How to Make Roblox Games: A Beginner's Plan for Your First Week

Most beginners fail for one reason: they try to build something huge on day one. A better plan is small and boring at first. Below is a simple path with a first hour, a first day and a first week, so you always know what to do next.

What you need before you start

• A Windows or Mac computer. Studio doesn't run on phones or Chromebooks.
• A Roblox account to sign in with.
• A mouse, if you can. Moving and scaling objects with a trackpad is slow and fiddly.

If you're on a Chromebook, you can still play Roblox, and our guide to playing Roblox on a Chromebook covers how, but you'll need a Windows or Mac computer to build. If all you've got is a laptop trackpad, playing Roblox on a laptop without a mouse has tips that help in Studio too.

Your first hour: get Studio open and build one thing

1. Download Roblox Studio from Roblox's own site, install it and sign in with your account.
2. Start a new project from a template. Baseplate is a flat empty world and Obby is a ready-made obstacle course. Baseplate is the easiest to learn on.
3. Find the Explorer window, which lists everything in your game, and the Properties window, which shows the settings of whatever you've selected.
4. Insert a Part, which is a basic block. Use the move, scale and rotate tools to change it.
5. Anchor the Part in its Properties so it doesn't fall when the game runs.
6. Press the Play button to test. Walk around, then stop the test and change something.

That's your first hour. If you can place a block, anchor it and test it, you've learned the loop every Roblox game is built on: build, test, change, repeat. Studio's menus change between versions, so if a name looks different, search the Studio help for the word you're after.

Your first day: build a tiny obstacle course

An obby is the best first project. It's simple, it shows off the tools, and you can finish it in an afternoon.

• Place a start platform and a few more platforms with gaps between them.
• Anchor every Part so nothing drifts or falls.
• Colour the platforms differently so players can see where to go.
• Add a finish platform so there's a clear goal.
• Test it yourself after every few changes, not only at the end.

A tiny script to try

Roblox scripts are written in Luau, a language based on Lua. Scripts go in ServerScriptService. Here's a small example that turns a Part red when someone touches it. It assumes a Part named MyPart in your game.

local part = workspace.MyPart
part.Touched:Connect(function()
    part.BrickColor = BrickColor.new("Bright red")
end)

Don't worry if the code looks strange at first. Change the colour name, press Play and watch what happens. Learning by changing one word at a time works better than reading a long tutorial straight through.

Learning from what you build

Every time you test, ask two questions. Is anything confusing? Is anything boring? A jump that's too hard or a corridor that's too long will show up the moment you play your own game with fresh eyes.

Keep a short list in a notes app. Write down the problems, then fix them one at a time. Changing five things at once makes it impossible to know which change helped.

A word about free models

The Toolbox has free models you can drop into your game. They save time, but be careful. Some contain scripts you didn't write and wouldn't want, and some are unsafe. Open any script inside a model before you keep it, and delete anything you don't understand.

Your first week: finish, share and learn

1. Add a checkpoint or two so players don't restart from the beginning every time.
2. Give your game a simple theme, such as space, jungle or candy, and keep it consistent.
3. Ask a friend or family member to play it and watch where they get stuck. Don't help them. Notice the problems.
4. Fix the three most annoying things you found.
5. Work through Roblox's own Creator Hub documentation and tutorials. It's the official place to learn and it's free.

If you like seeing how other games hold a group of players together, playing a few with friends is useful research. Our list of co-op horror games is one place to start if spooky is your style.

How to publish your game

1. In Studio, choose File, then Publish to Roblox.
2. Give the game a name and a short description that says what players do.
3. Save it to your account.
4. Open the game's settings in the Creator Hub (also called the Creator Dashboard) and set it to public when you're ready for others to find it.

Keep it private while you're testing. Make it public only when you'd be happy for a stranger to see it.

Making your game feel finished

A game doesn't need to be big to feel complete. These small touches do more than extra levels.

• A clear name and a short description that tells players what to do.
• A start area that's easy to read, so nobody wonders where to go.
• A visible finish, such as a bright platform at the end.
• Sensible difficulty. The first few jumps should be easy.
• A quick test on the biggest stage you've built, to be sure nothing is missing.

Players decide within seconds whether they're staying. Make those first seconds simple and friendly.

Where to keep learning

Roblox's own Creator Hub documentation is the official source, and it covers Studio, scripting and publishing in detail. Work through one topic at a time and apply it straight away to your obby. Reading without building doesn't stick. Building without reading eventually hits a wall. Doing both, a little each day, is how people get good.

Mistakes beginners make

• Forgetting to anchor Parts, so the whole build collapses when the game starts.
• Trusting free models without checking their scripts.
• Building a giant map before testing a single jump.
• Copying large chunks of code without knowing what they do.
• Expecting money. Treat your first game as practice, not income. Nobody can promise players or earnings.

The best advice I can give is to finish something small. A tiny game that works teaches you more than a grand idea that never gets past the first screen.

Frequently asked questions

Can I make Roblox games on my phone?

No. Roblox Studio runs on Windows and Mac. You can play Roblox on phones, but you'll need a computer to build.

Is Roblox Studio free?

Yes, Studio is free to download and use. Sign in with your Roblox account to start.

What coding language does Roblox use?

Roblox uses Luau, which is based on Lua. Scripts usually go in ServerScriptService.

How do I publish my Roblox game?

In Studio choose File, then Publish to Roblox, add a name and description, then set the game to public in the Creator Hub when it's ready.