What is Roblox? Navigate the popular game creation platform with ease

What is Roblox? Navigate the popular game creation platform with ease Credit: Lucas Gouveia / Android Police By  Faith Leroux Updated  Jan 25, 2026, 2:15 PM EST Faith writes guides, how-tos, and roundups on the latest Android games and apps for Android Police. You'll find her writing about the newest free-to-play game to hit Android or discussing her paranoia about digital privacy and poor smartphone practices. She will occasionally dabble in Samsung's latest features in One UI. On the games side, her area of expertise is in action RPGs and gacha games, but she will play and study the occasional competitive shooter. But most of all, her appetite for new stories still goes unquenched — as shown with her personal love for the Trails series. Before joining Android Police, Faith studied Chemistry and graduated with an honors specialization in Chemistry in 2016, leading her to spend many hours toiling around the lab as an undergraduate. Eventually, all those hours spent at the lab led Faith to develop her analytical mindset. So now, if you give Faith a problem, she will relentlessly tackle it to find a solution.  Her favorite pastime as a student was always writing reports, presentations, tutorials, and literature reviews, which guided her into completing a graduate certificate in technical writing. Thanks to her time writing for Android Police, she has an ignited passion for user security and privacy and is currently pursuing her certification in Cyber Security. Faith's first Android phone was the Samsung Galaxy Note II in 2012, giving her a taste of how a small piece of powerful hardware can open up endless opportunities for her favorite hobbies. Though if you ask her about her purchasing regrets, she will always say missing out on the Google Nexus still stings to this very day. She's also been a gamer for over 20 years, starting with Super Mario Bros. on the NES; she has owned over 15 devices for gaming, ranging from handhelds to consoles. Now, with her analytical mindset, passion for writing, and core identity as a gamer, she can finally chase her dreams as a technical writer and gaming journalist. Nowadays, you'll find Faith studying spreadsheets and assembling data to theorycraft new teams and builds for Genshin Impact, Honkai: Star Rail, Wuthering Waves, and Zenless Zone Zero. You'll also see her digging deep to discover Android gaming's most hidden gems, along with productivity apps and AI features. Sign in to your Android Police account Add Us On follow Follow followed Followed Like Like Thread Log in Here is a fact-based summary of the story contents: Try something different: Show me the facts Explain it like I’m 5 Give me a lighthearted recap

Roblox is a social platform-turned-metaverse where prideful gamers of all ages develop and share their creations while indulging in community-driven games.

Roblox has left a legacy that's attracted a supportive community and following, which is a large part of why the aging platform remains intact today.

The metaverse is more than just a massive sandbox/simulation game; it attracts a large, growing community and provides indispensable resources for getting gaming creations out to the world without a top-end Android phone.

Thanks to Roblox's commitment to adding new features and its online safety practices, it's become a robust choice for educators and parents to promote virtual learning.

As it currently stands, anyone can get started with Roblox. The platform is here to stay and will continue to grow.

To help newcomers and curious prospects learn what Roblox is all about, we've created a guide that covers what Roblox is, how to get started, and a breakdown of the fundamental features you'll encounter in the app.

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What is Roblox, and why is it so popular?

Credit: Roblox

Roblox Corporation launched Roblox in 2006, and it's still extremely popular as a metaverse for gamers today; it is currently one of Google Play Store's most downloaded apps, featuring over 500 million downloads.

Roblox is available across many platforms, including mobile, PC, Xbox, Mac, and Fire OS, and there's no doubt that this cross-platform accessibility is a significant reason for Roblox's surge in popularity.

Now it's the primary platform for young aspiring game developers to learn how to make games.

The history behind Roblox and its legacy

It all began when co-founders David Baszucki and Erik Cassel launched Roblox Corporation in 2006.

Roblox was originally called "DynaBlocks" and "GoBlocks" during its course of development between 2003 and 2005. The company finalized the name to "Roblox" at release, which is how we know it today.

In 2007, Roblox followed suit with COPPA (Children's Online Privacy Protection Act of 1998), adding restrictions on its primary chat for users under 13; underage Roblox users could only select predefined messages from a menu to communicate with other players.

Within that same year, Roblox launched Builders Club (now rebranded as Roblox Premium) and other server improvements, including character customization and a ticket system.

Years later, Roblox continued to roll out new features and changes and, most importantly, expanded across macOS (2011), iOS (2012), Android (2014), and Xbox One (2015). It eventually reached VR in 2016 using the Oculus Rift.

Now, millions of users log in to the metaverse on multiple devices, including Chromebooks, after adding some tweaks.

Getting started on Roblox

Credit: Roblox

Roblox is available on various platforms; you can download a native app or launch the web browser version.

