A lightweight browser editor for ink ink is a narrative scripting language designed by inkle studios. It lets you write stories (or design games) with branching choices, variables, and multiple endings. It’s free and open source, just like InkPad.
Write interactive fiction and branching narratives in ink on one side, then play your story on the other. InkPad is a free online editor with live preview, project files, and debugging tools, all in your browser.
Nothing to install, no account, browser-based. Free and open source under MIT.
What does it do?
InkPad lets you write stories with ink, play through a live preview of the code, find & fix problems, and easily export to backup or share what you create.
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ink-aware editing
Syntax highlighting, folding, code completion, and quick fix suggestions.
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Play as you write
Preview in transcript or scene mode, step back to undo your choices, or restart the story.
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Debug problems quickly
Jump from errors straight to the line in your code, inspect variables, and navigate knots and stitches.
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Learn ink with snippets
Start from a sample story, and insert syntax examples and code snippets from a searchable palette.
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Multiple projects, multiple files
Work on multiple projects. Split up big projects into
.inkfiles joined withINCLUDE. -
Take it with you
Export
.inkfiles,.inkpadproject archives, compiled JSON, or a playable web story you can post online.
Customize the look & feel
Choose from light, dark, or high contrast themes. Adjust font, type size, and word wrap. Uses a phone- and tablet-friendly mobile layout when you’re writing on the go.
What is ink?
ink is an open-source scripting language for interactive stories, made by inkle studios.
You write prose with choices, variables, and conditions, and it compiles into a branching story you can play. It can be integrated into game engines like Unity, Unreal Engine, and Godot.
InkPad is an independent project by Shadowbox Games. It isn’t affiliated with or endorsed by inkle studios.
Try writing a story
InkPad is 100% free to use. Open the included sample ink story, import a project, or start from an empty file.