Interactive Fiction Database vs NostalgiaDB

Interactive Fiction Database (IFDB) is a free community catalog that helps players find interactive fiction games and decide what to play. Members can add and edit listings, search by title, author, or description, and narrow results with filters for genre, language, authoring system, format, rating, and publication date. Discovery tools include personalized recommendations, lists, polls, reviews, ratings, competitions, and member profiles. For supported titles, a Play Online option opens a game in a browser without an interpreter download; IFDB catalogs game information rather than hosting the games. Developers can use HTTP APIs that return JSON to search, retrieve listings, edit tags, or publish iFiction XML. Those APIs are intended for low-volume, user-driven applications, not frequent crawling or high-load mirroring. Full SQL exports excluding personal information are available through the IF Archive and updated roughly quarterly. IFDB also has web access and supports Z-machine, TADS, Hugo, and executable applications. It is maintained by the Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation and funded by supporter donations.

NostalgiaDB is a free metadata database for retro game releases spanning 1977–2005. Its archive covers titles, platforms, release dates, ratings, cover art, and descriptions across 45 gaming platforms. Natural-language search helps locate games, while a GraphQL API provides access to releases, ROMs, systems, reviews, and media; API queries require a key and are limited to six levels of depth. Free SQLite database archives can be downloaded with a free registered account, and their presigned URLs remain valid for 15 minutes. Registered members can use the browser-based Play portal to run their own locally stored ROM files in a client-side emulator sandbox. Play requires a Chromium-based browser such as Chrome, Edge, Brave, or Opera. The portal says game files are read from the user’s device and are not uploaded or transmitted to Nostalgia Lab servers. Centralized sign-in supports Google, Microsoft, and Discord. Nostalgia Lab describes the platform as a non-profit preservation project funded by voluntary donations and serving researchers, historians, developers, and enthusiasts. It says it does not sell user data, serve targeted ads, or store payment information.