It's best to explore Roblox at your own pace by setting up and customizing your account, viewing other users' creations, playingthe most popular Roblox experiences, and then getting your feet wet with game design.

Getting your kids involved with Roblox

Roblox is an excellent platform for getting your kids involved, whether you're a parent or an educator. Roblox is a safe online sanctuary for children.

You don't have to worry about your kids engaging with the community unfiltered; chat is fully moderated by actual humans for inappropriate language and content.

Since the beginning of 2026, the company has rolled out global face age checks for all users to use the chat.

As a parent, you can set parental controls on your child's Roblox account; you can set permissions for how that account interacts with the website, personalize the level of privacy and contact exposure, and customize which experiences are available for your child to play.

Settings cannot be changed without using the parental PIN. But to ensure your child's safety, always check if your child uses the same account you've used to set the parental controls.

And if you're still concerned about the games your kids get involved in, you can use Roblox as a bonding opportunity by participating in family-friendly experiencestogether.

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How game creation works on Roblox

Roblox uses Lua, a programming language used in scripts praised for its power, efficiency, and lightweight nature.

It's beginner-friendly and teaches you how to write code, store it in scripts, and have your games and applications run off of those scripts.

You'll gain a fundamental understanding of game design after working through a few projects inside the Roblox Studio.

Getting started on Roblox Studio

Aside from the Roblox app, you'll need to download Roblox Studio, accessed from the Roblox website.

You can only download Roblox Studio for your PC (Windows and Mac).

1. Go to the Create - Roblox web page and navigate to Start Creating.
2. Select Download Studio.

Inside Roblox Studio is where the bulk of game creation happens; this is where you develop your game, create objects and resources, test your scripts (and debug), and work with tools and templates.

Everything you need to make your game is found within Roblox Studio.

Roblox Studio can be daunting if you haven't worked with code before, but that's why users can visit the Developer's hub to access tutorials and the community for resources and support.

Educators can access free lesson plans and learning tools if they want to use Roblox as their primary learning platform.

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Personalizing your Roblox account

Getting started on your Roblox account is a multistep process. You'll want to carefully consider how you'll portray your account; it's involved in everything you do on Roblox.

Sometimes, your account is seen as a representation of you in this virtual place. But protecting your identity is essential, so you'll want to create a username that aligns with your image and branding, especially if you plan to grow on this platform.

Creating and customizing your Roblox avatar

When registering a new account, expect to spend some time creating your Roblox avatar. Essentially, this is the character model you'll see in Roblox games, and it's what's physically associated with your account.

New accounts will have limited cosmetic options, but the point is to buy into more customization options after you've decided to stick with the platform.

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Remember that after you've settled on an avatar, you'll see it in many Roblox experiences. It's similar to creating a Mii on your Nintendo system. So do your best to put care into it, especially if you're trying to establish your brand.

Differentiating between username versus display name

Your Roblox username serves as the unique identifier for your account, and it cannot be changed without paying 1,000 Robux.

However, your username isn't what's displayed publicly to other Roblox users; your display name is what shows up, which is separate from your username.

You can change your display name for free. Avoid linking your username to your personal information; your privacy matters and should always be protected, especially in a community of hundreds of millions of Roblox users.

Parental controls and safety features

Children under 13 years of age should register a Roblox account with their parents.

By customizing your child's account settings, you can ensure your child receives direct messages from registered friends, has access to age-appropriate games, and has chat restrictions.

Parents must keep track of the four-digit PIN so that their child cannot override the account settings. To get started, navigate to Settings > Privacy > Account Restrictions (turn on the slider).

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Text-based chats also have a filter system and are closely monitored. That way, you don't have to worry about inappropriate chat topics while enjoying an experience.

Chat with voice in Roblox

Roblox has a native voice chat option that lets users who enable "Chat with voice" connect with others who have the same setting enabled. The voice chat feature is in beta and is only available to users aged 13and older.

Verifying your age is lengthy and requires you to scan your ID and take a selfie. The process takes a few extra steps, but since there is little to no filtering in the voice chat feature, Roblox has to ensure you're in the appropriate age group to use it.

To enable voice chat, head to Settings > Privacy, then tap the voice chat option to enable it.

You must be part of the Chat with voice beta program and successfully verify your age. Otherwise, the voice chat option isn't present in your settings.

Keeping your Roblox account secure

While creating new Roblox accounts, account security is often overlooked by people who might be uninformed (much like children) and inexperienced about the importance of this practice.

Anytime you share personal information, put money down, and log in to your account, you put yourself at risk if your account is unprotected. Data can be stolen, so we must take extra precautions to protect these accounts.

