RAWG.io

Overview

RAWG is the largest open video-game database — 500,000+ games with rich metadata: descriptions, screenshots, ratings, release dates, platforms, genres, stores, and more. Its API is a solid choice for game discovery apps, backlog trackers, and gaming dashboards.

Quick Start

List games (replace YOUR_KEY):

curl "https://api.rawg.io/api/games?key=YOUR_KEY&page_size=10"

Game details by slug or ID:

curl "https://api.rawg.io/api/games/red-dead-redemption-2?key=YOUR_KEY"

Search:

curl "https://api.rawg.io/api/games?key=YOUR_KEY&search=zelda"

Genres / platforms / stores (for filter UIs):

curl "https://api.rawg.io/api/genres?key=YOUR_KEY"
curl "https://api.rawg.io/api/platforms?key=YOUR_KEY"

Authentication

• Register at rawg.io/apidocs for a free API key.
• Send it as the key query parameter (an invalid key returns 401 — verified).

Rate Limits & Notes

• Free tier: 20,000 requests/month (about 28/hour sustained) — generous for hobby projects.
• Games are keyed by stable slug or numeric ID (/api/games/{slug}).
• Rich fields: background_image, metacritic, rating, released, platforms, genres, stores, screenshots (via /api/games/{id}/screenshots).
• Data is community-curated — release dates and ratings can lag or differ from official sources.

FAQ

Is RAWG free? Free tier: 20,000 requests/month — one of the more generous gaming APIs.

How do I get a key? Register at rawg.io/apidocs.

What can I build with it? Discovery feeds, backlog/collection trackers, “random game” pickers, and gaming dashboards.