Introduction

The Playable Stories Archive is a curated guide for teachers and researchers (primarily in literary studies) who are interested in incorporating interactive digital stories in post-secondary curricula and scholarship. In selecting which works are appropriate for the Playable Stories Archive, we are generally guided by the following criteria:

Literary aspect: Does the work provide a compelling narrative experience?
Length: Does it take roughly the same time to complete (or at least get a fairly full sense of) the work as it would to read an average novel (approximately 8-10 hours)?
Difficulty: Can it be successfully navigated by readers/players with a wide range of abilities?
Accessibility: Is it available on multiple operating systems and platforms?
Cost: Is it affordable?

Contributors

Jason Boyd, General Editor and Contributing Writer

Jeremy Andriano, Contributing Writer

Kevin Ghouchandra, Contributing Writer

Leila Kazeminejad, Contributing Writer

Entry Template

Works (Alphabetical by Title)

• 80 Days: A progressive steampunk adaptation of Jules Verne’s novel, with multiple routes and stories around the globe. Entry by Jeremy Andriano (forthcoming)
• Citizen Sleeper: In this role-playing game set in the ruins of interplanetary capitalism, the player is a ‘sleeper,’ a digitized human consciousness in an artificial body, who has gone rogue from the corporation that owns you. You must survive on a lawless space station, escaping your past and navigating a future. (forthcoming)
• Dave Morris’ Frankenstein: A dialogic retelling of Mary Shelley’s classic novel. (forthcoming)
• DEVICE 6: A stylish retro-techno-thriller in the form of a playable novella for iOS (iPhone/iPad). Entry by Jason Boyd (published November 2022)
• Dredge: A Lovecraftian fishing role-playing adventure. Entry by Kevin Ghouchandra (published April 2025)
• Eliza: A visual novel about AI, therapy, and Silicone Valley solutionism. Entry by Jason Boyd (forthcoming Janurary 2026)
• Elsinore: Play as Ophelia in this time-looping mystery based on William Shakespeare’s Hamlet. (forthcoming)
• Firewatch: A mystery adventure and exploration of human relationships, set in Shoshone National Forest in Wyoming. (forthcoming)
• Florence: An interactive, largely visual story of a young woman falling in and out of love and developing as an artist. Entry by Kevin Ghouchandra (published November 2024)
• Gone Home: After a stay in Europe, Katie Greenbriar arrives at her family’s new home to find the house empty. By exploring the house as Katie, the player discovers what has been happening with the Greenbriar family while Katie has been away. Entry by Kevin Ghouchandra (published September 2024)
• Her Story: Search an old database of police interviews to reassemble a women’s testimony about the murder of her husband. (forthcoming)
• Hades: Adapted from Greek mythology, this dungeon crawler focuses on the attempts of Zagreus, son of Hades, to escape the underworld. Entry by Kevin Ghouchandra (published November 2022)
• Indika: Play as the titual character, a young nun, as she embarks on a strange and surreal journey to deliver a letter to a monastery. Entry by Kevin Ghouchandra. (forthcoming)
• Later Daters: A visual novel about navigating relationships and romance in a retirement community. Entry by Jason Boyd (forthcoming February 2026)
• Long Story: A visual novel about navigating relationships and romance in school. (forthcoming)
• Overboard!: A 1930s murder mystery set on a ship crossing the Atlantic–and you are the murderer. Entry by Jeremy Andriano (published February 2025)
• Oxenfree: A supernatural mystery/horror adventure involving a group on teenagers stranded overnight on a deserted island. (forthcoming)
• Papers, Please: Face logistical, personal and ethical challenges as a border crossing agent of the totalitarian state of Arstotzka. (forthcoming)
• Pentiment: Solve a series of murders in sixteenth-century Germany by learning about the history of a town and its nearby abbey. (forthcoming)
• The Return of the Obra Dinn: A nautical mystery set in the nineteenth century, with elements of fantasy. Entry by Jason Boyd (published May 2020)
• Signs of the Sojourner: A narrative deck-building game set in a climate-changed world, where the player travels to various communities to barter for items for the store formerly run by your deceased mother. In the course of your travels, you build relationships and learn about the relationships your mother developed during her travels. (forthcoming)
• The Stanley Parable/The Stanley Parable Ultra Deluxe: A metagame that explores the issue of narrative control and agency in video games. Entry by Jason Boyd (published January 2025)
• Storyteller: A a puzzle game in which the player is tasked with placing characters and settings into appropriate sequences in a series of panels in order to fulfil narrative goals. Entry by Leila Kazeminejad (published June 2025)
• Tacoma: An exploration of a space station that reveals details about the everyday lives of the crew and why they evacuated. Entry by Jason Boyd (published May 2020)
• Thirsty Suitors: Jala returns to her hometown for her sister Aruni’s wedding and must battle and reconcile with her judgmental family and resentful former romantic partners. Entry by Kevin Ghoucchandra (forthcoming December 2025)
• Unpacking: A story about a life’s progress told through a puzzle game involving placing belongings in new homes. Entry by Kevin Ghouchandra (published December 2024)
• Venba: A cooking game that revolves around the lives of an immigrant Indian couple adjusting to their day-to-day lives in Toronto, Canada, and their son Kavin’s assimilation into Canadian culture. Entry by Leila Kazeminejad (published October 2024)
• Walden, a game: Play as Henry David Thoreau in this open world, first-person simulation of Walden Pond. (forthcoming)