Roblox Review (Xbox, PlayStation, Switch, Mobile & PC)

If there was ever a place where you could be whoever you wanted to be and do whatever you wanted to do, it would more than likely be in the arms of Roblox, simply because, Roblox doesn’t belong to just the one network; it operates as a universal tool for creative input and unfathomable world-building innovation. It’s a bit like Dreams or, for argument’s sake, Fortnite, in that it bears the wealth and organic technology to allow its users to explore endless possibilities without needing a PhD in architecture or a degree in software engineering. It may not look like the smartest tool in the shed, but then, where it lacks in visual complexity and finesse it makes up for in bottomless suites and endless ideas.

It’s easy to pass Roblox off as an entry-level sandbox game with a childish exterior, but the truth is, if you were to peel back just a few of its blocky layers, then you would actually begin to unravel a lot of pockets with thrice the seams and creative embelishments as your average communal sandpit. It isn’t that it’s a superior sandbox; it’s that it makes the effort to broaden the demographic and appeal to everyone. It’s a life simulation game; it’s a city-building sim; it’s a music festival, a year-round skateboarding event, and a communal hub all in one. It isn’t “just another platform” that cheekily asks for your business via a conduit of hidden Microtransactions; it’s a world where everyone can find something to enjoy. A bold claim, yet one that feels all the more fitting given its scale and evergreen qualities.

If you’re looking for just the one keyword to punch into the search bar, then I hate to break it to you, but the chances of your prompt returning with a single affair are incredibly slim. Why? Well because, like a luggage claim at an international airport, Roblox doesn’t ever really come to a halt; it adds more bags, more content, and more hidden gems on a clockwork basis. And that’s a good thing, because at the end of the day, you can’t really “beat” Roblox. Naturally, you can squeeze hundreds of hours out of it and still be left scratching the tip of the iceberg.

Thanks to a community that constantly moves forward and grasps fresh ways to install new games and ideas, Roblox doesn’t often fall into any form of idle purgatory, nor does it ever begin to feel like a stale experience. There are good games, and there are bad games, naturally. Yet, Roblox, being the all-in-one powerhouse that it is, always comes across as an original adventure with a huge amount for you to explore, whether it’s an extreme sport with rich PvP roots, a single-player horror with frequent jump scares, or a community-driven giveaway that houses tons or merchandise and celebrity cameos. The fact is, Roblox is always on the move, and therefore the odds of you growing tired of being a small fish in a big pond are slim to nonexistent, truly.

There have been hundreds of occasions where I’ve simply dropped into Roblox with the intent to play one world, only to find myself fleeing from a rat in a labyrinth made entirely of cheese, or rather, participating in a BMX competition for the sake of earning a licensed Vans hat. At no point have I ever been left itching for a chance to explore an uncharted water, because frankly, Roblox has often made it so that even the most niche experiences have been available, regardless of the search term or genre.

To some extent, Roblox is the jack of all trades, master of none platform—a hub that doesn’t get everything right, but always ensures that you leave with more than what you came for. And it’s for that reason alone that Roblox isn’t just a one-time affair; it’s a catalog that you can return to and still find something more to unearth with each passing session. It’s timeless, bottomless, and an absolute blast to sift through for the sake of waxing an itch or two.

There is, unfortunately, the matter of Microtransactions to address here. Although Roblox is a free platform, the bitter reality is that it does take every opportunity to shovel cosmetics and paid content down your throat. From outfits to accessories, pets to emotes, Roblox does contain a worrying amount of in-game transactions and ads, most of which make no impact on your overall experience, yet continuously fuel your desire to remain “in style” and in receipt of all the latest gadgets and licensed apparel. Sadly, that’s the price that ties in with most free-to-play IPs. It isn’t mandatory, but it is awfully difficult to enjoy Roblox when everything comes with its own price tag. Swings and roundabouts, I guess.

Verdict

Roblox boasts a beginner-friendly portal to a block-centric utopia where creative sandboxes and community-driven collaboration collide to form a haven for both casual gamers and die-hard world weavers alike. It is, to some extent, a pit that has no formal borders—a whirlpool that contains more ripples, waves, and cubed typhoons than in any other IP on the market. Dreams and Fortnite, true, but with Roblox you also have access to a toolkit that allows for entry-level property crafting and digestible creation methods. That’s a huge bonus, truly.

Sadly, with the addition of in-game transactions and the dreaded Robux agenda, you do have to come to terms with the fact that everything comes with a price, even if it isn’t essential to enjoy the wealth of the content that make up Roblox and its plethora of worlds and experiences. It’s a bit of a pain in the neck I’ll admit, but if you can iron over the Robux spoon feeding and the cheeky merchandising prompts that frequent most of the popular entries in the pipeline, then you shouldn’t have an issue with simply jumping into its catalog and enjoying it for what it is: a clean, simple, and seemingly endless archipelago of creative works and communal centerpieces.