Roblox is huge. But there are still plenty of gamers who have never given it a go. Many of them find the idea of jumping into a 16-year-old multiplayer game a little bit daunting, both because of the perceived learning curve and the idea that the game may have “passed its prime”.

If you’re one of these people, don’t worry. I was too until I jumped into Roblox for the first time recently where I learned the basics and began to truly understand what this strange “game” is all about.

So let me give you the heads up, so you get a head start!

Realise it’s not a traditional game

Roblox is often compared to Minecraft, but if you go into Roblox expecting anything like Minecraft you’re going to be severely disappointed. That’s because Roblox is unlike most other games, in the fact that it isn’t really even a game. Let me explain.

Roblox is a creative platform where users can create and publish experiences for other players to enjoy. In that way, it can be more helpful to think of Roblox as more similar to Steam than Minecraft.

Because of this, Roblox really is not a game in a traditional sense. There’s no “story”, “progression” is very abstract, and the developers are the players. Because of this, you can find many wonderful games, people, and experiences on the platform, but your experience will likely be very different to other players’ depending on what experiences you play, and whether you decide to become a creator or not.

Try out experiences (a lot of them)

So Roblox isn’t a game, but it has loads of games within it. Some are great, some are OK and some, well, are terrible. To separate the wheat from the chaff you really have to dive in and explore the catalogue yourself. 

But hold up there are, supposedly, around 40 million games on Roblox. So, you need some way of knowing where to start, right? For this, we recommend throwing yourself into some Google searches and Reddit threads to unpick some of the greatest experiences of your preferred genres (or simply the “best” experiences the platform has to offer).

However, alongside exploring the established canon, I definitely recommend exploring some random titles, so you can understand the full range of quality and experimentation available on the platform.

Play with friends, or actively try to make some

Hopping from game to game, lobby to lobby can become incredibly tiresome on your own. So, I suggest doing it with a friend.

Not only does this give you someone to bounce ideas for what to play off of, but it gives you someone to experience those games with. A factor that is likely to grow your enjoyment of each and every one of those games—especially if they are competitive!

Customise your Avatar

Roblox is about digital identity as much as it is about playing or making games. Because of this, you’ll probably want to get your hands on some swag to really make your avatar feel like your own.

While you can do this by buying Robux through the store, a more effective way is to buy Robux or a whole pimped-out account through a third party like ElDorado.gg!

Decide if you want to play, create or both!

Once you’ve given a fair few games a go, you can ask yourself—do I want to play the games on offer, or do I want to develop? Of course, you can do both, but your decision to primarily be a player or a dev within Roblox will wildly change your experience with the platform.

Let’s not beat around the bush, developing good games can be hard work. But if you have a passion for it, it can be INCREDIBLY rewarding. If you have an idea for a Roblox game, download the game creator and give it a go. But before you do that you might want to…

Check out Roblox Dev basics on YouTube

Roblox may give you tonnes of tools that make creating a game easier than starting from scratch, but that doesn’t mean there isn’t a learning curve to create quality experiences. Unless you’ve created in a game engine before, I strongly recommend learning the basics alongside some YouTube tutorials. These will ensure you know how to navigate, create and script within the game engine, opening up your options to create the game you want.

Enjoy Yourself

Roblox is a fun, engaging, and often strange platform. So, when you’re diving in for the first time ensure you let yourself enjoy the whole array of what’s on offer, and don’t get too bogged down with aspects you don’t enjoy.

Don’t want to customise your avatar? Avoid it. Creating games too frustrating? Put that idea on the back burner. Is one game making your blood boil? Hop into another.

Seriously, Roblox has so much to offer that there’s no point sticking with parts of it that are frustrating you. 

So, what are you waiting for? Jump in and explore the universe that is Roblox!