IGDB

Overview

IGDB combines a searchable video-game database with an API for retrieving game and related-entity data. It suits players looking up titles, companies, or characters, and developers building non-commercial game-information features. Its strongest case is free, flexible data access; commercial integrations require a partnership, while browser-based clients need a backend proxy.

Key features

Search spans games, companies, and characters, with sorting by relevance, title, release date, or rating. That gives players several ways to narrow discovery and helps developers shape lookup experiences around useful criteria. The database welcomes community contributions, though content that fails submission criteria or violates Twitch Community Guidelines may be removed or restricted.

The API offers endpoints for game data and related entities. Requests can specify fields, filters, sorting, and other options in the request body. Limits are 4 requests per second, up to 8 open requests at once, and 500 results per request; these are manageable for bounded integrations but require planning for heavier or bursty workloads. Daily CSV data dumps cover all endpoints, and export formats include CSV and Protocol Buffers.

Access uses OAuth2 application credentials. Developers need a Twitch account with two-factor authentication, plus an application Client ID and Client Secret. That is a meaningful setup requirement for a project that only needs a quick public lookup. The API also blocks direct browser requests because it does not provide CORS headers, so browser products need a backend proxy. IGDB offers a guide to deploy one in the developer’s AWS account, with token rotation handled by the stack, though AWS charges may apply.

Apicalypse wrappers are listed for NodeJS, JVM/Kotlin/Java, Swift, and Python, with third-party wrappers for PHP/Laravel, Go, Ruby, C#/.NET, and Deno. This breadth gives developers options across common stacks, but does not remove the authentication, rate-limit, or proxy requirements. The IGDB MCP Server is in beta testing, and its features, tools, and authentication flows may change without notice. Support is available by email; IGDB recommends Discord for API questions and community discussion.

Pricing

IGDB’s API plans are free, with no free trial. The IGDB API (non-commercial) costs nothing and is intended for non-commercial use. Its key tradeoff is the usage ceiling: 4 requests per second and up to 8 open requests at a time, as well as a maximum of 500 results per request. That suits hobby projects and non-commercial applications whose traffic can fit those limits.

The IGDB API (commercial partnership) also costs nothing, but commercial API use requires a partnership rather than simply moving to a paid self-serve tier. Products integrating the API are expected to provide visible user-facing attribution. For a commercial product, those terms are central to deciding whether IGDB fits; the published plan does not offer a price that substitutes for the partnership requirement.

Platforms

IGDB is available on the web and through its API. Its supported game platforms span PC (Microsoft Windows), Mac, iOS, Android, PlayStation, Xbox, Nintendo Switch, web browser, and arcade. This breadth makes the database relevant to cross-platform discovery, while API integrations still need to respect its backend and authentication requirements.

Who it's for

IGDB is a strong fit for people who want to search game, company, or character information, and for developers who need structured game data for a non-commercial project. Its adjustable queries, related-entity endpoints, and daily dumps serve different integration needs. It is less suitable for a browser-only implementation without backend infrastructure, or for a commercial product that cannot secure a partnership and show attribution.

Pros and cons

• Pro: Search covers games, companies, and characters, with four sorting options for more targeted discovery.
• Pro: Free API access supports non-commercial use, with configurable fields and filters, plus daily CSV dumps for bulk data workflows.
• Pro: Wrappers cover several languages and runtimes, including NodeJS, Python, Swift, Java, Go, and .NET.
• Con: Rate and concurrency limits, plus the 500-result cap per request, constrain high-volume retrieval.
• Con: Twitch two-factor authentication and OAuth2 application credentials add setup work before API access.
• Con: Missing CORS headers rule out direct browser requests; a backend proxy is required, and the AWS deployment option may incur charges.
• Con: Commercial use depends on a partnership and visible user-facing attribution, rather than a straightforward paid plan.

Alternatives

For a different free game-data API, RAWG offers a non-commercial plan with 500,000+ games and up to 20,000 requests per month, with required backlinks where its data is used; choose it if that monthly quota and dataset better match the project. LaunchBox is an alternative for importing and playing games, with a free Windows starter tier and a paid Windows option, rather than an API-centered choice. BoardGameGeek is another free database, with access on Android, iOS, and the web.

MobyGames is another game database. The Visual Novel Database offers a non-commercial API with limits of 200 requests per 5 minutes, one second of execution time per minute, and aborted requests over three seconds; pick it when visual-novel data is the focus. RaiderZ Game Database is another free game database. Interactive Fiction Database is another free database with web and API access. YGOPRODeck offers an API with 20 requests per second, but exceeding the limit blocks access for one hour; it may suit projects whose request rate is a priority and can avoid that penalty.

Browse more options in Game Databases.

Verdict

Choose IGDB if you need broad game, company, or character discovery, or a free non-commercial API with configurable queries and bulk data access. Its central tradeoff is clear: developers must build around authentication, request limits, and a backend proxy, while commercial products need a partnership and visible attribution. If those constraints do not fit, a simpler database or a more suitable API alternative is the better choice.