# Video Game Database Scraper (`crawlerbros/mobygames-scraper`) Actor

Search and explore structured video game metadata from Wikidata, 500K+ games with developer, publisher, platform, genre, release year, and description data. No API key needed.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/crawlerbros/mobygames-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Crawler Bros](https://apify.com/crawlerbros) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Automation, Other
- **Stats:** 4 total users, 0 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: 5.00 out of 5 stars

## 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

## Video Game Database Scraper

Explore a comprehensive video game knowledge base with **500,000+ games** across hundreds of platforms. Extract game titles, genres, developer and publisher details, platform availability, release years, and descriptions — all sourced from **Wikidata**, the world's largest open knowledge base, with no API key required.

### What you get

- **Game search** — find games by title with full metadata including genres, platforms, developers, and release year
- **Game details** — complete game profiles for a specific Wikidata game entity
- **Platform browse** — discover games released on a specific platform
- **Recent releases** — track newly added or updated games sorted by publication date

### Modes

| Mode | Description |
|------|-------------|
| `searchGames` | Search for games by title |
| `gameDetails` | Full game profile for a specific Wikidata game ID |
| `byPlatform` | Browse games for a specific platform |
| `recentReleases` | Get recently published games |

### Example inputs

**Search for Mario games:**

```json
{
  "mode": "searchGames",
  "query": "mario",
  "maxItems": 10
}
```

**Get detailed info for a specific game (Super Mario Bros.):**

```json
{
  "mode": "gameDetails",
  "wikidataId": "Q1075592",
  "maxItems": 1
}
```

**Browse Nintendo Switch games:**

```json
{
  "mode": "byPlatform",
  "platform": "Nintendo Switch",
  "maxItems": 20
}
```

**Search with filters:**

```json
{
  "mode": "searchGames",
  "query": "zelda",
  "platform": "Nintendo Switch",
  "genre": "action-adventure game",
  "fromYear": 2017,
  "toYear": 2024,
  "maxItems": 20
}
```

**Recent releases:**

```json
{
  "mode": "recentReleases",
  "maxItems": 20
}
```

### Output fields

| Field | Type | Description |
|-------|------|-------------|
| `recordType` | string | Always `"game"` |
| `wikidataId` | string | Wikidata Q-identifier (e.g. `Q1075592`) |
| `wikidataUrl` | string | Direct link to the Wikidata game page |
| `title` | string | Game title |
| `description` | string | Short editorial description |
| `releaseYear` | integer | Year of initial release |
| `developer` | string | Primary developer |
| `developers` | array | All known developers |
| `publisher` | string | Primary publisher |
| `publishers` | array | All known publishers |
| `platforms` | array | Platforms the game was released on |
| `initialPlatform` | string | First listed platform |
| `genres` | array | Game genres (e.g. `["platform game", "action game"]`) |
| `officialWebsite` | string | Official game website URL |
| `coverImageUrl` | string | Cover or promotional image URL |
| `scrapedAt` | string | ISO timestamp of scrape |

### Supported platforms

| Value | Platform |
|-------|----------|
| `Windows` | Windows PC |
| `PlayStation 4` | PlayStation 4 |
| `PlayStation 5` | PlayStation 5 |
| `Xbox One` | Xbox One |
| `Xbox Series X` | Xbox Series X/S |
| `Nintendo Switch` | Nintendo Switch |
| `iOS` | iPhone / iOS |
| `Android` | Android |
| `PlayStation 3` | PlayStation 3 |
| `Xbox 360` | Xbox 360 |
| `PlayStation 2` | PlayStation 2 |
| `Wii` | Wii |
| `Wii U` | Wii U |
| `Game Boy Advance` | Game Boy Advance |
| `Super Nintendo Entertainment System` | SNES |
| `Sega Genesis` | Sega Genesis / Mega Drive |
| `Nintendo 64` | Nintendo 64 |
| `Xbox` | Xbox (Original) |
| `PlayStation` | PlayStation (PSX) |
| `DOS` | DOS |
| `Amiga` | Amiga |
| `Atari 2600` | Atari 2600 |
| `Nintendo Entertainment System` | NES |

### Supported genres

Action, Adventure, Role-Playing (RPG), Strategy, Simulation, Sports, Racing, Puzzle, Platform, First-Person Shooter, Action-Adventure, Fighting, Shoot 'em Up

### Use cases

- **Game databases** — build or enrich video game catalogues with comprehensive metadata
- **Gaming journalism** — research game histories, developer portfolios, and platform catalogs
- **Retro game discovery** — explore classic games by platform and genre
- **Game recommendation engines** — use genre, release year, and platform data to power recommendations
- **Academic research** — study game industry trends and platform histories
- **Data science** — analyse gaming metadata at scale from an openly licensed dataset

### FAQ

**Does this require an API key?**
No. This actor queries the Wikidata SPARQL endpoint (`query.wikidata.org`) which is freely accessible without authentication or registration.

**How many games does Wikidata cover?**
Wikidata contains data on over 500,000 video games spanning all platforms and eras, from classic arcade and Atari titles to the latest PS5 and Xbox Series releases.

**How do I find a specific game's Wikidata ID?**
Search for the game at [wikidata.org](https://www.wikidata.org) and copy the Q-number from the URL. For example, Super Mario Bros. is `Q1075592` at `https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1075592`.

**Can I filter by both platform and genre simultaneously?**
Yes — combine `platform`, `genre`, `fromYear`, and `toYear` in `searchGames` mode to narrow results across multiple axes.

**What is the data source?**
All data is sourced from Wikidata, a free and openly licensed knowledge base operated by the Wikimedia Foundation. It aggregates structured data from Wikipedia and other sources, covering game metadata in structured form.

**Are cover images always available?**
Cover images come from Wikimedia Commons via Wikidata's `image` property (P18). Not all games have an image on Wikidata, so `coverImageUrl` may be absent for less well-documented titles.

# Actor input Schema

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

Select what to scrape.

## `query` (type: `string`):

Game title to search for. Used in searchGames mode. Examples: 'mario', 'zelda', 'final fantasy'.

## `wikidataId` (type: `string`):

Wikidata Q-identifier for a specific game (e.g. Q1075592 for Super Mario Bros.). Used in gameDetails mode.

## `gameUrl` (type: `string`):

Full Wikidata URL for a specific game, e.g. https://www.wikidata.org/wiki/Q1075592. Used in gameDetails mode when wikidataId is not provided.

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

Filter results by gaming platform. Used in searchGames, byPlatform, and recentReleases modes.

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

Filter results by game genre. Used in searchGames and recentReleases modes.

## `fromYear` (type: `integer`):

Only include games released from this year onwards.

## `toYear` (type: `integer`):

Only include games released up to and including this year.

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

Maximum number of game records to emit.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "mode": "searchGames",
  "query": "mario",
  "maxItems": 20
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `games` (type: `string`):

Dataset containing all scraped video game 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": "searchGames",
    "query": "mario",
    "maxItems": 20
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("crawlerbros/mobygames-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": "searchGames",
    "query": "mario",
    "maxItems": 20,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("crawlerbros/mobygames-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": "searchGames",
  "query": "mario",
  "maxItems": 20
}' |
apify call crawlerbros/mobygames-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,crawlerbros/mobygames-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/fo48x8upPmahKOZwP/builds/7T2oloBkJlkjOAAyY/openapi.json