October 28, 2022

Navigating Your Way Through Roblox

Roblox is one of the biggest games in the world right now. It’s also incredibly popular with children under 16. Understandably, this has a lot of parents wondering what Roblox is, if Roblox is safe and how to help their kids enjoy Roblox. If you’re wondering any of these things, we’re here to help. Consider this article a net-savvy parents’ guide to Roblox.

What is Roblox?

Roblox isn’t a single game, but a platform that lets people play them. It’s available on iOS, Android, Windows, macOS and Xbox One. What makes it different from Steam and other game stores is that all of Roblox’s games—they’re called “experiences”—are made by other users. There are currently over 30 million of these experiences available.

Every experience is different. Some are role-playing or mystery games, others are first-person shooters or business simulators. Many Roblox experiences are social and allow multiple users to play together at once. What ties all the different experiences together is that each is made in Roblox’s unique style and players get to use their own custom avatar. It’s the closest thing to a real metaverse!

While Roblox is most popular with kids, there are plenty of adult-focused experiences. (Don’t worry though, there are parental controls to ensure that your children can’t access the wrong content.) Even better—the two of you can play together.

A big part of Roblox’s popularity is that anyone can make a game and it’s relatively easy to do so. Making one’s own game combines the fun of playing regular video games with Minecraft’s creativity.

How to start playing Roblox

It’s easy enough. Sign up for a free Roblox account online with your birth date, username and a secure password, then download the app for the platform you use.

What are Robux?

Roblox is free to download and most experiences are free to play. There is, however, a premium currency called Robux, which is used to buy cosmetic items for a user’s avatar, unlock upgrades and pay for other premium experiences. (Some free cosmetic items are also given away each month with promo codes. Here’s how to redeem a Roblox code.)

While it’s absolutely possible to enjoy Roblox without paying any money, it’s likely that kids will want to spend at least a few Robux making their avatar look unique or buying special items in their favorite experiences.

Decide on your budget. Robux are available from $5 for 400. Some items cost as little as 50 Robux while others cost several thousand.

Is Roblox safe for kids?

Though Roblox has had its share of bad press in the past, the developer is dedicated to keeping it a safe and fun space for children. To keep it safe, its in-game chat is filtered automatically, there are more than 1,600 human moderators and it actively takes down any experiences that don’t abide by the platform’s rules. Things are even stricter for players under the age of 13. You have the option to set parental controls to prevent your child chatting with people they don’t know or playing unapproved games, and you can even monitor their account to see what they get up to. It’s a far safer and more controlled environment than the open web.

To keep Roblox safe for your children, we suggest:

Checking out the For Parents information page, so you understand the precautions Roblox takes.
Reading up on the relevant safety features in the FAQ section.
Signing up for Roblox with your child, so you can make sure their age is set accurately and that the right safety features are turned on.

Keeping an eye on your child’s activity, just to make sure nothing slips through the cracks.

Even though Roblox is safe for kids, one thing you also have to be careful of is if it’s safe for your wallet! With your kids, make sure to set a spending limit on Robux. Also, as with using your credit card for buying anything online, be careful of phishing and other scams.

What are the best games on Roblox?

Roblox is packed with great free online games and experiences. Some kid-friendly ones to check out are:

“Adopt Me!” – It’s a game where you adopt and raise cute pets. It’s also a great way for beginners to learn how to play Roblox.

“Murder Mystery 2” – It’s like “Among Us,” but on Roblox.
“Jailbreak” – A fun cops-and-robbers game.
“Theme Park Tycoon 2” – Build and run your own theme park along with your friends.
“Scuba Diving at Quill Lake” – A great underwater puzzle game.

Do I need fast internet to play Roblox?

Like all online games, Roblox benefits from a fast internet connection like fiber. While few experiences are so fast paced that a bit of lag will make them unplayable, you still want to make sure your internet can handle everything you throw at it—and that everybody in your household has enough bandwidth to do what they like.

Game features may have changed and are subject to change.