# Frotz — Interactive Fiction Adventures > Play hundreds of free interactive fiction text adventure games. (iPhone/iPad app by Craig Smith.) - Source: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/frotz/id287653015 (this page in markdown: same URL + `.md`) - Developer: [Craig Smith](https://appshunter.io/developer/287653018) - Category: Games, Entertainment, Adventure, Role Playing - Price: Free - Rating: 4.80/5 from 251 App Store ratings · 292 written reviews indexed - Age rating: 9+ - Requires: iOS 11.0 · 45 MB - Languages: American English - Released: 2019-02-12 - Data updated: 2026-08-21 - Monetization: free - User reviews in markdown: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/frotz/id287653015/reviews.md ## What is Frotz? [*Warning* Playing Frotz involves reading, thinking, and typing. If you just want to blow stuff up, this is not the app for you!] Burned out on all the new-fangled graphics and dazzling eye candy on your shiny new iPhone or iPad? Nostalgic for a simpler time? Then take advantage of those crisp high-resolution fonts to relive the glory days of the Great Underground Empire, or play any of hundreds of great works from the Interactive Fiction archive. Frotz lets you play hundreds of free works of Interactive Fiction (a.k.a. text adventure games) on your iPhone or iPad. Frotz plays titles written in the Z-Machine format (which was invented by Infocom and was used to produce classic text adventures from the 80s such as the Zork Trilogy, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and Trinity), as well as glulx and TADS formats. In the past couple of decades, text adventures have experienced a renaissance of sorts due to the efforts of a diverse Internet community of talented interactive fiction writers and fans. Many of these games are written using the same engine that powered Infocom's titles, thanks to the Inform compiler and authoring system created by Graham Nelson. NOTE! If you have suggestions for improving Frotz or encounter bugs, please go to the support link and report them. Frotz for iOS - Interactive Fiction at Your Fingertips ## Key features - Play hundreds of free interactive fiction games - Supports Z-Machine, glulx, and TADS formats - Relive classic text adventures - Modern interface with high-resolution fonts - Play on iPhone and iPad ## What do users think of Frotz? Overall sentiment: positive **Pros** - 🚀 Excellent performance - 👍 Intuitive interface - 💡 Vast library of interactive fiction - 🚀 Seamless game importing - 👍 Helpful auto-complete and note-taking features - 👍 Great for blind/visually impaired users - 👍 Nostalgic and engaging gameplay **Cons** - 🐛 Compatibility issues with newer iOS versions - 🔧 Limited customization options - 🔧 Lack of map/note-taking tools for some games - 🔧 Difficulty browsing and downloading new games **Commonly reported bugs** - Crashes when trying to resume certain saved games - Inconsistent behavior when deleting or importing games **Most requested features** - Add support for more modern interactive fiction formats - Implement cloud sync and cross-device save support - Improve game library management and discovery - Add more customization options for text display ## Recent user reviews (10 of 292) All indexed reviews: https://appshunter.io/ios/app/frotz/id287653015/reviews.md ### 5/5 — Immersive Literary Game World *2026-05-24, version 1.8.8* I’m a fiction writer and reader and I love the immersive experience of this library of literary games. I’m glad this is not a lost art form. Thank you, Frotz, for keeping it alive!! ### 3/5 — Works great but crashes on some Infocom games on an iPad *2026-05-14, version 1.8.8* I have all of the original Infocom games but I can only load a few of them. For example when I try to open Enchanted it will crash but Zork 1,2,3, Planet Fall, Station Fall work fine. It would be awesome if I could use all of my old Infocom games on Frotz. I would also be willing to pay for that ability or donate to the cause. All of my titles work on the iPhone but not the iPad. ### 4/5 — Love interactive fiction *2026-01-20, version 1.8.8* I’d give this a perfect rating but I agree with some of the comments that an upgrade is needed. Frames for a map, inventory, possible stats. It would be nice if you could generate your own Eldrum or Beyond Zork, not full on graphics but some nice frame images to pull you in. Maybe allow for the addition of background music or sounds. Something to enhance your mind’s eye without distracting from it. ### 5/5 — What an unexpected gem ! *2025-12-11, version 1.8.8* This wonderful app is like a time capsule into the past 1980s when one's imagination played the role of graphics and even today imagination surpasses anything out there. ### 5/5 — INFOCOM on your phone! *2025-08-30, version 1.8.8* Brilliant app allows you to import Cutthroats, Infidel, A Mind Forever Voyaging, Bureaucracy and all the other INFOCOM games to your iPhone! All it needs now is a cool, little custom widget. ### 2/5 — Can’t play imported games anymore. *2025-08-08, version 1.8.8* Used to work perfectly but now doesn’t understand z-code files for some reason and .gblorb files encounter a fatal error which renders the game unplayable. 90% of games imported from IMDB don’t work anymore. used to be a 5* but until this bug is fixed it’ll be a 2* for me. I am on the latest iPad iOS (18.6). ### 5/5 — Perfect app *2025-07-02, version 1.8.8* Perfect app for interactive fiction. 