Electronic Literature Collection
New Media Writing Prize (open "archive" to see all works)
Itch.io (home page)
Itch.io (Twine Games)
Itch.io (The Bitsy Essay Jam)
National Film Board of Canada Interactive
The New River Journal (open "archive" to see past works)
The interactive fiction competition

Your task is help build our list of works, including hyperlinks, brief summaries, stars, and tags. As our list grows, we can begin to organize the material differently.

Here's an example:

A Vast and Lonely Desert by Gavin G. See
In this minimalist Bitsy game, we travel through vast, empty spaces of the desert with a friend making our way through the desert toward a campfire and star gazing. The work is about friendship, grief, and poetry with a western vibe. It's sparse and powerfully moving precisely because of its sparseness.
Info:  made in 2020; serious game; authoring tool: Bitsy; on the Electronic Literature Collection, vol 4 and itch.io
tags: spatiality, navigation, orientation, friendship, loss, LGBTQ
[entry posted by k.kelly]
____________________________________

How I Remember The Very Last Night I Spent in Ethelred Estate by Kai DeJesus

In this game you play as a wealthy young woman trying to recall the mysterious events surrounding her final night at her family’s ancestral manor. You uncover the secrets of her family and the decisions leading to the present as you choose words to advance the narrative. It is a work about grief, family, inheritance, miscarridge, and trauma. 

Info:  Made in 2026, made with Texture, interactive fiction, short narrative game, 2026 interactive fiction competition

Tags: choice-based, grief, serious game, mystery, emotion, gothic
[Ryn Fraser]

 

Thirst for blood by Zeno Pillan

In this game, you play as a mosquito entering a small room and exploring it while on the hunt for blood to feed your eggs. You navigate the room by typing either a direction you wanna move in or an object you want to examine, which is reminiscent of old text-based adventure games. You are invited to explore each area and try to discover hidden secrets to gain points. It is a game about exploration and curiosity. 

Info: Made in 2026, interactive fiction, short narrative game, 2026 interactive fiction competition, parser-based game, made with Glulx

Tags: parser-based game, curiosity, adventure, exploration, unserious game
[Ryn Fraser]

Today I Will Fly  by Selma Victoria Fyllingsnes
In this game, you play as a young woman who seems to be going through some sort of depressive episode.  You watch her struggle to balance her creativity, motivation, and socialization with a combination of text and visuals.  The game’s choices and artwork are abstract at times, contributing to the mysterious nature of the main character and her situation.
Info:  made in 2025; made with Twine; Winner of New Media Writing Prize; text-based narrative
tags: depression, loneliness, hand-drawn, choices, family, friendship
[entry posted by Jessica Barnard]

a man outside by litrouke
In this game, you cycle between using a study app, observing a creepy man outside, and texting your friend for comfort.  The game messes with your screen and utilizes unnerving audio to immerse the player in a sense of fear.  The uncertain ending adds to this creepiness.  
Info: made in 2021; made with HTML5; interactive fiction; text-based narrative
Tags: atmospheric, horror, multiple endings, dark
[entry posted by Jessica Barnard]

Eulogy by doppie
In this game, you explore the childhood home of Ashley. Playing from the perspective of Ashley’s sister, the player interacts with different objects around the house and explores Ashley’s memories. The work explores grief and mental health by examining how the small things we see everyday can represent little parts of ourselves
Info: Made in 2026; serious game; authoring tool: Godot; on itch.io. 
Tags: Grief, Mental Health, 2D, Point & Click, Singleplayer
[entry posted by Devamayi Nair]

Orunge by Jennifer Reuter and Jessica Moore
In this light-hearted narrative game, the player is given the role of a young girl rushing through a busy marketplace and looking to buy some oranges for someone. As she travels through crowded streets, the game captures the sense of being lost while on a time crunch. Beneath the mystery of her journey lies a wholesome story about connection and the simple act of helping someone.
Info: made in 2019; interactive fiction/slice-of-life game; authoring tool: Twine (with illustrations created in Krita); platform: HTML5; available on itch.io
Tags: child, cute, girl, narrative, Singleplayer, slice of life, storyboard, Twine
[entry posted by Madison Lee]

