10 min
| Learning Objectives | Students will be able to:
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| Prerequisites | Students should:
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Game passes allow Roblox developers to create special passes that can only be bought once per player using Robux. They can be used to give players special access to a restricted area, an in-game avatar item, or a permanent power-up. Since players only need to purchase a game pass once, they’ll always have this special effect, even after leaving and rejoining a game.
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Create a new Game Pass
Making a new game pass is done through the Roblox website. There, you can create a game pass and give it details like a description and change its cost in Robux. After creating a game pass online, you’ll then need to add a script that lets players buy the pass and activate it’s effect.
If you haven’t published your game to Roblox, publish it now. For information on publishing your game, click here.
Go to the Create page where you manage games.
In My Creations > Games > find your published game. On the right side, in the settings drop-down menu, select Create Game Pass.
- Your game pass needs an icon that is shown to players. To download a premade icon to test with, right click on the image below and save it to your desktop.
Creating Your Own Icon »
To create your own icon, you’ll need to change a template icon. Game passes require an image of exactly 150×150 pixels.
- Save the following template to your computer by right-clicking the image and selecting Save Image As….
- In an image editor or drawing application, fill in the blank circular area with your artwork.
- Save your customized game pass image with a new file name.
As you work, keep in mind the following:
- The black corners will be invisible in the final image, so be careful not to draw over them.
- Don’t resize the template — uploaded game pass images must be exactly 150×150 pixels.
- Click Choose File to upload your icon.
- Give your game pass a name and description.
Practicing Ethical Entrepreneurship: Writing Descriptions
A description should let the player know exactly what they’re getting so they feel their purchase was fair.
Not specific enough: Gives you something cool!
Specific: Leaves a red trail wherever your spoon goes!
- Press Preview to double-check your work and then click Verify Upload.
Icon Images Don't Show up Instantly
You might not see your icon right-away. Anything uploaded to Roblox, like icons, needs to be approved by the moderation team. This helps keep users safe from harmful content.
Change the Game Pass Price
Game passes can be bought using Robux, Roblox’s virtual currency.
- To the right of your game pass, click the gear and select Configure.
- Click the toggle next to Item for Sale to allow players to see the game pass in your game’s store.
- Set the price. For example, 50 is a reasonable price that users might pay.
Setting Good Prices for Items »
Too high a price means fewer players will buy it.
To come up with a good price for your game pass, try:
- Asking a friend who plays Roblox how much they would pay.
- Playing other Roblox games and looking at the prices they charge for similar game passes.
- Thinking about how much impact it has on the game. A game pass that gives a simple special effect should be worth less than a game pass that gives players access to a brand new area in the game.
Marketplace Fees »
While Roblox offers many tools for free, like Roblox Studio and hosting your games online, it does charge a Marketplace Fee for any purchases players make in your game. The money earned through this fee helps Roblox continue to provide new features and keep online servers for your games running.
How To Make Items In Roblox
These documents are licensed by Roblox Corporation under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Roblox, Powering Imagination, and Robux are trademarks of Roblox Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries.
10 min
| Learning Objectives | Students will be able to:
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| Prerequisites | Students should:
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Game developers often give players the chance to purchase special abilities, avatar items, and even extra content in exchange for Robux. These in-game purchases are a great way for developers to earn Robux that can be exchanged for real life money and for players to get fun bonuses they wouldn’t have otherwise. The process of earning currency from games and products you’ve created is called monetization.
Earning Robux Outside Making Games
While this tutorial covers making Robux specifically from games you create, there are other ways of earning Robux, like creating avatar clothing, or charging to play your game with Paid Access. To find other techniques, check out the Monetization section.
The Process of Monetization
Much like selling items in a real life shop, there are different phases developers go through in order to sell customers items in a game. Developers need to decide what to sell, attract buyers, and be able to handle transactions.
Designing a Fun Game
First, it’s important to come up with a game idea that people will want to play and come back to. Players that keep coming back to a game are more likely to spend Robux on in-game purchases.
Planning to Monetize
As you design your game, plan your monetization strategy. Think about where you can include monetization techniques that feel natural and not intrusive to gameplay. Keep in mind that every game is unique so don’t just copy another’s techniques. Common ways to monetize might include selling:
- In-game currency so players can buy furniture for a house.