All Roblox accounts will have a separate username and a separate Display name; the Display name is there to protect you from sharing any personal information that may become tied to your username.

Secondly, turn on two-factor authentication (2FA). Two-factor authentication provides an additional layer of protection for any Roblox account. That way, no one else can sign in to your account without knowing how to bypass the 2FA.

How to turn on 2FA on Roblox

1. Launch and log in to the Roblox app.
2. Tap the circle three dots icon.
3. Scroll down and tap Settings. Close
4. Tap Security.
5. Choose any option (authenticator app, email, and security keys on the web only) to set up 2FA, and turn that slider on; we recommend at least the email option. Close
6. Enter your account's password and tap Verify.
7. When verification is complete, the slider turns green (it is now on). Then, repeat the steps for all other 2FA verification options. Close

Now with 2FA set up, you will need to enter an additional (unique) code before logging in to Roblox; you'll generate and find the code with any of the three selected options above.

Always use 2FA; it only takes a few extra minutes to keep your account fully secure.

Is Roblox free? Why do people spend money on Roblox?

At its core, the platform is free to download and use across all devices. You can create a Roblox account for free and access most of its games (Roblox experiences) without paying a cent; note that some experiences will require paid access.

Despite those free perks, Roblox still incentivizes spending real money to acquire additional features and customization options.

So in the grand scheme, it's more appropriate to label Roblox as a freemium platform. But like most freemium models, money goes towards the operating costs and, sometimes, personal investment.

How exactly does Roblox earn money?

Roblox earns revenue in a variety of ways. Every time a user purchases Robux, a percentage is turned into profit, while the rest sustains the operating costs and development.

See the illustration below for how every dollar spent in Roblox is divvied up.

Credit: Roblox

For aspiring developers looking to sell their Roblox products, the total Robux earned can vary up to 75% depending on whether you're the creator, distributor/seller, or both. The remaining 25% always goes to the platform.

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Other ways Roblox makes a profit include advertising partnerships, licensing, and royalties. So, just from the sheer popularity and exposure of this gaming platform-turned-metaverse, Roblox has plenty of stable ways to stay afloat.

Investing in Roblox and what you can do

All tools are freely accessed in Roblox, but sometimes you might want to spice up your latest creations using Robux, the primary Roblox currency, or start looking into one of the premium plans.

In either case, it may require you to put some money down. It might even be a good idea to throw a few Roblox gift cards to your close friend or family heavily invested in a Roblox project, which is a sure way to show your support for their game development endeavors.

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What is Robux and Roblox Premium?

The in-game currency is used to purchase accessories, clothes, avatar animations, and access to unique perks in games. Robux is acquired with real money, donated, traded, and gained from your premium membership.

The Roblox Premium has three available tiers, and each tier indicates how much Robux you'll earn monthly.

• Premium 450 ($5/month)
• Premium 1000 ($10/month)
• Premium 2200 ($20/month)

You receive other perks from enrolling in the Roblox Premium membership program.

You get VIP treatment, where you get an extra 10% Robux on purchase, the ability to trade items, exclusive discounts in the Avatar Shop and bonus accessories, and access to premium-only items found in experiences.

What can Roblox Credit be used for?

Roblox Credit is the direct conversion from real-world money to a Credit found on your Roblox account, specifically your credit balance. You use your Roblox Credit to buy a premium membership plan or for Robux.

Anytime you redeem a Roblox gift card, you convert it to Roblox Credit, then convert those into Robux or Roblox Premium.

Choosing the right Roblox experience

Participating in Roblox experiences is another way of saying you're accessing applications and games found within Roblox. Roblox has become the primary hub where anyone can share and join Roblox experiences.

Like regular apps and games, Roblox experiences are searchable and have associated genres. You can search for thrill-seeking experiences that scare the living daylights out of anyone or simply browse the most popular Roblox creations that everyone's playing.

The opportunities behind Roblox are vast and endless; you can enter any experience, whether alone or with people on your friend list.

So, if you're looking for a time sink, you'll find it by playing through the many Roblox experiences published by the day.

Supporting Roblox in any place

The Roblox developers provide many tools and resources for online safety, learning tutorials, and advice on succeeding in game development.

As Roblox continues to flourish, it becomes an excellent outlet to share projects within a sizable community, supporting the growth of newly aspiring developers.

Still, even with Roblox reaching double digits in age, it still offers an excellent foundation for some of the top-tier sandbox games on Android.

Plus, the platform continues to conjure surprises, even if you're in a bind and can't access Roblox smoothly on your network. VPNs are here to save the day.

• Gaming
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