How to start creating Roblox games

You create Roblox games using Roblox Studio, a free piece of software you can access via your Roblox account.

To get started, simply click Create on the top bar of the Roblox app and choose Create New Game. From here, you can choose a template for your game, name it, and play with some of the settings — including whether to list it publicly or keep it private. Since it's a work-in-progress, probably best to keep it private for now.

Going to the Create page also gives you the option to launch Roblox Studio. (If you play Roblox in-browser, you'll need to download the Roblox Studio application to your computer first.) This is important, because you need Roblox Studio to actually edit your game.

Inside Roblox Studio, you can create new games by clicking + New tab on the left hand bar. This will bring up a series of templates for you to work from that can be sorted by theme or gameplay style.

There's also a Baseplate option for if you really want to build your game up from scratch. These are the same templates you can choose from in the browser, but from here you can drop right into editing once you've picked your template.

Alternatively, your Roblox Create page and Roblox Studio come pre-loaded with a project call "[username's] Space", a sandbox-y area where you can play around and familiarise yourself with the creator's many customisation options. It's under the My Games tab on the left hand bar.

Making your first Roblox game

Roblox Studio can look quite intimidating at first. It's a proper piece of coding and editing software, after all, and how you use it will depend a lot on what sort of game you want to make.

For a really good first-timer tutorial, I recommend checking out some videos by YouTuber AlvinBlox. They've uploaded dozens of Roblox Studio tutorials ranging from the very basics to the finer points of scripting. Here's a good one to start with:

How to share your Roblox games with other players

There's no need to upload your Roblox game once it's ready to make its debut. It's already right there on the platform, so instead, you just need to make it Public.

Public games can be played by anybody using the Roblox platform; Private games can only be viewed and played by you, and anyone you choose to share editing permissions with.

You can also follow these steps to make a game Private again at any time — just be aware that it will kick anyone currently playing out of the game.

You can do this in a couple of ways. A game can be set to Public directly from the My Creations tab in the browser. Its Public/Private setting will be shown beneath the title, alongside an icon (a green open eye for Public, a grey closed eye for Private). Simply click on this and save the new setting to toggle.

Alternatively, within the Roblox Studio app under My Games, hover over the game's icon. Three dots will appear in the upper right hand corner.

Click on these to see a drop-down menu from which you can configure the game's settings. You can also toggle Public/Private settings directly from an option that appears on the drop-down menu.

1. Install Roblox Studio

Up first, install Roblox Studio. Go to the Roblox website and log into your account. Upon logging into Roblox, visit any of your experiences.

Click the three black boxes in the upper-right corner, and select Edit. (Or download Roblox Studio here.) A pop-up window will appear informing you that Roblox Studio is installing. Then it will automatically open.

Note: A secondary pop-up window may appear asking you to select a program. Select Roblox and confirm.

Then open it up and pick your template.

2. Familiarize yourself with your tools

The Explorer panel is used to show everything in your game world. The Explorer shows the hierarchy of any "Instances" that are within your game. To open the Explorer, click the View tab in your toolbar at the top of your screen, then click on Explorer. Things like your parts and scripts will be here.

The Properties box has everything you need to change what your objects look like and how they act. When you select an object in the project or in the Explorer menu, information on the object will show up in the Properties menu.

To open it, on the top of the window, click the View tab, and on the left hand side there is a button called Properties. Click that, and the property menu will open on the right side the window.

The Toolbox has a selection of models, images, meshes, audio, and videos made by Roblox or Roblox community members.

The Toolbox also includes all those that you've published or those published by groups you belong to. So you can use it to find and add models and objects created by other people.

3. Create your parts

The Part object is a physical object. It will move and interact with other Parts. It can have bonds formed with other Parts, so that the two Parts stay in the same relative position.

To begin placing things in the world, go to the world menu at the top and select Part. Similar to building with LEGOs, parts are the basic building blocks for creating models in your world. Pick blocks, spheres, wedges, and cylinders. Choose any block you like.

Then use the Scale tool to change the size. Just hold Control or Command while you increase the size of your block, to keep it evenly growing in both directions. You can use the "Rotate" tool to change the angle. The Move tool allows you to move your object around the X, Y, and Z axises.

To duplicate your part, just click Control + D.

4. Adjust it with properties

Change the color of your part with the properties panel on the right. You can also set the transparency and reflectiveness of the object. And you can set the surface texture.

If a part isn't anchored, it will be impacted by gravity and fall down, instead of staying floating in the air. If you switch on the CanCollide feature, players will collide with the part. Otherwise they can run right through it.

5. Use others' objects

To use a model someone else has already created, just search for it in the Toolbox panel on the left in the Marketplace tab. Your Inventory is all the models you've saved. The third tab is the most recent models you've used.

The fourth tab is all your creations you'd built and saved. Anything you place into the game can be found in the Explorer, under the Workspace tab. To remove an object from your world, just click on it under Workspace and click the delete button.

6. Add spawn points

To place spawn points, go to the Model menu. To hide them, set their transparency to 1 and delete the decal on them. And to make sure characters can walk through your spawn points, uncheck CanCollide.

7. Roblox scripting with Lua

Let's make this Lava blocks escape game with Lua. To make lava bricks, that kill the player when they touch them, we need to do some scripting. With scripting you can add custom functionality to parts and models.

To add a script to a model or part, hover over it in the Workspace tab and click the + sign next to it. Then click Script to write a script that will kill your player when they touch the block.

Functions are reusable groups of code that perform actions. In this case, the function is triggered whenever the player touches the block. The Parent is the block itself. The Humanoid checks to ensure whatever touched the block is a character. If it is, it executes the rest of the code.

To get out of the script and still keep the script in, click on the tab at the top that shows the name of your game.

8. Finalize your Roblox game

Make a basic platforming section and add lava bricks at the end (you can use the Move tool at the top for this).

Then create a landing platform for the player, to act as the finishing point. To test your level, go to the "Test" menu at the top left, and click Play.

This will spawn you in from the points you've set.

9. Publish and play your Roblox game

Now you're ready to publish your game on Roblox! When you like the game you've created, just click on the Publish button on the right to share it with others for free, and play it with your friends. That brings up a new menu.

Click on "Create New Game." From there, name it, give it a description, set the genre, and specify which devices it works on. To set who can play your game, click on "Game Settings" in the top toolbar. Then click "Permissions" and set your game to Friends, Public, or Private.

Explore fun Roblox game ideas to make

Here are a few more Roblox game examples to try.

1. Make a Super Mario Brothers game

2. Make a rainbow obstacle course game

3. Make a story game on Roblox

4. Enjoy this fun Roblox tutorial for how to make a game

Now you know how to make a game with Roblox coding. Up next, learn how to build multiplayer games so you can invite your friends to play their games together!

Join a live online class to get all your questions answered and learn from a curriculum designed by experts from Google, Stanford, and MIT.

Start with Beginner Roblox Game Coding (Grades 3-8) before progressing to Coding with Roblox Studio in Lua (Grades 6-12). There's even a free Roblox coding class to get started with, so there's no risk in trying.

2023.02