36 mb, runs like a dream, of course the dev only has one app; you can never go far in this world making products this free of bloat and malware. ### 5/5 — One stop shop for interactive fiction, great app *2024-11-30, version 1.8.8* One stop shop for interactive fiction, great app ### 5/5 — You may need to unhide your app post ios18 to download *2024-10-13, version 1.8.8* Works great. Plays great. Great interpreter! ### 5/5 — Great !!! *2024-09-01, version 1.8.8* Thank you so much for this great piece of Software. So happy to play my old treasures of Infocom on new devices… ## Frequently asked questions about Frotz ### What kind of games can I play with Frotz? Frotz allows you to play hundreds of free interactive fiction games, also known as text adventure games. These games are primarily narrative-driven and require reading, thinking, and typing commands to progress through the story. ### What game formats does Frotz support? Frotz supports several popular interactive fiction formats, including the Z-Machine format (used by classic Infocom games like Zork), as well as glulx and TADS formats. This broad compatibility ensures access to a vast library of games. ### Is Frotz a free app? Yes, Frotz is a free application. There are no in-app purchases or advertisements mentioned, allowing users to enjoy a full library of interactive fiction games without any cost. ### What are some classic games I can play? You can relive the glory days of classic text adventures with titles like the Zork Trilogy and The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, which were originally created using the Z-Machine format. Many other beloved titles from the 80s and beyond are also available. ### Who is this app for? This app is ideal for players who appreciate immersive storytelling, enjoy puzzle-solving, and prefer a text-based gaming experience over graphics-intensive games. It's perfect for those nostalgic for older gaming styles or curious to explore the rich history of interactive fiction. ## Version history (last 5 releases) ### 1.8.8 — 2023-09-24 - Fixed arrow key support for Bluetooth keyboards New in 1.8.7: - Better support for Unicode/non-Latin alphabet stories. - Updated to git glulx interpreter version 1.3.7 (conforming to Glulx VM standard 3.1.3.) - New IFDB search options, updated search URLs and built-in bookmarks. - Dropbox API update, sync improvements. - Option to swap text/background colors in color picker. - Improved handling of ZIP file downloads from IFDB: you can now select which stories to install. - Enable 'iTunes File sharing: supported story files and saved games dragged into Frotz will be automatically installed. - Restored keyboard long-press hide/lock functionality. - Other bug fixes/minor UI tweaks. ### 1.8.7 — 2023-06-08 - Better support for Unicode/non-Latin alphabet stories. - Update glulx (git) specification standard to 1.3.7. - New IFDB search options, updated search URLs and built-in bookmarks. - Dropbox API update, sync improvements. - Option to swap text/background colors in color picker. - Improved handling of ZIP file downloads from IFDB: you can now select which stories to install. - Enable 'iTunes File sharing: supported story files and saved games dragged into Frotz will be automatically installed. - Restored keyboard long-press hide/lock functionality. - Other bug fixes/minor UI tweaks. ### 1.8.6 — 2020-09-07 - Fix crash on iPad when trying to restart story from Story Details view. - Fix hang which can occur when scrolling in Frotz Settings. ### 1.8.5 — 2020-09-03 - Configurable text size and font on Notes screen. - Fix unreadable Notes text in dark mode. - General bug fixes and refactoring to use more modern iOS APIs. ### 1.8.4 — 2020-07-03 - Improved support for iOS 13, including light/dark mode, and for newer devices/screen sizes. - Fix a bug causing manual saved games to fail. - Other bug fixes. ## Apps similar to Frotz | App | Rating | Price | Category | | --- | --- | --- | --- | | [Delight Games Premium Library](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/delight-games-premium-library/id928739349) | 4.7 (1,421) | Free | Games | | [Hosted Games](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/hosted-games/id1302297731) | 4.7 (952) | Free | Games | | [Choice of Games](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/choice-of-games/id1363309257) | 4.6 (1,255) | Free | Games | | [Choices That Matter](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/choices-that-matter/id1004909104) | 4.6 (2,251) | Free | Games | | [Eldrum: Untold - Text RPG](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/eldrum-untold-text-rpg/id1486667077) | 4.7 (1,427) | Free | Games | | [AI Tales - Dungeon Story RPG](https://appshunter.io/ios/app/ai-tales-dungeon-story-rpg/id1548458291) | 4.6 (437) | Free | Games | ## Related topics [interactive fiction](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/interactive-fiction) · [zork](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/zork) · [text adventure game](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/text-adventure-game) · [text based adventure](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/text-based-adventure) · [text adventure](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/text-adventure) · [text adventure games](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/text-adventure-games) · [text adventures](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/text-adventures) · [text based interactive](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/text-based-interactive) · [zorkan](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/zorkan) · [interactive text](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/interactive-text) · [atlosz interactive](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/atlosz-interactive) · [text adventure offline](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/text-adventure-offline) · [texting games adventure](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/texting-games-adventure) · [zovant](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/zovant) · [walkthrough guide for adam wolfe](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/walkthrough-guide-for-adam-wolfe) · [wednesday adventure](https://appshunter.io/ios/topics/wednesday-adventure) --- *Data collected daily from the US App Store and indexed by [AppsHunter](https://appshunter.io/). User reviews are verbatim App Store reviews. Ratings, prices and chart positions refresh continuously; this snapshot is from 2026-08-21.*