Roblox is an online game platform and game creation system developed by Roblox Corporation. It allows users to program games and play games created by other users. Founded by David Baszucki and Erik Cassel in 2004 and released in 2006, the platform hosts user-created games of multiple genres coded in the programming language Lua. For most of Roblox's history, it was relatively small, both as a platform and a company, due to both co-founder Baszucki's lack of interest in press coverage and it being "lost among the crowd" in a large number of platforms released around the same time. Roblox began to grow rapidly in the second half of the 2010s, and this growth has been accentuated by the COVID-19 pandemic.
Roblox is free-to-play, with in-game purchases available through a virtual currency called "Robux". As of August 2020, Roblox had over 164 million monthly active users, with it being played by over half of all children aged under 16 in the United States.
Roblox has received generally positive reviews from critics.
Roblox is the ultimate virtual universe that lets you play, create, and be anything you can imagine. Join millions of players and discover an infinite variety of immersive worlds created by a global community!
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MILLIONS OF WORLDS TO EXPLORE
In the mood for an epic role-playing adventure? Want to compete against rivals worldwide? Or do you just want to hang out and chat with your friends online? A growing library of worlds created by the community means there’s always something new and exciting for you to play every day.
PLAY TOGETHER ANYTIME, ANYWHERE
Roblox features full cross-platform support, meaning you can play with your friends and millions of other people on their computers, mobile devices, Xbox One, or VR headsets.
BE ANYTHING YOU CAN IMAGINE
Be creative and show off your unique style! Customize your avatar with tons of hats, shirts, faces, gear, and more. The Xbox One version of Roblox also includes exclusive avatar outfits.
CHAT WITH FRIENDS
Connect with your friends online by chatting with them via Xbox Live’s integrated voice chat or party chat. An active Xbox Live Gold subscription is required.
Roblox allows players to buy, sell, and create virtual items which can be used to decorate their virtual character that serves as their avatar on the platform. Clothes can be bought by anyone, but only players with a premium membership can sell them. Only Roblox administrators can sell accessories, body parts, gear, and packages under the official Roblox user account; virtual hats and accessories can also be published by a select few users with past experience working with Roblox Corporation. There are several individuals who design items as a full-time job, with the highest-earning creators making over $100,000 a year off item sales. Items with a limited edition status can only be traded between or sold by users with premium membership status.
Robux is the virtual currency in Roblox that allows players to buy various items. Players can obtain Robux by purchasing it with real currency, from a recurring stipend given to members with premium membership, and from other players by producing and selling virtual content in Roblox. Robux acquired through the sale of user-generated content can be exchanged into real-world currency through the website's Developer Exchange system. There are a sizable amount of scams relating to Robux, largely revolving around automated messages promoting scam websites, scam games designed to appear to give out free Robux, and invalid Robux codes.
Roblox occasionally hosts real-life and virtual events. They have in the past hosted events such as BloxCon, which was a convention for ordinary players on the platform. Roblox operates annual Easter egg hunts, and also hosts an annual event called the “Bloxy Awards”, an awards ceremony which also functions as a fundraiser. The 2020 edition of the Bloxy Awards, held virtually on the platform, drew 600,000 viewers. Roblox Corporation annually hosts the Roblox Developers Conference, a three-day invite-only event in San Francisco where top content creators on the site learn of upcoming changes to the platform. The company has also hosted similar events in London and Amsterdam.
Roblox occasionally engages in events to promote films, such as ones held to promote Wonder Woman 1984 and Aquaman. In 2020, Roblox hosted its first virtual concert, which has been compared to that of American rapper Travis Scott's virtual concert in Fortnite, during which American rapper Lil Nas X debuted his song "Holiday" to an audience of Roblox players.