Your Phone Dies in 20 Seconds by Crimson Arcade
In this interactive game, the player walks home from work while being followed, with only 20 seconds of phone battery remaining. They must decide whom to contact for help before their phone dies. The work explores fear, vulnerability, and the urgency of making split-second decisions in a risky situation. Its short time limit creates suspense and leaves the player to wonder whether 20 seconds is enough time to save our lives.
Info: made in 2020; interactive fiction/survival horror game; authoring tool: Twine; platform: HTML5; available on itch.io.
Tags: criminals, horror, stalking, thriller, realism, suspense, short
[entry posted by Madison Lee]

On Spotify, music-as-a-service, and losing a favourite song by George Larkwright
In this Bitsy game, you move around as an 8-bit music note, learning the creation of streaming platforms and the loss of media. The work is about impermanence of music with the new-age of streaming and how nothing is guaranteed without the physically owning the work.
Info: Made in 2020, Made in Bitsy; non-fiction; found on itch.io
Tags: Informative, Bitsy, Music, Technology, 8-bit, Loss
[Entry posted by Ella Mercadante]

On Circle in Squares by E-a-R
In this bitsy game, you make choices using your keyboard arrows to guide a twitchy starving/dying man through many different existentialist outlooks on art and life. Some choices are not unlocked till you deny or go through with a different option. The work uses the confusion of art and how your thoughts can change how you see it as a metaphor alluding to an unknown bigger idea than just art in the grand scheme of the universe
Info: Made in 2021, Made with Bitsy, Platform of HTML5, found on itch.io
Tags: Existentialism, Twitchy Art, Life, Metaphorical, puzzle
[Entry posted by Ella Mercadante]

Sort the Court! by Graeme Borland
A game where you play as the glorious king of a fictitious kingdom that relies on you to grow and prosper. The game takes place across multiple days, where a variety of strange individuals will come and visit you each day. They may come bearing requests, gifts, or both! To respond to these visitors, you are given two choices: "Yes", and "No". Each choice will have varying effects on your kingdom, and your fate will very much depend on making smart choices. How you are doing is also represented by three things: How many people are in your kingdom, how happy your people are, and how wealthy you are. You must make sure to keep everything in check, or else terrible things will befall upon your kingdom (and you too, I guess).
Info: Made with Unity, created Dec 14, 2015. Found on itch.io.
Tags: Cute, Ludum Dare 34, Fantasy, Humor, 2D.
[Entry posted by Leo Yan]

L.A. Noire by Rockstar Games
In this AAA adventure thriller set in 1947 Los Angeles, you take the perspective of Cole Phelps, a former officer in the U.S. Marines, who found work as a detective for the LAPD. Phelps fits the classic sharp, yet "hard-boiled" detective archetype of the 1950's commonly seen in pulp fiction from the era. As Detective Phelps, you must navigate the streets of LA as you work to solve a series of criminal cases. The game tests your ability to detect discrepancies in POIs, (persons of interest). The game features revolutionary (for 2011) facial motion-capture technology that realistically captures minute differences in facial expressions to help you with your interrogations.
Info: Made in 2011, 7th generation consoles, PC, Proprietary engine made by Team Bondi Studios, Found on Steam
Tags: Crime Thriller, Detective, 1950s, Noir, Open-World
[Entry posted by David Rho]

Doki Doki Literature Club! by Team Salvato
In this psychological horror visual novel, you take the perspective of a high school student who joins a literature club populated by four female classmates. While the game initially presents itself as a lighthearted dating simulator, it gradually devolves into a disturbing exploration of mental health, obsession, and the illusion of free will. Through its unconventional use of the digital medium, Doki Doki Literature Club! repeatedly breaks the fourth wall, manipulates game files, and directly addresses the player.
Info: Made in 2017, Ren'Py, Unity
Tags: Dating Simulator, Horror, Visual Novel
[Entry posted by David Rho}

Don't Toy With Me by Karmic Punishment
A branching horror visual novel where you play as the owner of a dollhouse inhabited by sentient toys. The narrative of the game focuses on the relationship between a lonely porcelain doll named Dahlia, and a sad clown puppet named Huxley. This game explores themes of jealousy, favoritism, and manipulation. This is NOT a romance game, nor is it anything like Toy Story.

Info: Made with Renpy, published Apr 27, 2022. Found on itch.io.

