# FreeToGame Scraper (`crawlerbros/freetogame-scraper`) Actor

Scrape FreeToGame.com - a comprehensive database of free-to-play PC and browser games. Browse all games, filter by genre (MMORPG, shooter, strategy, battle royale, etc.), platform, or fetch specific game details including system requirements and screenshots.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/freetogame-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community)
- **Categories:** Automation, Developer tools, Integrations
- **Stats:** 1 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $3.00 / 1,000 results

This Actor is paid per event and usage. You are charged both the fixed price for specific events and for Apify platform usage.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## FreeToGame Scraper

Scrape **FreeToGame** — a curated catalog of free-to-play PC and browser games. Browse the whole catalog, filter by any of 45 genres and by platform, or fetch specific titles by ID, and get the title, short and full descriptions, genre, publisher, developer, release date, thumbnail, screenshots, minimum system requirements, and the game's launch URL. HTTP-only via the public `freetogame.com` API. No auth, no proxy.

### What this actor does

- **Three modes:** `browse`, `byGenre`, `byGame`
- **45 genre filters:** from `mmorpg` and `battle-royale` to `low-spec` and `tower-defense`, all exposed as a dropdown
- **Platform + sort control:** PC, browser, or both; sort by popularity, release date, or alphabetically
- **Optional deep fetch:** `fetchDetails` adds full descriptions, screenshot galleries, and minimum system requirements
- **Empty fields are omitted**

### Output per game

- `gameId` — FreeToGame numeric ID
- `title`
- `shortDescription` — one-line summary (always present)
- `description` — full description (only with `fetchDetails`)
- `genre` — primary genre label
- `platform` — e.g. `PC (Windows)`, `Web Browser`
- `publisher`, `developer`
- `releaseDate`
- `status` — live / development status (only with `fetchDetails`)
- `thumbnailUrl` — cover art
- `screenshotUrls` — in-game screenshots (only with `fetchDetails`)
- `minimumSystemRequirements` — OS, processor, memory, graphics, storage (only with `fetchDetails`)
- `gameUrl` — publisher's play/download link
- `sourceUrl` — FreeToGame profile page
- `recordType: "game"`, `scrapedAt`

### Input

| Field | Type | Default | Description |
|---|---|---|---|
| `mode` | string | `browse` | `browse` / `byGenre` / `byGame` |
| `genre` | string | – | Genre slug, e.g. `mmorpg`, `shooter`, `battle-royale` (required for `byGenre`, optional filter for `browse`) |
| `platform` | string | `all` | `all` / `pc` / `browser` |
| `sortBy` | string | `popularity` | `popularity` / `release-date` / `alphabetical` / `relevance` |
| `gameId` | int | – | Single game ID to fetch (mode=byGame) |
| `gameIds` | array | – | Multiple game IDs to fetch (mode=byGame) |
| `fetchDetails` | bool | `false` | Fetch full description, screenshots, and system requirements per game |
| `maxItems` | int | `50` | Hard cap (1–1000) |

#### Example: most popular free games

```json
{
  "mode": "browse",
  "sortBy": "popularity",
  "maxItems": 100
}
```

#### Example: browser-based MMORPGs

```json
{
  "mode": "byGenre",
  "genre": "mmorpg",
  "platform": "browser",
  "sortBy": "release-date"
}
```

#### Example: low-spec shooters with system requirements

```json
{
  "mode": "byGenre",
  "genre": "low-spec",
  "platform": "pc",
  "fetchDetails": true,
  "maxItems": 30
}
```

#### Example: specific titles by ID

```json
{
  "mode": "byGame",
  "gameIds": [540, 452, 475],
  "fetchDetails": true
}
```

### Use cases

- **Gaming media & blogs** — auto-generate "best free games" roundups by genre and platform
- **Game discovery apps** — power a browsable free-to-play catalog with art and descriptions
- **Hardware matching** — filter titles by minimum system requirements for low-spec machines
- **Market research** — track how many free-to-play titles launch per genre over time
- **Publisher monitoring** — watch a developer's or publisher's free-to-play portfolio
- **Chatbots & recommenders** — ground game recommendations in a structured catalog

### FAQ

**What is FreeToGame?**  A curated directory of free-to-play PC and browser games with an open JSON API. See [freetogame.com](https://www.freetogame.com).

**Is this affiliated with FreeToGame?**  No. This is a third-party actor using their public API.

**Do I need an API key?**  No. The endpoints are open and unauthenticated.

**Is every game genuinely free?**  Yes — the catalog only includes free-to-play titles. Many still sell optional in-game purchases, which the catalog doesn't track.

**What does `fetchDetails` change?**  Without it, one request returns the whole list quickly with cover art and summaries. With it, each game costs an extra request but you also get the full description, screenshot gallery, live status, and minimum system requirements.

**Why does `sortBy: "relevance"` behave like no sorting?**  Relevance is only meaningful for keyword search upstream; for catalog browsing the API returns its default ordering.

**What's the difference between `gameUrl` and `sourceUrl`?**  `gameUrl` is the publisher's own play or download page; `sourceUrl` is the FreeToGame profile with the description and screenshots.

**Can a game have more than one genre?**  The catalog assigns one primary genre per game, which is what `genre` returns. Filtering by a genre slug uses FreeToGame's own broader category tagging, so results can include games whose primary genre label differs.

**How fresh is the data?**  Live — each run queries the API directly, so newly added titles appear as soon as FreeToGame lists them.

# Actor input Schema

## `mode` (type: `string`):

What to fetch.

## `genre` (type: `string`):

Filter by genre (mode=browse or byGenre).

## `platform` (type: `string`):

Filter by platform.

## `sortBy` (type: `string`):

How to sort results.

## `gameId` (type: `integer`):

Specific game ID to fetch (mode=byGame).

## `gameIds` (type: `array`):

Multiple game IDs to fetch (mode=byGame).

## `fetchDetails` (type: `boolean`):

If true, fetches each game's full details (screenshots, system requirements). Slower but richer data.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Maximum number of games to emit.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "browse",
  "platform": "all",
  "sortBy": "popularity",
  "gameIds": [],
  "fetchDetails": false,
  "maxItems": 50
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `items` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all scraped records.

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "mode": "browse",
    "platform": "all",
    "sortBy": "popularity",
    "fetchDetails": false,
    "maxItems": 50
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("crawlerbros/freetogame-scraper").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "mode": "browse",
    "platform": "all",
    "sortBy": "popularity",
    "fetchDetails": False,
    "maxItems": 50,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("crawlerbros/freetogame-scraper").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "mode": "browse",
  "platform": "all",
  "sortBy": "popularity",
  "fetchDetails": false,
  "maxItems": 50
}' |
apify call crawlerbros/freetogame-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,crawlerbros/freetogame-scraper"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/Oa1NAkfUavt0cIQNX/builds/WsypcOhXVGggizDLv/openapi.json