Guidelines Patch Notes

This page contains information about updated and improved contribution guidelines.

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[2024]

2024-11-25

• Updated the How IGDB Works page to reflect the change in wait time for validation of contributions.

2024-11-22

• Updated the "How long does it take for my contribution to get accepted?" section in the FAQ to reflect our new priority system.

2024-10-09

• Updated Release Date guidelines to add "Advanced Access" release date status.
• Updated Content not allowed guidelines to add guidelines around bad faith use of existing intellectual property.

2024-10-07

• Updated Blockchain guidelines to note that we require a whitepaper.

2024-07-26

• Added Event guidelines to provide a better understand of what events we support.

2024-06-20

• We updated our Adult Games page to add a section covering non-erotic games with nudity.

2024-05-28

• We updated our Frequently Asked Questions regarding our SLA and shifting to a priority system.

2024-04-12

• We added a new section under Content not allowed regarding games inside of other games.

2024-04-08

• We added a new page for guidelines around Non-Game Software that we accept, as well as our Content not allowed page to mention this guidelines in the Games without gameplay section.

2024-04-01

• We updated our [Release Date] page to remove outdated guidelines, as well as to discourage users from removing older release dates when a game's status changes.

2024-03-07

• We updated our [Content not allowed] page to allow for simulators requiring specialized expensive equipment as long as they have significant gameplay.

• We updated our [Cover] page to disallow submitting portraits of developers as game covers.

• We updated our [Status] page to clarify requirements around Cancelled games.

2024-02-22

• We updated our [Adult Games] page to remove the need around keywords for games already having the "Erotic" theme and made some additional small changes to avoid any confusion.

2024-01-18

• We updated the following pages with our new SLA: [How IGDB Works], [FAQ], [IGDBのローカライズガイドライン ], [Add a user review ].

2024-01-08

• We updated our [Edition] page to remove "Definitive Edition" in our examples, as several games with "Definitive Edition" in the title do not fit as proper editions in IGDB.

[2023]

2023-12-15

• We updated our [Description] page to make it clear that we do not allow for any call to action in the field.

2023-11-16

• We updated our [Websites] page to make it clear what we are looking for in each field specifically around "community wiki", "twitch" and "youtube".

2023-10-16

• We updated our [Series, Spin-off, & Franchise] page to make it clear which game types should not be added to series on IGDB.

2023-09-26

• Updated the Series & Franchise page with guidelines around the new features for being able to track multiple series on a game, as well as being able to track spin-offs.

2023-08-29

• Updated the Screenshots to reflect the current limit of 20 screenshots per game page.

2023-08-15

• We revised our alternative title guidelines, adding additional information around Japanese/Korean Original and European titles. The update can be found at the top of the Alternative Title page.

2023-07-25

• We updated the name and wording of the Rumored/Unreleased page to Rumored/Unannounced and added a note specifying that developers adding their own upcoming game should not use the rumored status to alleviate confusion.
• We updated the formatting of our guidelines on the Status page to be easier to read.

2023-07-20

• We updated our guidelines on the Expanded Game type to be more clear around edge cases.

2023-07-19

• We added a section about 'Arcade Covers', which can be found on our Cover page.

2023-03-17

• We added a section about 'Titles containing foreign words and letters' (with additional examples), which can be found on our Title page.

2023-01-25

• We updated our guidelines for Ports (with additional examples), which can be found under General/Types page.

2023-01-18

• More information about spelling for Disney and Pixar titles can now be found under the Edge Cases section of our Title page.

2023-01-13

• Content not Allowed has been updated with information about Websites/Services with mini-games and Streamer Categories.
• The "Bundle" section of the Game Types page now includes information about store-specific bundles.
• Our Title page has been updated to include edge cases, specifically title variations. This section will be regularly updated as new edge cases are discovered.