# MobyGames MCP

> MobyGames MCP Server connects your AI client to a database of over 100,000 video games. Use it to search by title, platform, genre, or developer. Get detailed records, including MobyScores, full game credits, and historical franchise information.

## Overview
- **Category:** content-management
- **Price:** Free
- **Tags:** video-games, metadata, developer-credits, game-database, platform-info, gaming-industry

## Description

Yo, check this out: The MobyGames MCP Server plugs your AI client straight into a massive database—we're talking over 100,000 video games. You use it to dig up game data by just asking questions.

**Search and Filter Games:**
If you need to find a specific title, you can run `search_games` using the game name, platform, genre, or developer's handle; that pulls back titles, years, scores, and basic info. You don't wanna guess what categories exist? Run `get_genres` for every defined video game genre available to filter your searches, or use `get_platforms` to get a full rundown of consoles, PCs, and whatever else counts as a platform.

**Core Game Data Retrieval:**
You can run `get_game_by_id` with any specific game ID; that pulls every piece of core metadata available for that title—you'll get platforms, genres, scores, descriptions, and even credit data. To analyze developer history or company output, you use `get_developers` to search individual studios by name, which gives you their profile details and the total count of games they produced; similarly, you run `get_companies` to find publishers by name, getting their profile info and how many games they put out.

**Deep Dive: Credits and Roles:**
To see who actually built a game, you use `get_game_credits` on a single game ID. That lists everyone involved—from the lead programmer to the concept artist—and specifies their exact role or department. You can also check for specialized features by running `get_attributes`, which retrieves all available special attributes (like 'Open world' or 'Multiplayer') and gives you their corresponding IDs.

**Franchise Mapping:**
Need to track a series? Run `get_game_groups` first; that lists every major franchise group by name, giving you the total game count and a summary for each. Then, use `get_game_group` on a specific series ID to get its detailed description and a list of all games contained within it.

**Review Scores:**
If you need external feedback, call `get_reviews` with a game ID; that pulls the review scores, names of the reviewers, and publication details for that title. It's everything you need to know about the game's history.

## Tools

### get_attributes
Retrieves the available special attributes for games (like 'Open world' or 'Multiplayer') and their corresponding IDs.

### get_companies
Searches for game publishers and companies, returning their name, profile info, and how many games they published.

### get_developers
Searches for individual game developers or studios by name, providing their profile details and total game count.

### get_game_by_id
Pulls every piece of core data for a specific game ID: platforms, genres, scores, descriptions, and credits.

### get_game_credits
Lists all people who worked on a single game, detailing their exact roles (e.g., 'Artist', 'Programmer') and departments.

### get_game_group
Provides details for a specific series or franchise group, including its description and list of contained games.

### get_game_groups
Lists all available game groups (franchises) by name, giving their game count and summary.

### get_genres
Returns a list of every defined video game genre that can be used to filter searches.

### get_platforms
Provides a comprehensive list of all gaming platforms (consoles, PCs, etc.) for filtering purposes.

### get_reviews
Fetches review scores, reviewer names, and publication data for a specific game ID.

### search_games
Searches the entire database using title, platform, genre, or developer name to get titles, years, scores, and basic info.

## Prompt Examples

**Prompt:** 
```
Search for The Legend of Zelda games.
```

**Response:** 
```
Found 30+ Legend of Zelda games including: Breath of the Wild (2017, Switch, MobyScore 4.6), Ocarina of Time (1998, N64, MobyScore 4.7), Tears of the Kingdom (2023, Switch, MobyScore 4.5), and many classic entries.
```

**Prompt:** 
```
Show me games developed by FromSoftware.
```

**Response:** 
```
Found 40+ FromSoftware games including: Elden Ring (2022, MobyScore 4.6), Dark Souls series, Sekiro (2019), Bloodborne (2015), Armored Core series. Each with platforms, release dates and scores.
```

**Prompt:** 
```
What RPGs are available for Nintendo Switch?
```

**Response:** 
```
Found 200+ RPGs for Nintendo Switch including: Xenoblade Chronicles 3 (2022, MobyScore 4.4), Fire Emblem: Three Houses (2019, 4.3), Octopath Traveler (2018, 4.2), Pokémon Scarlet/Violet (2022), and many more.
```

## Capabilities

### Search and filter games
Find specific video game titles by combining criteria like platform, genre, developer, and title name.

### Retrieve full game records
Pull all available metadata for a single game ID, including scores, descriptions, publishers, and cover art data.

### Map development lineages
List specific developers or companies to find out what other games they produced. This works whether you search by name or need a list of all possible genres/platforms.

