Roblox has unveiled a new tool called Build, an AI model that lets players create games through its mobile app. Roblox has been among the pioneers of integrating AI tools into its ecosystem, with tools like Studio Assistant already allowing creators to generate many aspects of experiences with AI.
With Studio Assistant, Roblox creators can speed up script writing and 3D model generation, but it is not exactly a text-to-game model. Roblox also recently introduced Reality, another AI tool that directly influences game development on the platform. With Reality, developers can create the basic structure of a game and let the tool generate photorealistic graphics for it. Now, the company is back with yet another AI model, this time aiming to simplify most aspects of the development process into a text prompt.
Roblox Build Allows You to Create Games on Your Phone
Announced on July 16, Roblox Build is described as an AI agent that can turn simple prompts from mobile users aged nine or older into functioning games. Build was trained on 3D models and game-specific data, though Roblox has not shared many details about its training process. For now, users in New Zealand will be able to test Roblox Build and publish AI-generated games starting on July 28. Roblox says an alpha release for other regions will follow in the future.
Scratch & Peek
Identify the cover art while scratching off as little foil as
possible.
An interesting part of Roblox‘s announcement is the company’s stance on AI slop. “Our discovery systems are designed to highlight games with long-term retention, which doesn’t include AI slop,” Roblox said in its official statement. Many see this as a subtle acknowledgment that introducing generative AI game creation carries the risk of an influx of AI slop. However, Roblox wants users to trust its moderation and discovery systems rather than worry about the platform’s future.
The way Roblox describes the “creation” process with Build has also sparked controversy. “Prompt, refine, playtest, and share,” the official marketing for the upcoming tool says, raising questions about whether the generated games will have any artistic value or whether there are sufficient safeguards against copyright infringement. For now, many gamers believe generative AI cannot truly create games and, at best, can accelerate behind-the-scenes, non-artistic tasks such as script generation. Even so, Roblox appears to believe that a single prompt can be enough to produce a playable and engaging game.
Roblox is not the first major gaming platform to embrace generative AI. Epic Games’ CEO has also publicly praised genAI and criticized the anti-AI policies of some rival platforms, such as Steam. He even went as far as saying that generative AI could save Destiny 2, a comment that was quickly met with backlash from the game’s community. It remains to be seen how Roblox‘s user base, which surpasses 130 million daily players, will respond to the new AI tool.
The company has also shared plans to introduce more AI tools to support creators throughout the development process, with many of them focusing on agentic features for testing and refining in-developement Roblox experiences. For instance, it will add “a playtesting agent that surfaces bugs before a single player experiences the game.”
- Released
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September 1, 2006
- ESRB
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Teen / Diverse Content: Discretion Advised,
In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), Users Interact - Developer(s)
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Roblox Corporation
- Publisher(s)
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Roblox Corporation
