Six Days Nonstop: Hungarian Gamer Breaks World Record for Video Game Marathon

Hungarian gamer Sabolch Cepe, who goes by the handle Grasshopper, has set a Guinness World Record for the longest gaming marathon. He spent 144 hours — six consecutive days — playing Dance Dance Revolution.

He says the idea came after he learned about American Carrie Swidecki’s 2015 record of 138 hours in Just Dance. “I often wondered how she could spend that much time at the screen. That’s when I resolved that one day I would beat that mark,” Cepe recalled.

He worked up to the main record through a series of earlier marathons:

• 2021 — 28 hours 11 minutes in Narutimetto Akuseru 2 (the longest marathon for a Naruto game);
• then 32 hours 32 minutes 32 seconds in Tetris Effect (a record for puzzle games);
• 2023 — 90 hours in Gran Turismo 7, which earned him two titles: one for racing games and one for simulators.

The DDR session covered about 3,000 songs and burned roughly 22,000 calories. Cepe admitted it was the most grueling attempt yet: “My arms and shoulders throbbed for hours, but I was prepared — I trained physically and carefully planned my diet and hydration.”

He described the marathon as “demanding but controllable”: standing for long stretches was challenging, yet he noted that “my body moved fluidly, without the sudden spikes of strain you get in, say, racing games.”

His 144-hour run is now officially recognized as the longest gaming marathon in the world.

Source: iXBT.games