- Skins to customize characters in a competitive action game.
- Starter packs that include a mix of in-game currency and items.
By planning a monetization strategy early in developing your game, in-game purchases will feel more naturally included rather than an afterthought. Have a diverse strategy will help you earn more by ensuring every player can find something they want and at a price they feel comfortable playing.
Implementing a Monetization Strategy
After you decide on your game’s monetization techniques, they can be created and sold in-game using Roblox marketplace services. These services handle the transactions for you.
How To Make Items Free In Roblox
Converting Robux using the Developer Exchange
You can use your earned Robux in other games, to purchase catalog items, or you can eventually cash out for real world money using the Developer Exchange Program.
In order to cash out, you must have an active Roblox Premium membership and be at least 13. To see the full set of guidelines, visit the Developer Exchange FAQs.
Updating your Strategy Over Time
After launching a game, successful developers continue improving and updating their monetization strategy to keep players excited and investing Robux into their game. Top earning developers add new content, have seasonal events, and hold sales. Developers also adjust prices of in-game purchases so everyone can afford to buy something.
Types of In-Game Purchases
The majority of monetization in Roblox happens in two types of transactions: one time purchases and repeatable purchases. Unlike other platforms where often need to create a lot of complex code to handle transactions, Roblox handles the transactions for you using marketplace services. This allows you to quickly set up new in-game purchases.
Marketplace Fees
While Roblox offers many tools for free, it does charge a small Marketplace Fee whenever a marketplace service is used. This helps Roblox continue to provide new features and keep online servers for your games running.
One Time Purchases
Items that can be purchased only once and are permanently owned by the player, like avatar items or access to new areas of a game, are handled with the game pass marketplace service.
Repeatable Purchases
Repeatable purchases are when a user can purchase the same item more than once, such as buying an in-game currency or temporary speed boosts. In Roblox, repeatable purchases are handled by the developer product marketplace service.
Being an Ethical Entrepreneur
In-game purchases can be beneficial for both the player and developer, but only if these purchases are designed with the player’s best interests in mind. If a player views a game as pay-to-win or buys a buggy in-game purchase, you’ll lose that player’s trust.
When in-app purchases are fun and fair, a player can trust a developer, invest time into a game, and feel comfortable making purchases. Having a long term, trusting relationship with a player is one of the best ways to ensure players continue investing Robux in a game.
To make sure that players feel that your game is fun and fair, follow these three principles whenever monetizing a game.
Respect Your Players
As players spend more time in your game, they often become invested not only in the gameplay but with the community around it. If developers try to take advantage of players, like forcing them to pay Robux to respawn, players will be resentful and leave. The will also often share their bad experiences with the community.
Be respectful of your players and don’t take advantage of them. Instead, find ways to enhance their time spent in your game, like opportunities to customize their avatar or access to more challenging areas.
Don’t Create Pay to Win Scenarios
Players should want to make in-game purchases, not need to, in order to have fun. If players can spend money to gain unfair advantages over other players, the community will become upset and fewer people will play.
When monetizing a game, the easiest purchases to add are often cosmetic, such as special effects, avatar items, and other things that don’t directly affect gameplay.
Sell Convenience, Not Power
Instead of selling purchases that give players an advantage over others, you can sell convenience instead. Convenience is anything that saves time for a player and isn’t needed to be successful in-game.
For example, in Meep City by alexnewtron, players make in-game purchases with coins, a resource earned by playing mini-games. Some players may find it convenient to buy coins instead of playing games. Because all players have the same ability to earn coins and in-game cosmetic purchases don’t impact others, these in-game purchases are fair to everyone.
Provide Good Content
Players should never regret making an in-game purchases. Whenever selling an item, make sure that content is clearly described, and well-tested.
- Provide clear images and item descriptions that accurately informs players what they are purchasing.
- Test items thoroughly for bugs and make sure they work as players expect.
Extra Resources on Monetization
There are many other resources to help you learn more about monetization on Roblox
These documents (excluding developer provided screenshots) are licensed by Roblox Corporation under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License. Roblox, Powering Imagination, and Robux are trademarks of Roblox Corporation, registered in the United States and other countries.