“Flashy Fundraising: How Awesome Games Conquered Charity with $2.56 Million in 2025”
Image by the organization Games Done Quick.
The charity organization Games Done Quick recently concluded its inaugural event for 2025, raising $2.56 million in contributions for the Cease Most cancers Foundation.
Awesome Games Done Quick (AGDQ) took place from January 5 to January 12, offering a continuous stream of gaming content where streamers played to gather funds. Its earnings reflected a slight increase compared to AGDQ’s $2.54 million in 2024, but a small decrease from 2023’s $2.6 million. To date, GDQ’s largest record remains the record-breaking $3.4 million raised during the Summer 2022 showcase.
In its announcement, the organization highlighted that it has now surpassed $54 million in charitable contributions since its inception in 2010.
“Thank you to everyone who made this marathon possible, and to all of you for your incredible generosity & support,” it stated. Cease Most cancers also expressed its gratitude on January 11, noting that gamers “never fail to amaze us with your generosity. Your donations create a significant impact, THANK YOU!”
This year’s AGDQ featured several memorable moments, such as a live concert during the Crazy Taxi segment and Elden Ring being performed using a saxophone. (Indeed.) All runs are freely accessible on the GDQ YouTube channel, which also features videos from previous events.
Games Done Quick will continue its fundraising initiatives with a series of events for various causes throughout 2025. Among its upcoming events is its inaugural Back to Black speedrunning initiative, running from Thursday, February 6 to Sunday, February 9, to benefit the racial justice nonprofit Race Forward.
Frost Fatales will also return for its fourth consecutive year, and its fifth since launching in 2020. This all-female and femme event is scheduled from Sunday, March 9 to the following Sunday, March 16, and will donate its proceeds to the National Women’s Law Center.
Lastly, Summer Games Done Quick, AGDQ’s major counterpart, will raise funds for Doctors Without Borders in Minneapolis from Sunday, July 6 to Saturday, July 12.
About the Author
Contributing Editor, GameDeveloper.com
A native of Kansas City, MO, Justin Carter has contributed to various platforms including IGN, Polygon, and SyFy Wire. In addition to his work at Game Developer, his writings can also be found on io9 at Gizmodo. Don’t ask him how much gum he’s consumed, as the answer will be more than he cares to admit.