What is Roblox? A Roblox guide for parents
From parental controls to Robux, we've put together the ultimate guide to Roblox for parents looking to wrap their heads around the uber popular game
Ah, Roblox. One of the most popular games in the world with an estimated 50 million players every day. You've likely heard your children talking about or playing the game or you might have seen one of the many headlines about the game lately, either way, you're probably familiar with this strange, blocky virtual world. That being said, Roblox, like Fortnite, is a famously difficult game to wrap your head around.
That's why we've written this guide to help answer the question: what is Roblox?
The simple answer is that Roblox is a platform that hosts a range of games (or experiences) built by users and brands. Players create 1 avatar which they can then use across the estimated 40 million games on the platform.
Roblox experiences range from cute virtual pet games like Adopt Me to sports games like Basketball: Zero with many of the most popular games having millions of players.
Roblox functions similarly to how Fortnite now works in that anyone can use the Roblox platform to create a game that can be shared with players all over the world. This, of course, creates a layer of complexity for parents and raises a bunch of questions about online safety and content suitability.
Just like Fortnite and Minecraft, Roblox can be a hugely creative and fun place for children to connect with their friends online. But the platform has drawn criticism recently for their parental controls and moderation efforts, which is why we wanted to create this guide to help answer some of the key questions parents have about Roblox.
- Is Roblox safe for kids?
- What age is Roblox for?
- How and where can you play Roblox?
- What are Robux?
- How to get Robux?
We've also got similar parents guide to Fortnite and Minecraft to help parents navigate some of the most popular games in the world.
Is Roblox safe for kids?
The simple answer here is that it depends on the game your child will be playing on the Roblox platform and how they are connecting online.
If that sounds decidedly not simple then we totally understand. Roblox can be a nightmare to navigate as a parent, especially given the fact that it's an unavoidable part of most children's lives.
The best advice for parents concerned about their children playing Roblox games is to setup parental controls on their child's account to allow you to manage their screen time and the content they can access.
Roblox have recently updated their parental controls to try and simplify the process of managing your child's presence on the platform.
Roblox parental controls include the ability to manage the maturity level of the content your child can access as well as controlling permissions around chatting online. You can choose to disable chat functionality or enable it just for people in your child's friends list.
What age is Roblox for?
Roblox itself doesn't have a specific age rating as the platform contains millions of games that each have varying content and come with their own age ratings.
PEGI, the group responsible for rating games in Europe, gave the Roblox platform a 'Parental Guidance Recommended' rating. They state, "This rating was awarded because it contains a broad and unpredictable range of user-generated content, which may contain elements that are unsuitable for younger children."
It is worth pointing out that each platform through which Roblox can be accessed like PlayStation and iPhone/Android do have their own ratings applied to the game. For example, Apple rate Roblox 12+ on iOS, while PlayStation have the game marked as 'Teen', based on the rating given to Roblox by the North American ratings board the ESRB.
Alongside setting up these parental controls, it's always worth checking the rating and content warnings for the specific Roblox experience your child wants to access. As each game within Roblox is user generated, they each come with their own specific 'maturity rating' which include Minimal, Mild, Moderate, Restricted.
Searching the Roblox experiences library for the title your child wants to play and then checking the maturity rating is a great quick way to make sure that game is safe for them to play.
For example, Adopt Me has a 'Minimal' rating meaning it is suitable for everyone.
And, as we mentioned, you can blanket restrict certain experiences by maturity rating depending on your child's age.
How and where can you play Roblox?
The beauty of Roblox is that it is available pretty much everywhere. It is available on major consoles including the PlayStation and Xbox.
Interestingly, Roblox isn't available on the Nintendo Switch natively. There are some technical tweaks you can make to get the game running on the Nintendo Switch, however we haven't tested these out and would recommend exercising caution.
It is also available on mobile devices via the iOS App Store and the Google Play Store meaning you can play it on both iPad, iPhone and Android tablets. In the world of kids tablets, you'll also find Roblox on the Amazon Fire store.
It's also cross-platform like Fortnite and Minecraft meaning your child will be able to play with their friends regardless of where they play.
What are Robux?
Like Fortnite, Roblox is free-to-play meaning you don't have to spend any money to download the app and access experiences on the platform.
The way that Roblox make their money is via an in-game currency called Robux which are used to buy a range of things within the Roblox marketplace including cosmetic items like skins and hats as well as emotes (basically fun animations your avatar can perform).
How to get Robux?
Robux are widely available both in-game and through a variety of retailers. They can be purchased in bulk amounts ranging from 500 Robux for £4.99 to 24,000 Robux for £199.99.
- Shop Roblox gift cards:
Robux can also be purchased via Roblox gift cards, which make for great gifts for the Roblox obsessed child in your family.
Robux are attached to your account meaning they will be available across platforms, regardless of where they are purchased.
Roblox also offer a subscription service called Roblox Premium which costs £9.99 and gives players 1000 Robux per month in addition to other benefits.
What are PEGI ratings?
Similarly to movies and TV, video games have age ratings to help parents understand what is suitable for your child. In Europe, the PEGI system is gives each game submitted a rating depending on a range of content descriptors. The ratings they use are similar to those used by the BBFC when rating movies and TV.- PEGI 3: suitable for children ages 3 and under
- PEGI 7: suitable for children ages 7 and under
- PEGI 12: suitable for children ages 12 and under
- PEGI 16: suitable for those ages 16 and under
- PEGI 18: suitable for those ages 18 and under
