised for the Prevent Cancer Foundation as AGDQ 2025 viewers gathered over $2.5 million throughout the week-long event, bringing Games Done Quick’s 15-year total to $54 million raised for various charities. You can catch up on all of this year’s best speedruns on the Games Done Quick YouTube channel. And, of course, charity-focused speedruns are set to return with Summer Games Done Quick 2025 in July, this time supporting Doctors Without Borders.