If you loveSpeedrunninggames and enjoy making a positive impact on the world, then these charitable events are perfect for you. You may have heard ofGames Done Quick(GDQ), an organization that hosts several charity speedrunning events throughout the year, each with a unique theme highlighting the speedrunners involved, as well as two seasonal events.
While GDQ is undoubtedly the most popular host of charity speedrunning events, there are a handful of other major marathon events worth checking out. Whether you’re attending gaming events in person or tuning into Twitch for all of your speedrunning enjoyment, these are the best charity speedrunning events for you.
7Momentum at Momocon
If you’re not already familiar withMomocon, this event includes more than just speedrunning, as it features anime, gaming, comics, and animation as the major draws for attendees. The convention is a massive celebration of your favorite geeky hobbies where fans come together and enjoy cosplaying, meeting celebrities, and, of course, speedrunning.
The Momentum section of Momocon is dedicated to speedrunning while making a positive contribution to the gaming community. In 2025, proceeds from the speedrunning portion of the event were donated to the Johnson STEM Activity Center to help support the underserved students in their local Atlanta community.
6Gamers For Giving
Gamers For Givingis a hybrid event that allows speedrunners to join by streaming from home or joining the LAN Party. In 2025, the LAN spanned from April 11-13 and helped to raise money for Gamers Outreach programs.
Whether you’re an established speedrunner who enjoys classic games or you’re a new runnerlooking to break onto the scene with an unlikely choice of game,Gamers For Giving is open to you. If you plan on attending in person, tickets will cost in the range of $45, but if cash is tight, you may always stream the event for free.
5MagFAST
MAGFest, also known as the Music & Gaming Festival, is another in-person event that offers attendees dozens of ways to enjoy themselves, including a speedrunning marathon. The marathon typically begins on Thursday, when the convention begins, and lasts until Sunday, when the event concludes.
This speedrunning marathon is dedicated to raising money for Child’s Play, which is an organization focused on bringing therapeutic games and tech to pediatric hospitals. This charity serves gamers in need worldwide and is one of the best ways to spread a love of games to those who may not otherwise be able to afford them.
4Black In A Flash Events
Black In A Flashis a dedicated community of Black speedrunners who come together under the GDQ banner to share their love for speed and charitable causes. This group is focused on pushing the boundaries and opening up the speedrunning space to as many runners as possible.
This group rebranded from ‘Unapologetically Black And Fast’ (UBAF) and now goes by ‘Black In A Flash’.
Aside from adding to the speedrunning lexicon,Black In A Flash also hosts distinct speedrunning events, namely on Juneteenth, the June 19th holiday commemorating the end of slavery in the United States.
3Frame Fatales Events
Similar to Black In A Flash,Frame Fatalesis a community of women in speedrunning, with two major events they host each year: Flame Fatales and Frost Fatales. With the group’s growing popularity, they focus on their major week-long speedrunning events, such as Flame Fatales 2025, scheduled for September 7-14.
While each event typically benefits a different charity, two of the most recent beneficiaries are the National Women’s Law Center and the Malala Fund. The NWLC helps to fight for gender justice, while the Malala Fund is an international non-profit that advocates for girls' education, founded by Pakistani activist Malala Yousafzai.
2Summer Games Done Quick
If you lovewatching longstanding speedrunning records be broken,then you’ve probably heard about Summer Games Done Quick (SGDQ). This week-long charity marathon event typically takes place in the summer months in the Northern Hemisphere, with 2025’s event spanning from July 6-13.
This is one of two major seasonal speedrunning events put on by Games Done Quick, an organization that put on its first speedrunning event in 2010, called Classic Games Done Quick. CGDQ was originally slated to be a part of MAGFest, but was moved to a private home to deal with internet issues. The rest is history.
1Awesome Games Done Quick
Awesome Games Done Quick is the other major annual GDQ event, which typically takes place early in the year, with 2025’s iteration running from January 5-12. This event benefited the Prevent Cancer Foundation, though Doctors Without Borders (MSF) is typically the other charitable organization chosen as beneficiaries of the marathon.
In terms of money raised, AGDQ and SGDQ are two of the biggest speedrunning charity events every year, with 2025’s events eclipsing $2.5 million and $2.4 million, respectively. With dozens of runs and an exciting stream featuring some of the biggest names in speedrunning, these events are must-sees.
