Twine is a free open-source tool created by Chris Klimas for making interactive fiction and hypertext fiction in the form of web pages. It is available on macOS, Windows, and Linux.
Twine emphasizes the visual structure of hypertext, and does not require knowledge of a programming language as many other game development tools do. It is regarded as a tool which can be used by anyone interested in interactive fiction and experimental games.
Twine 1 generated code using twee. Its frontend was derived from TiddlyWiki, with a similar but incompatible data format.
Twine 2 is a browser-based application written in HTML5 and JavaScript, also available as a standalone desktop app; it also supports CSS. It is currently in version 2.12.0, as of April 2026.
Rather than using a fixed scripting language, Twine supports the use of different "story formats". In Twine 1, these mostly affected how a story was displayed rather than how it was written, but Twine 2 story formats combine style, semantic rules and markup conventions and are described as "dialects" of the Twine language. There are many story formats; they include Harlowe (the default format for Twine 2), SugarCube (based on the original format used by Twine 1), Snowman (which integrates JavaScript libraries into Twine) and Chapbook (a "second generation" format created and maintained by Twine creator Chris Klimas). Twine 2 also su
What is Twine?
Twine is an open-source ides & code editor program for Windows from Chris Klimas. It ranks 49th by popularity among ides & code editors in this catalogue. The first release dates back to 2009. It is written in Python and JavaScript. Besides Windows, it is available for Linux.
Installation and requirements
Official installers exist for 64-bit as EXE (NSIS). It can be installed for the current user only, without administrator rights. The installer supports unattended (silent) installation.
Updates and version history
The current version is 2.12.1, released on October 7, 2026. 17 versions are listed since May 31, 2021, each with links to its own installer files. That is about 3.2 releases a year. The last update is less than a month old.
Popularity and file types
The Chocolatey package has been downloaded 458 times. The source code on GitHub (klembot/twinejs) has 2,920 stars. Wikipedia has an article about it in 10 of our languages. Similar programs include RStudio, OpenCode and Node.js (LTS).
Project description on GitHub: “Twine, a tool for telling interactive, nonlinear stories”
Pros / Cons
Pros
- Open source: the code can be inspected and built by anyone
- Documented silent install
- Installs without administrator rights
- Updated in the last two months
- Also runs on Linux
- Mature project (since 2009)
Cons
- No native ARM64 build
In short: Twine is an open-source ides & code editor tool for 64-bit PCs. Administrators can deploy it unattended.
Screenshots
Is Twine safe to download?
- The file is served by github.com, the publisher’s own domain
- The download link uses HTTPS
- A SHA256 hash is published, so you can verify the file:
0E6F772064F40AF5514DB78B0384D317491BF068291769252566C3DFDA8094F5· Open the VirusTotal report for this hash - The link has not been checked yet
- The source code is public
- ExeAtlas does not host, wrap or modify installers
Related guide: How to check a file’s SHA256 hash on Windows
Security practices (OpenSSF Scorecard)
Automated checks of the klembot/twinejs repository on GitHub by the Open Source Security Foundation, last run on October 19, 2026.
- Actively maintained10
- No dangerous workflows10
- No binaries in the repository10
- Licence declared10
- Code review3
- Pinned dependencies3
- Restricted token permissions0
- OpenSSF Best Practices badge0
- Security policy0
- Fuzzing0
- Signed releases0
- Branch protection0
- Static code analysis0
The score rates how the project is developed and released, not whether the program is safe to install. scorecard.dev
Recent versions
All 17 versions ›17 versions over 5 years · about 3.2 a year
| Version | Date | Size | Files |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2.12.1Latest | October 7, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.12.0 | April 10, 2026 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.11.1 | November 8, 2025 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.11.0 | November 3, 2025 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.10.0 | November 25, 2024 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.8.1 | January 3, 2024 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.8.0 | November 27, 2023 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
| 2.7.1 | August 27, 2023 | — | 64-bit EXE (NSIS)64-bit EXE (NSIS) |
Install from the command line
Silent install ›winget install --id ChrisKlimas.Twine -echoco install twine -yscoop install extras/twineTwine-2.12.1-Windows.exe /SRelated guide: How to use winget: install and update apps
Also for other systems
brew install --cask twine-appflatpak install flathub org.twinery.TwineInformation
- Publisher
- Chris Klimas
- Category
- IDEs & code editors
- Licence
- GPL-3.0
- Price
- Free
- Source code
- github.com/klembot/twinejs
- Written in
- Python and JavaScript
- Content rating
- All ages
- Requires
- Windows 11 / 10
- Architecture
- 64-bit
- Installer
- EXE (NSIS)
- Other platforms
- Linux
- Version
- 2.12.1
- Released
- October 7, 2026
- First release
- 2009
- Added to the catalogue
- May 31, 2021
- Versions listed
- 17
- Updates / year
- 3.2
- Chocolatey downloads
- 458
- GitHub stars
- 2,920
- GitHub forks
- 418
- Website
- twinery.org
- winget ID
- ChrisKlimas.Twine
- Chocolatey package
- twine
- Scoop package
- extras/twine
Ratings and reviews
No reviews yet. Be the first to rate it.
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Frequently asked questions
Is Twine free?
Yes. Twine is open-source software under the GPL-3.0 licence.
Is Twine safe to download?
The download comes from github.com, which belongs to the publisher; ExeAtlas does not host or change the file. Compare its SHA256 hash with the one shown here, or open the VirusTotal report for that hash.
How do I install Twine with winget?
Open PowerShell or Windows Terminal and run the winget command shown on this page. winget downloads the official installer and checks its SHA256 hash before running it.
Can Twine be installed silently?
Yes. The silent install page lists the exact command for each installer.
Does Twine run on ARM (Windows on Arm)?
There is no ARM64 build; Windows 11 on Arm can run the 64-bit version through emulation.
Where can I download an older version of Twine?
The versions page lists all 17 versions with links to their official installer files, back to May 31, 2021.
Can I use Twine without administrator rights?
Yes, there is a per-user installer that does not need administrator rights.
What are alternatives to Twine?
RStudio, OpenCode, Node.js (LTS), Apache NetBeans and VSCodium. The alternatives page compares them.
