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Yarn Spinner
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia
What it is
Yarn Spinner is a set of tools for writing and integrating interactive dialogue and branching narratives in games. Its human-readable Yarn scripting language is designed for dialogue authors, and official integrations support Unity, Godot with C# or GDScript, and Unreal Engine with Blueprint or C++. The free, open-source Visual Studio Code extension includes syntax highlighting, error checks, a graph view and an in-editor preview. Writers can export dialogue strings with unique IDs and switch languages at runtime; Unity Localization is also supported. Voice-over features cover audio asset management, localization synchronization and playback timing. Ready-made add-ons include speech bubbles and dialogue wheels, while Text Animator is included in Yarn Spinner+. Try Yarn Spinner provides a browser-based place to write and run scripts without setup, but it stores scripts in browser localStorage, with no backup or synchronization. The core uses the MIT License. The Free plan is free; Yarn Spinner+ for Unity costs $75 or more, once.
For and against
For
- Free, open-source Visual Studio Code extension.
- Supports Unity, Godot and Unreal Engine.
- Includes dialogue previews and error checking.
- Supports localization and voice-over workflows.
- Core is licensed under MIT.
Against
- Browser scripts are not backed up.
- Browser scripts are not synchronized.
- Text Animator is included in the paid add-on.
- Yarn Spinner+ costs $75 or more, once.
The verdict
Yarn Spinner offers dialogue authoring tools across three major game engines, with a free extension and browser tool. Keep the browser storage limits in mind, and check the paid add-on if Text Animator is needed.
Who it suits
Yarn Spinner is suited to writers, programmers and game designers creating interactive dialogue for Unity, Godot or Unreal projects. Its free editor extension and browser tool can help people start authoring without a paid plan.
Plans and prices
Free
Yarn language support · engine integrations · VS Code extension · documentation and community support
Read 15 Oct 2026 · yarnspinner.dev
Yarn Spinner+ for Unity
Text Animator integration · Classic RPG and Snaaake presenters · priority support and bug fixes · early access
Read 15 Oct 2026 · yarnspinner.itch.io
On the record
- Browser data limit
- Scripts in Try Yarn Spinner remain in browser localStorage, are not sent to the team and are not backed up or synchronized.yarnspinner.dev · read 1 Oct 2026
- Browser data limitation
- Browser scripts are not synchronized or backed up, so users are told to save work to disk regularly.yarnspinner.dev · read 15 Oct 2026
- Browser privacy
- Browser tools compile and run locally, keep scripts in localStorage and do not send script contents to Yarn Spinner servers.yarnspinner.dev · read 15 Oct 2026
- Browser tool
- Try Yarn Spinner runs Yarn scripts and dialogue directly in a browser with no installation.yarnspinner.dev · read 15 Oct 2026
- Commands and game integration
- Commands can trigger game events, update variables and control game state from Yarn scripts.yarnspinner.dev · read 15 Oct 2026
- Company headquarters
- The company is based in Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.yarnspinner.dev · read 15 Oct 2026
- Company legal identity
- The maker identifies itself as Yarn Spinner Pty. Ltd., an Australian private company.yarnspinner.dev · read 15 Oct 2026
- Company size listing
- LinkedIn lists Yarn Spinner Pty. Ltd. as privately held with 51–200 employees.au.linkedin.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Core licence
- The core Yarn Spinner repository is published under the MIT License.github.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Dialogue preview
- Writers can play through dialogue inside VS Code and preview scripts in the browser without installing an engine.yarnspinner.dev · read 15 Oct 2026
- Dialogue UI
- Built-in and customizable dialogue views can show lines, character names and options, while custom views can be created.yarnspinner.dev · read 15 Oct 2026
- Documentation depth
- Documentation covers beginner scripting, fundamentals, advanced scripting, engine guides, add-ons, samples, API reference, FAQ and migration.docs.yarnspinner.dev · read 15 Oct 2026
- Editor
- The free open-source Visual Studio Code extension provides syntax highlighting, error checking, graph view and in-editor dialogue preview.yarnspinner.dev · read 1 Oct 2026
- Engine integrations
- Official integrations support Unity, Godot with C# or GDScript, and Unreal Engine with Blueprint or C++.yarnspinner.dev · read 1 Oct 2026
- Function extensibility
- The Library API lets developers register, import, query and remove functions callable from Yarn programs.docs.yarnspinner.dev · read 15 Oct 2026
- Godot integration
- Godot support includes C# and an early-access GDScript implementation.yarnspinner.dev · read 15 Oct 2026
- Graph view
- The editor displays node relationships in file-level and project-wide interactive graphs.marketplace.visualstudio.com · read 15 Oct 2026
- Independent editor praise
- Reddit users repeatedly describe Yarn Spinner as easier to use than more advanced alternatives and especially suitable when localization is needed.reddit.com · read 15 Oct 2026
