RAWG

RAWG is a video game database and discovery service whose game data and recommendations are exposed through an API. It suits developers building game search, reference, or discovery features, especially when broad platform coverage matters. Its free tier is useful for non-commercial projects, but commercial use, request caps, attribution, and restrictions on redistribution shape whether it fits a production product.

Overview

RAWG’s API draws on a database of more than 500,000 games spanning 50 platforms, including mobile. Its breadth is a meaningful advantage for projects that need to cover current and older systems in one place. The database combines descriptive and practical fields: genres, release dates, store links, ESRB ratings, average playtime, gameplay videos, Metacritic ratings, system requirements, and DLC and franchise information.

Discovery goes beyond lookup. RAWG says its similar-game recommendations use computer vision, while player activity data includes Steam average playtime and RAWG player counts and ratings. An API key is required with every request, so integrations need to account for authenticated access from the outset.

Key features

Game data and discovery

The combination of metadata, videos, ratings, and system requirements can support richer catalog pages than a basic title-and-release-date feed. Similar-game recommendations add a discovery component for products that want to help players move from one game to another. The listed player activity fields add context, though they represent Steam average playtime and RAWG’s own counts and ratings rather than a universal measure of player activity.

API integrations and terms

RAWG names Yandex, a Discord games-search bot, a Reddit recommendations bot, a Telegram bot, and a DTF bot among applications using its API. That range illustrates uses from search to recommendations, but the terms matter as much as the data: pages using RAWG data or images must include attribution and an active RAWG hyperlink. Redistributing the data for resale or making it available to other businesses is prohibited.

Commercial use is free for startups and hobby projects with no more than 100,000 monthly active users or 500,000 page views per month. Larger projects are directed to contact RAWG for commercial terms. These thresholds and the redistribution ban make RAWG less suitable as a source for a resold data product or a service that exposes its database to other businesses.

Pricing

The free plan’s 20,000 monthly requests and non-commercial restriction are substantial constraints for a public commercial service, even where the separate startup and hobby-project allowance applies. Business raises the request limit to 50,000 and permits commercial use, but costs $149 a month and still has a defined cap. Enterprise is the option for higher volume and custom needs, with custom pricing rather than a published monthly amount. API questions outside Business and Enterprise are directed to email or Discord.

Platforms

RAWG is offered on the web and through an API. The underlying catalog spans platforms including PC, Xbox One, iOS, Nintendo DS, Linux, PlayStation 3, PS Vita, Wii, Game Boy Advance, SNES, Apple II, Atari 5200, Atari 8-bit, Atari XEGS, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series S/X, Android, and Nintendo DSi. This mix of current, mobile, and legacy systems is useful for broad catalogs; it does not change the API’s usage and attribution obligations.

Who it's for

RAWG is a strong candidate for developers who need a large, cross-platform game catalog, game metadata, or similar-title discovery in an app or website. The free tier can suit non-commercial projects with modest request needs, while Business is aimed at commercial use that fits its 50,000-request monthly ceiling. Larger products, or teams requiring custom data requests and priority support, should consider Enterprise and its custom pricing.

It is a poor fit for anyone who cannot provide an active RAWG link on pages using its data or images, or whose business model depends on reselling or redistributing that data to other businesses. Teams should also weigh privacy implications: RAWG says it collects account, user-created, technical, usage, location, and gaming-platform information, and processes API payments through Stripe. Its privacy policy says information is used to secure systems and applications and was prepared with reference to provisions including the EU GDPR.

Pros and cons

Pros

• Broad catalog coverage: More than 500,000 games across 50 platforms supports projects spanning modern, mobile, and legacy catalogs.
• Rich metadata: Fields such as system requirements, ESRB ratings, videos, Metacritic ratings, and DLC and franchise information can support detailed game pages.
• Discovery features: Computer-vision-based similar-game recommendations and player activity data can add context beyond basic search.
• Entry-level API access: The free plan gives non-commercial projects up to 20,000 monthly requests without a subscription fee.

Cons

• Attribution is mandatory: Every page using data or images must link actively to RAWG, which may not suit products with strict branding requirements.
• Redistribution is restricted: The terms rule out resale or making the data available to other businesses, limiting data-provider use cases.
• Request caps remain on paid plans: Business allows up to 50,000 monthly requests; projects needing up to 1,000,000 must move to custom-priced Enterprise.
• Free use is bounded: The Free plan is non-commercial and capped at 20,000 monthly requests, making it unsuitable for many commercial launches.

Alternatives

Game Databases is the broader category to browse when RAWG’s API terms, pricing, or coverage do not match a project’s needs.

IGDB is worth comparing for developers seeking a free API: it offers free non-commercial use, while commercial use requires a partnership and user-facing attribution is expected. Its two listed API plans are both free.

LaunchBox is a different choice for people who want to import and play games rather than build against a data API. Its Windows Starter plan is free forever, and Regular is a one-time 30.00 USD purchase that includes a year.

BoardGameGeek is a free option for board-game-focused browsing and community access, rather than a video game API.

MobyGames is another web-based game database; its Moby+ plan includes ad-free browsing, expanded list results, full-resolution images, exports, and research tools.

The Visual Novel Database is a better-targeted API alternative for non-commercial visual-novel projects, with a free allowance of 200 requests per five minutes and execution-time limits.

RaiderZ Game Database is a free-to-play game database option for readers seeking that specific service.

Interactive Fiction Database is another free web and API option for interactive-fiction projects.

YGOPRODeck is a more specific free API alternative for projects focused on its card-game domain, with 20 requests per second and a one-hour access block for exceeding the limit.

Verdict

Choose RAWG if your project needs a broad video game catalog, detailed metadata, and game-discovery features through an API. The free tier gives non-commercial builders a credible starting point, and Business opens commercial use with added video and discovery capabilities. Look elsewhere if mandatory page-level attribution or the redistribution ban conflicts with your product, or if your expected traffic exceeds the paid tiers’ limits without a fit for Enterprise custom pricing.