This document is a technical guide for educators using the Roblox Studio game engine. The information included will help ensure that your class can successfully create using the Roblox Studio software and CodeHS curriculum.

Roblox Studio is a free, easy-to-use game development platform that allows you to create your own 3D games. It's used by millions of people around the world, including students, teachers, and developers.

The Roblox Studio program is used to create experiences and games on the Roblox platform. The application is available to download and install on these devices:

Note: Roblox Studio is not available for use on Linux operating systems, ChromeOS/Chromebooks, and iOS/iPads.

Note: Roblox Studio is not available for use on Linux operating systems, ChromeOS/Chromebooks, and iOS/iPads.

More Info: Roblox Studio System Requirements

For connecting to the servers when using Roblox and Roblox Studio, access to the following URLs will need to be allowed.

HTTP and HTTPS for these domains:

Note: Once the experience launches, it uses UDP ports 49152 - 65535. The IP ranges can be diverse and specific information may not be able to be provided in order to allow individual IPs.

More Info: Firewall and Router Issues

Unlike other game engines and software, Roblox Client and Roblox Studio automatically update to the latest version every time each program launches. Because of this, an internet connection and user permission to install software updates on the student computer is required in order to start Roblox software. It’s important to keep Roblox Studio up-to-date and current to utilize the latest APIs and features.

If your current version of Roblox Studio becomes outdated, you'll see an Update Available button in the upper-right corner. Clicking the button will prompt you to save/close the currently open place so that Studio can automatically update and restart.

Note: As a preliminary measure, it's recommended that Roblox software is launched/updated at least once a week. If this has to be done by a school administrator or IT department, Roblox encourages you to schedule that to take place weekly.

More Info: Setting Up Roblox Studio

Every teacher and student using Roblox Studio will need to create their own individual Roblox account in order to use the software and complete the curriculum. Accounts cannot be created in bulk and are not connected to a group, school, institution, or class account.

Teachers and students can create a new Roblox account on the Roblox home page. Your Roblox account will give you access to:

Note: Roblox accounts are free to create and use.Your account will also give you access to the Creator portal that’s used to manage the Roblox experiences and assets you create with Roblox Studio.

Account registration is through a form that asks for basic information like a birthday. Names are not needed for initial sign-up. While emails aren't requested at signup, it's recommended to add one since forgotten passwords can only be recovered through email.

If students list their age under 13, that account will have some restrictions. For instance, that student can only see curated games deemed appropriate by Roblox. It’s recommended that students using Roblox Studio with CodeHS curriculum be at least 13 years old.

There are several ways students and educators can help keep their Roblox accounts safe and secure:

More Info: Keeping Your Account Safe, Dos and Don’ts Infographic, Add 2-step Verification to Your Account

For students with visual difficulties, you may want to consider changing the theme, colors, or font style in Roblox Studio.

More Info: Customizing Studio

Roblox Studio’s scripting editor offers code autocompletion, a color selection tool, and syntax highlighting. Additionally, we suggest opening the Output and Script Analysis windows within Roblox Studio.

To open the Output and Script Analysis panels:

Students can include debugging print statements within their code to check the flow of their scripts in the Output panel when the experience is tested in Roblox Studio.

The Script Analysis panel will show coding errors and script warnings in real time as students write their Lua code.

Both of these tools may be beneficial to students as they complete assignments in the course.

More Info: Script Editor

Lua code in Roblox Studio scripts can be selected, copied, and pasted into the CodeHS editor for submission. This is the most common method for students to submit their code in the AP CSP Roblox course. It also allows teachers to use Fast Grade to quickly assess students’ code for the Roblox exercises.

Roblox Studio projects can be shared by saving a .RBXL file to a local or shared drive. This file can then be shared and opened by anyone using Roblox Studio.

To download a Roblox project:

Roblox Studio projects are also saved on the Roblox server under the account logged in to Studio. These can be shared using a hyperlink, but the project must be made Public in order to share the hyperlink. To get a project hyperlink, select the share symbol in the top-right corner of Roblox Studio and follow the on-screen instructions.

The Collaborate button also allows users to share Roblox Studio projects and give collaborators editing access. This may be useful for pair programming or team projects. Students should be encouraged to only share using the Collaborate button with trusted Roblox users.

Additionally, students can take screenshots or even recordings of their Roblox Studio work and gameplay achievements in Roblox Client. Screenshots can be shared/submitted as a way to confirm and assess student progress.

More Info: Assessing Code and Creation, Take a Screenshot, Record a Video

A lot of antivirus or internet security software tries to control which programs can access the internet. Often, these programs err on the side of caution and by default many programs are not allowed access. The easiest thing to try is just turning your internet firewall software off to see if that allows you to join experiences. If it does, you can turn it back on and follow these steps to safely allow Roblox to access the internet:

Note: Permission settings for firewall and security software may need to be configured by your school’s IT department.

If you have any antivirus/anti-malware programs running on the machine, there's a possibility that those programs are acting as a sort of overly cautious firewall that may be preventing some important communication between Roblox/Roblox Studio and the Roblox servers. If this is the case, you may need to update your antivirus software or add Roblox to the antivirus program’s list of allowed software (safe list).

Note: Permission settings for firewall and security software may need to be configured by your school’s IT department.

Occasionally there may be an issue connecting to the Roblox servers. If you receive a 502 or “no internet connection” error message, first check to ensure that your machine is properly connected to your school’s network either by LAN (hardwire) or WiFi. If the connection appears to be working (e.g. websites are working in the device’s web browser), check the Roblox platform’s status to see if Roblox servers are experiencing an outage or any other issues. You may need to wait to launch Roblox software or the website until any issues logged on the status web page have been resolved.

More Info: General Connection Issues, Roblox Status

When logging in to Roblox Studio, you may get an error message saying something like: "Too many logins were attempted from this network. You must log in through a web browser."

To log in to Roblox Studio, you’ll need to open a web browser and log in to your Roblox account from the Roblox website. This adds an extra layer of security to prevent account cracking. Roblox engineers are currently working on improving the login process so users will only need to do this process through Roblox Studio and not a web browser.

Sometimes when a computer goes to sleep or a laptop lid is closed with Roblox Studio open and running, the panels and graphics get readjusted when awakening the computer. Simply exit the Roblox software and restart the program to fix the rendering problems. To prevent this issue, it’s recommended that users logout and exit all Roblox software prior to leaving the computer for long periods of time or closing a laptop’s lid.