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What is IFWiki?
IFWiki is a community-maintained encyclopedia of interactive fiction, covering the history, theory and craft of the form alongside the tools used to make it and the people behind it. It works as both a historical record and a practical reference: someone curious about how parser games evolved can read up on it, while someone trying to choose an authoring system can browse the software and architecture sections.
What you'll find there
- Games — a browsable and searchable catalogue, with pages you can add to and a cover-art gallery.
- Events — competitions and jams (the page lists InkJam, IntroComp, IFComp, ECTOCOMP and others), plus conferences, club meetings and recurring local group gatherings.
- Software — interpreters, authoring systems, utilities and libraries, organised so you can compare options rather than hunt through forum threads.
- Background material — a glossary, beginner-oriented basics, and pages on people and accessibility.
Who it suits
Writers weighing up a tool, players who want context on a game before trying it, and organisers tracking deadlines all get something from it. Because it's a wiki, depth varies by topic: popular tools and major competitions tend to be well covered, while niche subjects may be thin or out of date. Treat it as a starting map rather than a final authority, and check anything time-sensitive against the event's own page.
A sensible first move is to open the software section and read the entries for two authoring systems you're considering, then look at a few games made with each. If you'd rather start from the playing side, the games index and the basics pages give you enough vocabulary to follow discussions elsewhere, such as on The Interactive Fiction Community Forum.
How can I find and browse interactive fiction games on IFWiki?
Use IFWiki's Games section as the main entry point. From the navigation menu, choose Search games if you already have a title, author or keyword in mind, or Browse games to explore by category. An All games list and a Cover art gallery give you two other ways in: the list suits systematic browsing, while the gallery is better when you want to judge games by their covers and pick something that looks appealing.
Practical ways to use it
- Start with a genre or theme. IFWiki organises games into categories, including literary genres such as "War" and "Wordplay," so browsing those categories is a good way to find games sharing a subject or style.
- Follow competition results. The calendar and event news list competitions and jams with results, such as IntroComp 2026 and InkJam 2026. A placing in a competition is a useful shortlist signal when you do not know where to begin.
- Check the format before committing. IFWiki also documents interpreters and authoring systems. If a game page names a format you do not have, look up the relevant interpreter first rather than downloading a file you cannot run.
- Use the glossary when terminology is unfamiliar. Terms such as parser-based, choice-based or speed-IF are explained there, which helps you decide what kind of play you actually want.
A concrete example: someone curious about short experimental games could browse competition entries, read the descriptions, note which interpreter each one needs, and then try two or three rather than working through an entire results list.
A useful next step
Search for one game you have heard of, then use its page's categories and links to find similar titles. That "one game leads to another" route is often faster than browsing the full list, and it keeps your choices tied to something you already know you like.
What upcoming interactive fiction competitions and jams are listed on IFWiki?
IFWiki's Main Page lists several competitions and jams with 2026 dates, grouped by status:
- InkJam 2026 — results announced 1 September 2026.
- IntroComp 2026 — results announced 12 September 2026, with first place going to The Veil.
- IFComp 2026 — voting ends 19 October 2026.
- ECTOCOMP 2026 — submissions due 31 October 2026.
- Bare-Bones Jam 2026 — submissions due 31 October 2026.
- Interactive Fiction Showcase 2026 — submissions due 31 December 2026.
The page also points to recurring community events rather than competitions: the weekly ClubFloyd meeting, monthly jams run by the Neo-Interactives, and monthly meetings of the People's Republic of Interactive Fiction, the Seattle IF Group and the SF Bay Area Interactive Fiction Group.
How to use this list
If you want to enter something, the two 31 October deadlines (ECTOCOMP and Bare-Bones Jam) are the nearest closing points; if you want to play and vote, IFComp 2026 is the live one, with voting closing 19 October. For a longer horizon, the Interactive Fiction Showcase accepts submissions through the end of the year.
Because dates and statuses shift, check each event's own page on IFWiki before planning around a deadline — the wiki's calendar and event pages carry the full schedule and any changes.
How do I add a game, event, or software entry to IFWiki?
IFWiki is a community-edited encyclopedia of interactive fiction, so adding an entry means creating a wiki page through one of its structured "Add" forms rather than submitting to a separate database. The Main Page navigation offers Add game, Add event, and Add software links, each leading to a form tailored to that kind of entry.
