Roblox Beginner’s Guide And Tips

Chances are that, if you’re new to Roblox, you won’t know your Obby from your elbow. That’s okay, though, as everyone has to start somewhere, and a beginner’s guide such as this one is exactly what you need.

Here, you’ll find everything you need to get started in the world of Roblox, from how to set up an account, how to customize your avatar, what Robux are and how to use them, and a list of some of the genres of experiences you’ll find on this platform (including the aforementioned Obby-style games).

Once you’re familiar with the basics, we have a list of the best Roblox games, which is constantly updated with fresh and immensely popular experiences. As Roblox is geared primarily towards children, we also have an explainer detailing whether Roblox is safe for your little ones to play and how to safeguard them against potential threats.

How to set up a Roblox account

To begin your Roblox journey, visit the official Roblox website or download the app from the Apple App Store or Google Play Store. Make sure it’s the correct one if you’re downloading it on your mobile device, with Roblox Corporation as the company name below it. Those with existing accounts can log in via the button at the top right of the screen on the website accessed via a PC or the Sign In button at the bottom of the app screen. For new users on the app, tap ‘Create Account’ to get started.

Creating an account is as simple as entering your birthday, a username that doesn’t include your real name or anything rude, and a password. You can also enter your gender, but this is optional. When deciding on a password, it’s important to create one that’s robust. After all, you don’t want someone else accessing your account! Roblox requires that your password be eight characters long, but you may want to throw in some numbers in place of letters. For example, if you want the password to be “PlayObbyGames”, you can replace some of the letters with numbers and symbols: something like “P1@y0bbyG@m35” where the As are @ symbols, and O’s, L’s, E’s, and S’s are zeroes, ones, threes, and fives.

When you first load up the app, you’ll be greeted with a list of the most popular games on the platform. You’ll find that, on subsequent visits, you’ll also see a list of games you’ve already started playing with the option to continue playing. On the mobile app, you can enter any experience you want and play immediately, but on the PC, you need to download the Roblox client. To start an experience on your PC, press the play icon on a game’s page, and you’ll find detailed instructions to install the Roblox app. Log in to your account and try starting the game from here to begin playing!

Navigating the Roblox app

You’re probably eager to start a game, and who wouldn’t be? However, there are several tabs and buttons you should at least check out first. The first is the Charts tab, where you can find the best experiences to play right now. Most of them are free to play, but also include either microtransactions that require Robux, or the use of in-game currency or time to play to their fullest. Incidentally, whenever you see a recommendation from us, it’ll include what kind of in-game purchases are present and whether or not you need to pay to play them to the fullest.

We’ll go over the Create and Robux tabs in the next section, but for now, let’s focus on the rest of the options available. Aside from the rather self-explanatory messages and friends sections, the inventory tab allows you to view all the items bought or redeemed via the Marketplace. Avatar allows you to change your Roblox character’s appearance, including a handy viewing tool to see your design in 3D. If there are any free or gift items available in the Marketplace, the Blog tab is the best place to find them. You can also view any public forums or get notifications of in-game events for games you play via the Communities tab.

What are Robux?

Robux is Roblox’s internal currency. It’s used to buy cosmetic outfit pieces from the Marketplace or to get items exclusive to specific games. You’ll likely see many experiences with dedicated hubs in a game’s world, asking for either a one-off payment or a subscription to get shortcuts or unique items to get the most out of it.

Robux is highly valued across the platform’s developers as a source of real-world income. Every game in Roblox is made via the Create tab and comes with a free-to-use app called Roblox Studio. From there, you can use the app to make whatever you want. In turn, this has led to some developers of the most popular experiences making a living from their in-game experiences via the Developer Exchange (DevEx) program via Game Passes, Developer Products, and in-game ads/sponsorships.

You can purchase Robux in many different ways. The simplest is to use the Robux tab and buy directly using your profile. You can also sign up for Roblox Premium for a subscription fee, which gives you 1,000 Robux each month. Alternatively, the Official Store tab links to the Roblox page on Amazon, where buying Robux also gives you free and exclusive avatar items, as well as books for learning how to develop in Roblox Studio and plenty of Roblox-themed PC gaming accessories. Finally, the Gift Cards page allows anyone to pass on Robux to a friend.

A word of warning, though. The very nature of Robux means that there is the potential for financial scams. No matter what someone offers, always remember the mantra: if something sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Roblox controls

If you’re playing on a PC, the default keys are WASD for movement (that’s up, left, right, and down, respectively), as well as the space bar to jump. Finally, holding down the right mouse button while moving the mouse rotates the camera.

Those on mobile devices will probably have a slightly easier time working out the controls for themselves, but you’ll see a virtual stick that you can drag to move around the screen, and a separate jump button. Dragging anywhere else on the screen will rotate the camera.

Climbing ladders is usually as simple as walking up them, but some experiences may ask you to press a button to climb or descend. If any game has an interactable element to it, you can do so by left-clicking on it with your mouse or tapping it on your phone.

To exit any experience, press the Esc key on your keyboard and click the Leave Game button. In the app, you need to tap the Roblox icon at the top left of the screen and tap Leave.

Types of Roblox games

Many Roblox games fall into similar categories to those of other video games on the market. However, some lesser-known genres show up more often in Roblox, and even a couple of exclusive ones you won’t find anywhere else.

Here are all the less common Roblox game genres:

• Battlegrounds – these are fighting games where players are dumped into an arena and brawl until one is left. The main difference between this and a Battle Royale game, such as Fortnite, is that there’s no circle slowly closing in, shrinking the play area.
• Dress Up – any experience that has you either buy or use in-game accessories to dress up your avatar.
• Escape Room – involves solving cryptic puzzles to get out of a single room.
• Idle – usually requires minimal or zero player input to unlock stuff, merely requiring your in-game time.
• Incremental Simulator – typically, these games have you perform a menial task, such as running races, lifting weights, or tapping a counter to unlock progress.
• Obby – these are platform games where the aim is to complete an ever-increasingly difficult set of obstacle courses.
• RPs – not to be confused with RPGs, the idea of this genre is to inhabit a persona and live that character as if they were you. This includes going to the shops, driving around in cars, and hanging out with friends.
• Scavenger Hunt – a variant on adventure games where you need to find and collect specific objects.
• Shopping – experiences where you can buy items. This can include digital or real-life goods, and sometimes the stores are for real-life brands such as Ikea or Nike. Can also have items that your avatar can use.
• Showcase Hubs – experiences designed to show off an environment, or as a portal to games made by the creator. These will physically teleport you to different experiences when interacting with said portals, rather than loading the game page.
• Story – these are narrative experiences which convey a series of events the creator wishes to tell. They usually feature very little gameplay.
• Tower Defense – these exist outside of Roblox, but are extremely popular here. The idea is to prevent waves of enemies from destroying your base by building and upgrading defensive units.
• Tycoon – manage your shop, farm, or other business to get items to “sell” to droppers and make money to unlock more features. These are a bit rare these days, but games like Grow A Garden are a potential sign of a comeback.