Tags: Free, Visual Novel, Horror, Psychological Horror, Tragedy, Short, Multiple Endings, Cute, Interactive Fiction
[Entry posted by Leo Yan] 

Froggy Pot by Cantusmori
A short, linear visual novel where you have to convince a boy named Froggy to get out of a pot before it starts to boil. This game mainly focuses on the conversation between you and Froggy. It explores themes of depression, hopelessness, stagnation, and the loss of a loved one. BUT, it isn’t a depressing game, I promise.

Info: Made with Renpy, published Dec 25, 2021. Found on itch.io. Exhibited at the Artcade exhibit of the Delaware Contemporary Museum, US - September 8 - December 31, 2023. Also exhibited at the CUTE exhibit at the Somerset House, London UK - January 25 - April 14 , 2024. Also featured in a Guardian article.

Tags: Free, Visual Novel, Cute, Short, Linear, Interactive Fiction, Non-Horror, Depression, Mental Health, Positive, Calming.
[Entry posted by Leo Yan] 

 Nod-if-you-can-hear-me by emmkid
In this Twine game, players are seeing the character’s elderly and sick grandmother and are afraid of the memories, guilt, and are unsure how to deal with the difficulty in seeing someone foundational to their life grow old. The game has a simple format without any images, but allows players to make choices over how they act and respond to their environment.

Info: serious game, Twine game found on itch.io, HTML5

Tags: aging, memory loss, guilt, Twine, grief
[entry posted by Harnoor Rehal]

The more you feed it by Aster F
In this Twine game, players feel the anxiety of having to leave the house as an individual with OCD and must triple check each room of their house before leaving. Eventually, this loop of checking leads them to be unable to leave the house at all, demonstrating how “the more you feed it the more it grows”.

Info: updated 2026, serious game, Twine game found on itch.io, HTML5

Tags: mental illness, horror, narrative
[entry posted by Harnoor Rehal]

I Have No Words by corvus_orrum
In this minimalist Twine game, the user searches through an operating system to complete the missing note left by the author for the reader. The work is more of an experiment of making a Twine game that looks nothing like a twine game, but at its core, it’s about taking the time to understand and decode what someone is saying through a computer screen. Although it only really requires a mouse, the game recreates a realistic feeling of navigating through an old computer in a way that it feels like taking over someone else’s system and making sense of it.
Info:  made in 2026; made with Twine; interactive fiction; HTML5; found on itch.io
tags: retro, navigation, censored, exploration, point & click, mouse only
[entry posted by Carlos Mendez]

Find It by ljoy
In this simple Twine game, the user is rushed to try to find “it” but has no clues of what “it” means. The reader can search through all their body parts but eventually find that none of them have “it” in them. Except for their heart, where if they listen to it, they find “it.” The work is about suicide, and how when it feels like nothing matters, realizing that your existence is enough, that when you find “it,” a reason to be alive. The timer makes the user feel rushed as though finding it is extremely important at that time in their life.
Info:  made in 2026; made with Twine; interactive fiction; HTML5; found on itch.io
tags: retro, navigation, simple, text based, point & click, two colors, short, mouse only
[entry posted by Carlos Mendez]

I’m better by Ludonaut
In this interactive game, the player is immersed in the inner monologue of the main character, which has themes of white lies and delusion. This game provides a glimpse into the inner world of individuals struggling with depression, and the daily struggle one must endure to go through their day while convincing those around them that they are “fine,” even when they are quietly struggling in their mind. 
Info: serious game; authoring tool: Twine; on the Electronic Literature Collection, vol 4 and itch.io
Tags: depression, Twine
[Entry Posted by Saanvi Vodapally]

The Grown-Up Detective Agency by Brendan Patrick Hennessy
In this interactive Twine game, the protagonist (Bell Park) travels through time to the future when she is 21 years old. She has to help her future self solve the case they are working on, and the player’s role is to guide the investigation. The future, adult, version of Bell serves almost as a guide throughout this journey, who also helps the younger Bell navigate the world. 
Info: mystery game; authoring tool: Twine; on the Electronic Literature Collection, vol 4 and itch.io
Tags: Detective, Female Protagonist, Funny, Lesbian, LGBT, Mystery, Romance, Story Rich, Text based, Twine
[Entry Posted by Saanvi Vodapally]