Speedrun MCP vs Thegamesdb
A side-by-side look at the Speedrun MCP 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 Speedrun MCP for gaming work; 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 Speedrun MCP when
- You need dedicated capabilities in the Gaming domain.
- You have the keys it needs:
SPEEDRUN_API_KEY, SPEEDRUN_ENABLE_WRITES. - You want tools like
search_games, get_game, list_categories.
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 | 45/100 · Fair | 51/100 · Good |
| Install command | Not confirmed yet | Confirmed |
| Transport | — | Local subprocess (stdio) |
| Auth | Not declared | Not declared |
| Pricing | Not declared | Not declared |
| Required env vars | SPEEDRUN_API_KEYSPEEDRUN_ENABLE_WRITES | 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 | 17 | 4 |
| Full listing | View Speedrun MCP | View Thegamesdb |
Tools & capabilities
Speedrun MCP tools 17
search_gamesFuzzy-search games by name → ids & abbreviationsget_gameA game's details plus its categories (and optionally levels)list_categoriesA game's categories (`Any%`, `120 Star`, …) with ruleslist_variablesSubcategory/filter variables and their value idslist_platformsPlatform / region ids for the `platform`/`region` leaderboard filtersget_leaderboardA ranked leaderboard (top N; filter by variable / platform / region / timing)get_world_recordThe current #1 run for a game/category, plus any runs tied for firstget_game_recordsEvery category's records for a game in one call (defaults to world records)search_seriesFuzzy-search game series (e.g. `Mario`, `Zelda`)get_seriesA series' details and the games it containssearch_usersFind players by username (partial, fuzzy match)get_user_personal_bestsA player's PBs across all games- +5 more on the listing page
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.
Speedrun MCP
No confirmed install command for Speedrun MCP yet — follow the setup steps linked from its listing page rather than a guessed package name.
Thegamesdb
{
"mcpServers": {
"thegamesdb": {
"command": "npx",
"args": [
"-y",
"@pipeworx/mcp-thegamesdb"
]
}
}
}
Frequently asked questions
Speedrun MCP is categorized under Gaming and uses an install path we have not confirmed yet. Thegamesdb belongs to Gaming and uses a local stdio subprocess. Pick Speedrun MCP 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. Speedrun MCP has no confirmed install command yet — follow its own setup instructions.
Speedrun MCP 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 speedrun-mcp and thegamesdb as separate keys in the same mcpServers object, and your assistant will call tools from either one.
On AllMCPs, Speedrun MCP has a quality signal of 45/100 (Fair) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars. Thegamesdb has 51/100 (Good) with 0 views, 0 installs and 0 GitHub stars.