The latest edition of Japan’s annual gaming marathon, RTA, concluded on Friday. Held from August 9–15 in Chiyoda, Tokyo, the event brought together local and international talents to showcase their speedrunning skills on popular PC and console titles, drawing thousands of live viewers.
Quite a few prominent titles ended on the most popular list, including Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen, Silent Hill 2, and Resident Evil 2. Speedrunning marathons consistently draw strong interest from both online viewers and on-site fans, and the RTA in Japan Summer 2025, recognized as one of Asia’s premier speedrunning events, continues to rank among the top marathons on the circuit.
The RTA in Japan proudly operates as a charitable initiative, using the excitement of speedrunning to support meaningful causes. The Summer 2025 edition looked to raise funds for Doctors Without Borders, the international nonprofit that provides humanitarian medical care in conflict zones and countries affected by endemic diseases.
While specific information about the amount raised this year has not been disclosed yet, we can expect the amount collected to be similar to last year's summer edition. At this 2024 event, ¥11 million was raised, equivalent to approximately $73,700.
Coming to livestreaming details, the RTA in Japan Summer 2025 hit 68,450 Peak Viewers (PV) during the speedrun of Dragon Quest IV: Chapters of the Chosen on August 12. It also amassed over 6.1 million Hours Watched (HW) over its one-week run, putting it among the series's five most-watched iterations.
The event was solely livestreamed on the official Twitch channel, RTAinJapan. The 6.1 million HW that it hit between August 9 and 15 put it in fourth among the most-watched channels for that period on a list led by the Dominican Republic-based YouTube channel, Alofokeradioshow. It discusses topics like music, analyzes trending matters, and runs debates on general interests.
Among the other video games' speedruns to attract high interest were Silent Hill 2, which peaked at 67,649 PV. Other entries to hit a higher peak than 65,000 concurrent viewers were the legendary horror game Ao Oni, Resident Evil 2, and Haunting Ground, which many call Capcom's most disturbing survival horror title.
As mentioned earlier, when looking at the entire RTA in Japan series, the 2025 iteration is one of the best by watch time, although it did notch only middling peak concurrent viewership figures. Nevertheless, as with any charitable endeavor, the focus is always on the cause and not on how big an audience it could reach.
As the RTA in Japan Summer 2025 came to a close, the organizers also revealed that the winter edition would return this year. It will be held at the Bellesalle Iidabashi First in Bunkyō, Japan, from December 25 to 31, and more details will be revealed soon.