What each form is for
| Entry type | Use it for | Typical fields you'll be filling in |
|---|---|---|
| Game | A released or in-progress work of interactive fiction | Title, author, release info, genre, platform, links (including source code) |
| Event | Competitions, jams, conferences, meetings, other gatherings | Name, dates, organiser, results or deadlines |
| Software | Interpreters, authoring systems, utilities, libraries | Name, developer, platform, purpose |
Practical steps
- Create an account and log in — the site currently requires a password reset before first login following a security incident noted on the Main Page.
- From the navigation menu, pick the matching Add … link.
- Fill in the form fields as completely as you can; the forms exist to keep entries consistent, so use them rather than editing raw pages.
- Save, then check the page renders as expected and add it to relevant categories (for example, the "War" and "Wordplay" literary genres the community has been populating).
Before you start
- Search first. Use the game, event, or software search to check the entry doesn't already exist; editing an existing page is usually better than duplicating it.
- Have your sources ready. As an encyclopedia, entries are more useful with release dates, author credits, and links to official pages or source code. The community has run editing projects specifically to add source code URLs to game pages, so that's a valued field.
- Match the house style. Skim a couple of existing entries of the same type to see how much detail is normal and how categories are applied.
If you're unsure which form fits — say, a tool that is both software and an event host — start with the type that best describes the thing itself, then link to it from the other context.
What interpretive software and authoring systems are documented on IFWiki?
IFWiki documents interpretive software and authoring systems as separate browsable categories, so you can look up a specific tool or scan what exists before choosing one. The software section is split into interpreters, authoring systems, utilities, and libraries, and the main navigation also lists architecture and other categories such as accessibility, glossary, and people.
What each software category covers
- Interpreters are the programs that run finished IF games in a given format — the thing a player opens to play.
- Authoring systems are the tools used to write and build IF — the thing an author works in.
- Utilities are supporting tools that assist with tasks around playing or producing IF rather than being the main engine.
- Libraries are code components that authors can build on within a system.
This split is useful because "which software?" means different things depending on whether you want to play or to create. A reader who just wants to try interactive fiction should start with interpreters; someone planning a first game should start with authoring systems.
Practical uses
- Choosing a system to learn: browse the authoring systems list to see the range of options, then check the linked pages for the format each one produces and which interpreter runs it.
- Opening a downloaded game: identify the game's format and find a matching interpreter rather than guessing at file types.
- Checking history and context: IFWiki describes itself as both a historical record of community knowledge and a guide to playing and creating IF, so tool pages sit alongside theory, craft, and people entries.
The main page also shows event news — competitions and jams such as InkJam, IntroComp, IFComp, ECTOCOMP, and the Bare-Bones Jam — plus recurring meetings like ClubFloyd. These are a concrete way to see which tools are in active use, since jam results and competition entries tend to reflect current authoring practice.
Decision criterion
If you are undecided, pick your goal first: playing means an interpreter for the format you already have; making means an authoring system whose output format has a reliable interpreter. Then use the relevant IFWiki category page to compare the documented options. For general background on formats and terminology, the wiki's glossary and basics sections are the natural next stop.
For a broader reference alongside IFWiki, Interactive Fiction Technology Foundation covers the organizations and services behind much of the IF community's infrastructure.
How do I reset my password after the IFWiki security incident?
Go to IFWiki's Special:PasswordReset page and request a reset for your account before trying to log in. IFWiki states that it does not believe password hashes were compromised, but it is requiring a password reset as a precaution following the September 2026 security incident, with further details on the "IFWiki:September 2026 security incident" page.
Practical steps
- Open the Special:PasswordReset page on IFWiki.
- Enter the username or email address associated with your account and submit the request.
- Follow the reset link sent to your email, then choose a new password.
- If you used the same password on other sites, change it there too—that is general security advice, not a claim about what was exposed here.
If the reset email doesn't arrive
Check spam or junk folders first, and confirm you're using the email address tied to your IFWiki account. If nothing arrives, the incident notice on IFWiki is the place to check for current recovery guidance, since the wiki says it was recently hacked and access procedures may have changed.
A sensible next step after resetting: use a password manager to generate a unique password for IFWiki, so a future incident at any one site can't affect your other accounts.
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