Rawg vs Thegamesdb
A side-by-side look at the Rawg and Thegamesdb MCP servers: transport, auth, tools, quality signals, and the config to install either one in Claude, Cursor, Windsurf or VS Code.
Verdict: choose Rawg for gaming work as a local process; choose Thegamesdb for gaming as a local process. You can also run both side by side in one mcpServers block.
Which MCP server should you choose?
Choose Rawg when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Gaming domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search_games, get_game, list_genres.
Choose Thegamesdb when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Gaming domain.
- You prefer a local stdio subprocess transport.
- You want tools like
search_games, get_game, list_platforms.
Feature & specification comparison
Rows where the two servers differ are marked.
| Spec | ||
|---|---|---|
| Category | Gaming | Gaming |
| Quality signal | 52/100 · Good | 51/100 · Good |
| Install command | Confirmed | Confirmed |
| Transport | Local subprocess (stdio) | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | None listed | None listed |
| Verified owner | Community listing | Community listing |
| GitHub stars | 0 | 0 |
| Directory activity | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes | 0 views 0 installs 0 upvotes |
| Tools | 4 | 4 |
| Full listing | View Rawg | View Thegamesdb |
Tools & capabilities
Rawg tools 4
search_gamesSearch the RAWG video game database by name, genre, or platform. Returns games with ratings, Metacritic scores, release dates, platforms, and genres. Example: search_games({ query: "zelda", ordering: "-metacritic" })get_gameGet full details for a single video game: description, ratings, Metacritic score, platforms, genres, developers, publishers, ESRB rating, and playtime. Example: get_game({ id: "the-witcher-3-wild-hunt" })list_genresList all video game genres in the RAWG database, with game counts per genre (e.g. Action, RPG, Indie, Strategy).list_platformsList all gaming platforms in the RAWG database, with game counts per platform (e.g. PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X, Nintendo Switch).
Thegamesdb tools 4
search_gamesSearch the TheGamesDB video-game database by title. Returns matching games with platform name, release date, players, rating, and a short overview. Example: search_games({ name: "zelda", limit: 10 })get_gameGet full metadata for a single game by its TheGamesDB id, including the front boxart image URL. Example: get_game({ id: 108139 })list_platformsList all gaming platforms known to TheGamesDB (id, name, alias). Useful for resolving platform ids. Example: list_platforms({})list_genresList all game genres known to TheGamesDB (id, name). Useful for resolving genre ids. Example: list_genres({})
Ready-to-paste client configs
Paste either block (or both) into your client config, e.g. claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json. We only show a config when the install command is confirmed.
Rawg
{
"mcpServers": {
"rawg": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-rawg"
]
}
}
}
Thegamesdb
{
"mcpServers": {
"thegamesdb": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-thegamesdb"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Rawg is categorized under Gaming and uses a local stdio subprocess. Thegamesdb belongs to Gaming and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Rawg for gaming work and Thegamesdb for gaming.
Copy the mcpServers block from the config section on this page into your client's config (for example claude_desktop_config.json or ~/.cursor/mcp.json), then fully restart the client.
Rawg has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. Thegamesdb has no declared pricing — check the project's own site. If a server needs environment variables such as API keys, define them under the env key in your client's MCP config.
Yes. MCP clients support multiple servers: add rawg and thegamesdb as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Rawg has a quality signal of 52/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Thegamesdb has 51/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.