Looking to Build an Interactive Story? These Tools Let You Create Branching Narratives Without Limits.
The rise of interactive fiction and non-linear storytelling has opened the door for creators of all backgrounds to craft immersive experiences. Whether you’re building a fantasy epic, a romance visual novel, or a sci-fi mystery, choose-your-own-adventure (CYOA) tools help bring those stories to life.
Below are some of the top platforms available in 2025 for designing branching narratives, including free no-code options and powerful engines for experienced developers.
Twine
Best for: Beginners and writers
Platform: Web
Pricing: Free and open-source
Twine is a beloved classic in the interactive fiction community. It uses a simple visual interface and link-based scripting that allows you to connect passages like web pages. While it’s beginner-friendly, it also supports advanced logic for more dynamic narratives using variables and JavaScript.
Ink by Inkle
Best for: Writers who like code-lite scripting
Platform: Desktop, Unity
Pricing: Free
Ink is a scripting language designed for writing interactive dialogue and story logic, used in titles like 80 Days and Heaven’s Vault. It’s great for developers and writers who want more control over narrative structure while keeping syntax clean and readable.
RenPy
Best for: Visual novel developers
Platform: Desktop
Pricing: Free and open-source
RenPy is a visual novel engine that combines Python scripting with easy asset management for text, characters, backgrounds, and animations. It’s ideal for visual storytelling with branching dialogue paths and multimedia elements, though it requires more setup and scripting knowledge.
CoNexus
Best for: Creating and playing interactive story games online
Platform: Web, optionally downloadable (PWA)
Pricing: Free
CoNexus is a web-based platform that blends choose-your-own-adventure storytelling with AI-generated content, visuals, and voice narration. It allows creators to design branching stories without code, and lets users customize tone, pacing, language, and visual style. Unlike traditional tools, CoNexus stories are replayable and reactive, with each choice reshaping the outcome. CoNexus can also be installed as a progressive web app (PWA), giving users the option to download it like a native app. It’s designed for both casual storytellers and creators building immersive, modular story worlds.
StoryLoom
Best for: Mobile-first creators
Platform: Web
Pricing: Free with paid features
StoryLoom is a sleek, no-code platform that lets users publish short branching stories with simple formatting, character art, and visual backgrounds. It's user-friendly and great for creators looking to publish episodic story content quickly.
ChoiceScript
Best for: Writers comfortable with scripting
Platform: Desktop
Pricing: Free and open-source
Developed by Choice of Games, ChoiceScript lets you create text-based games with stats and conditional logic. It’s powerful for traditional interactive fiction creators who want full control over player variables and outcomes.
Final Thoughts
Choosing the right CYOA tool depends on your goals.
- If you want full creative control and scripting power, try Ink or ChoiceScript.
- If you're focused on visual novels, go for RenPy.
- If you want a modern, no-code experience with built-in replayability, AI-generated visuals, and flexible customization, explore CoNexus.
The future of storytelling is interactive — and these tools are making it more accessible than ever.