Roblox just gave a whole new meaning to the word creativity.

One of the most popular games kids everyone is playing right now, Roblox is a user-generation multiplayer online social gaming platform. What does that really mean? Players from all around the world can play different games within Roblox, but each game was created by another user. I thought Roblox was going to be a game similar to Minecraft—a sandbox video game where players dig and build 3-D blocks within a large world of varying terrains and habitats to explore. However, players from all around the world can play different games within Roblox, but each game was created by another user.

Roblox is especially appealing because it is playable on virtually any device. Kids can play on iOS or Android mobile devices, the Xbox One console, iPod Touch, Microsoft Windows or macOS computers, iPod touch, or Fire OS tablet‚ meaning that users can do one thing on their tablets or mobile devices, and then pick back up where they left off on their computers, for example.

My avatar, looking stylish as usual.

The game debuted in 2006, but has just recently exploded to an impressive 48 million monthly active players. Right now, there are also 22 million online games and 1.7 million game creators. That number marks an increase of more than two times the amount of game creators on the platform from this time last year. (WOAH!) Roblox hires creators to build levels on Roblox Studio, a development engine, that allows them to build 3-D multiplayer games and experiences using a library of industry-standard tools and community-created assets. Working independently or as a team, developers can publish their creations with a single click via the Roblox cloud, allowing them to instantly engage with the Roblox community.

Needless to say, there is never a shortage of things to do in the virtual world.

Starting out Roblox for the first time feels easy and safe. All you have to do is enter a username, password for the account, gender (for your avatar), and birthday. No other information is required, so parents can breathe a sigh of relief that kids are playing in a secure environment. Then, you can customize your avatar using a massive catalog of clothing and accessory options. Now, it’s time to really play.

With—literally—millions of games to choose from, I was a bit overwhelmed from where to start. But, Roblox features a game tab that makes it easy to begin. It lists games that are recommended, popular and trending games, top rated, and featured. Something new can be played every day, or kids can play it over again to get different badges. 

I started out with the game, “Working at a Pizza Place,” which was recommended to me, and I chose because I love pizza. The game dropped me into a pizza restaurant, where I would perform different tasks. I started out as the cashier, got a tutorial for how to play, and was taking my customers’ pizza orders. You had to greet them with one of four pre-written phrases (some of them were silly, like, “Welcome to Build-A-Bear Workshop,” or “The money is in the register!” But, the right one to choose was always something like, “Can I interest you in a pepperoni pizza today?” The game had a bunch of other different sides to it, such as choosing to be a chef, delivery person, or more at the restaurant.

I also played “Would You Rather?” which is a fresh twist on the classic game. Roblox chose a random player to pick what they would prefer, and then everyone in the game walked to stand on a blue tile for one option, or a red for the other. It was fun guessing which players would choose, and if you picked correctly, you would be rewarded with diamonds.

The social component is lots of fun and what really makes the game stand out. Kids can play with their friends (even if they’re playing on a different device) in all of the different worlds. They can connect with their friends online with in-game chat features, group messages, or private messages, and play games with each other.

While the game is free to play, it offers in-app purchases, which is potentially a major downside for most parents. Players can purchase Robux using real money to then buy things in the game, such as accessories to customize their avatars and to get other items to add to their games. Parents may want to discuss in-app purchases before handing over their tablets to their kids, and talk about the limits to what they can do in the game. Kids must be cautious because buying lots of Robux will result in a lot of money spent.

For the first time, Roblox is going offline with an awesome new line of toys, from Jazwares, that are based on the digital world. The line is inspired by the popular games, characters, and developers in the user-generated gaming platform. Fans can take apart the characters in the physical toy line and mix and match parts to create new characters—just like they can in Roblox’s virtual world!

The imagination of users is also strongly reflected in the toy offerings, with a selection of play sets and characters based on the creations of some of the most popular community developers. The characters are the same ones that kids know and love from the games, so fans will automatically recognize the figures and sets from what they play with online, making it feel like the characters jumped out of the game IRL!

The best feature is that every item in the toy line also includes exclusive codes to unlock in-game surprises and features creations from the game’s most popular independent developers, including ones based on user generated creations such as the Roblox High School and Work at a Pizza Place (sounds familiar from above?).

For now, the line includes the Roblox Champions of Roblox Figure 6 Pack, High School, Lord Umberhallow Pack, Matt Dusek Pack, Work at a Pizza Place, and Mr. Bling Pack, and blind boxes. Series 1 of the mystery boxes features 40 characters, so there’s so much for kids to collect and trade wit their friends! Each figure stands about 3 inches tall, and kids can even assemble the ones in the blind boxes. The High school and Work at a Pizza Place sets are interactive, featuring lockers that open and close and skateboards and a motorcycle with working wheels.

Roblox lets players experience just about anything they could possibly imagine across millions of immersive user-generated 3-D worlds, in a creative, fun, and safe space. With the new toy line, the imagination comes off the screen to endless play.

About the author

Maddie Michalik

Maddie Michalik

Maddie Michalik was the Editor-in-Chief of The Toy Book from 2020-2022. She was also a Senior Editor at The Toy Insider and The Pop Insider.

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