### Access game credits and roles
Identify every person who worked on a game—from the lead programmer to the concept artist—and what their specific role was.

### Analyze franchise data
Get details about established series or franchises, listing all games that belong to a specific group.

## Use Cases

### Comparing franchise evolution.
A researcher wants to know how the 'Zelda' series changed its focus. They ask their agent to run `get_game_groups` for Zelda, then use `get_game_by_id` on three key titles (Ocarina of Time, Breath of the Wild, Tears of the Kingdom). The agent compiles a side-by-side comparison of genre tags and primary developers.

### Verifying developer influence.
A journalist is writing about FromSoftware. They ask their agent to run `get_developers` for 'FromSoftware'. The resulting list allows the agent to then execute multiple calls to `get_game_by_id` on all listed titles, providing a comprehensive portfolio overview.

### Finding niche genre examples.
A student needs 10 examples of 'Survival Horror' games available on the PS2. They prompt their agent to use `get_genres` first, then pipe that result into `search_games`, filtering by both the platform and the specific genre tag.

### Auditing game completeness.
A PM needs to know what platforms a particular niche title was available on. They use `get_game_by_id` for the target game, which pulls all associated platform IDs and lists them out, confirming cross-platform availability.

## Benefits

- Stop guessing on scores. Use `get_reviews` to access aggregated critic and user review data for any title, giving you immediate quality metrics.
- Track development history easily. Run `get_game_groups` to see every entry in a franchise, or use `get_developers` to map out an entire studio's body of work.
- Filter by everything that matters. Use `search_games` combined with `get_platforms` and `get_genres` to narrow down results far faster than manual browsing.
- Never lose track of who did what. Running `get_game_credits` instantly lists all contributors, specifying their exact role (e.g., 'Sound Designer' vs. 'Composer').
- Build a comprehensive data profile. The `get_game_by_id` tool gathers core info—release dates, descriptions, scores—all in one shot, eliminating multiple manual checks.

## How It Works

The bottom line is: you don't have to jump between developer docs, genre lists, and game detail pages. You just ask your AI client one thing, and it handles the complex data retrieval for you.

1. Subscribe to the server and input your MobyGames API Key.
2. Direct your AI client (e.g., Cursor) to use the MobyGames tools.
3. Ask a complex question, like 'Show me all RPGs for N64 developed by Nintendo.' The agent then runs multiple tools in sequence and returns one unified answer.

## Frequently Asked Questions

**How do I find every game by a specific developer using get_developers?**
Run `get_developers` first to verify the studio name. Then, use that exact name as a filter input in `search_games`. This limits your search space and gives you a clean list of titles.

**What is the difference between get_game_groups and get_game_by_id?**
`get_game_groups` lists all available franchises (like 'Mario' or 'Final Fantasy'). `get_game_by_id` takes a single game ID from one of those groups and pulls *all* the detailed metadata for just that title.

**Can I search across multiple genres with search_games?**
Yes. The `search_games` tool supports filtering by multiple criteria at once. Just list them out: 'Show me multiplayer RPGs on PC.' It handles the combined logic for you.

**Do I need to know the ID before I can use get_game_credits?**
Yep. All specific detail tools, including `get_game_credits` and `get_game_by_id`, require a valid MobyGames ID as input. You usually find that ID first using `search_games`.

**What do I need to authenticate when using search_games?**
You must provide a MobyGames API Key. You obtain this key through free registration on the site. Your AI client sends this key with every request, which authorizes access and tracks your usage.

**What happens when I use get_game_by_id with an invalid ID?**
The tool will fail and return a clear error message detailing the problem. You must verify that the MobyGames ID you provide matches the expected format before calling the function.

**Are there rate limits when I call get_reviews frequently?**
Yes, standard API rate limits apply to prevent overuse. If you exceed these limits, your AI client will receive an appropriate error code; simply wait a short period and retry the request.

**How do I use the data from get_platforms in my queries?**
You must pass the specific platform ID or name returned by `get_platforms` directly into your filtering parameters. This guarantees that search functions only return games available on that exact system.

**How do I get a MobyGames API key?**
Visit [**mobygames.com/info/api**](https://www.mobygames.com/info/api/) and register for a free API key. Free tier includes 3,600 requests/day (1 every 24 seconds).

**What is MobyScore?**
MobyScore is MobyGames' user rating system (0-5 scale). It's calculated from user reviews and represents the overall quality of a game as rated by the community.

**Can I search games by platform?**
Yes! Use search_games with the platform parameter. First use get_platforms to discover valid platform names (e.g. "Windows", "PlayStation 5", "Nintendo Switch", "Xbox Series").