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How to Make a Roblox Game: Studio, Luau and Publishing
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1. Install Roblox Studio
Roblox games are made with Roblox Studio. It is a free download from create.roblox.com, runs on Windows and macOS and opens with your Roblox account. On first launch you can start from an empty template such as Baseplate or from a ready-made game template.
2. Build the scene
The game world is made of parts and models. The Explorer window shows everything in the scene as a tree, and the Properties window shows the size, colour and physics of the selected object. The Toolbox has ready-made models shared by others; check them for hidden scripts before you use them.
3. Your first script in Luau
Game logic on Roblox is written in Luau, a language derived from Lua with additions such as type checking. Code that runs on the server is added as a Script, and code that runs on the player's device as a LocalScript. The usual first step is a short script that gives points to a player who touches a part, or teleports them somewhere else.
4. Server and client
The player's device is open to cheating; values such as money, points and inventory should only change on the server. The client and the server talk through RemoteEvents, and the server must check every request from the client on its own side. Player data is saved with DataStores.
5. Test it
The Play button in Studio starts the game on your own computer. From the Test tab you can open a local server with several players to try multiplayer situations. The Output window shows errors; before publishing, also open the game on a phone and check that the controls work on touch, since many Roblox players play on phones.
6. Publishing
Publish to Roblox in the File menu uploads the game to your account. The name, description, icon and images are edited in the Creator Hub; until the game is made public, only you can see it. Roblox rates game content through a questionnaire, and the game cannot go public until this step is done.
7. How the game earns money
Earnings on Roblox come in Robux: Game Passes sell permanent perks, Developer Products sell items that can be bought again, and you are also paid based on the time Premium members spend in your game. Earned Robux can be turned into money through the Developer Exchange (DevEx) programme. According to Roblox's documentation, you need at least 30,000 earned Robux, a verified email and to be at least 13; the rate is set by Roblox and can change, so check the current rate on the DevEx page at create.roblox.com.
8. Getting the game found
Whether a new game stands out on Roblox depends on whether players come back and how long they stay. Test with friends in the first days, update regularly based on player feedback and try Roblox's own ad tools with small budgets. Frequent small updates are healthier than one big launch.
Want a game of your own?
If you want a game outside Roblox, with its own store page and its own revenue, we develop mobile and PC games with Unity and Godot; game development starts from $800 with us.
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