Some games are made to be played, completed, and then put away. Other games are meant to be played continuously for years upon years. The latter type have been gaining a lot of popularity, with just about every big studio attempting some sort of persistent game that can drawn players in and keep them playing for years, or in some cases upwards of a decade. However, of all the attempts that have been made, there are a select few that stand above the rest as massive successes in terms of popularity. Two of which are quite similar on the surface, but also have a lot of differences once you dig into them: Minecraft and Roblox.
These two titles are massive hits among kids in particular, and each offer ways to keep them engaged and playing for as long as they want. They’ve both enjoyed many years of updates and improvements, which is great for those who are already entrenched in these games, but can be intimidating for anyone new who is curious about which one is right for them. To help break down these two massive games, we’ve compared Minecraft and Roblox so you can pick which one is right for you or your child.
Further reading
- The best games like Minecraft to play in 2022
- How to cancel Roblox Premium
- The best video games for kids
Similarities between Minecraft and Roblox
Let’s start with how Minecraft and Roblox are similar, because there are a lot of ways these two games overlap.
At their core, both of these games can be classified as sandbox experiences, which mean that they both are fueled mainly by the player, or other player’s, creativity. Both games are open ended to the point where players can essentially create any game they want within their framework. One person could make a racing game, another a hide and seek game, and anything and everything in between. Because of this inherent flexibility, both Minecraft and Roblox are able to be played nearly endlessly by finding new creations to try out.
With this, another major similarity between the two titles is their applications for education. While Minecraft has become a much more featured game in classrooms thanks to its dedicated education version, Roblox also offers just as much opportunity for learning as well. Each has amazing potential for not only artistic expression, but also science, math, and computer programming lessons to be done in the games themselves.
The best way to play each of these games, whether for fun, to create, or learn, is with other people. Both can be played online with multiple others either cooperatively or competitively.
Finally, an obvious similarity is how the two games are presented. They are both very stylized and cartoony in nature, and even sharing the blocky characters that look more like toys that real humans. Neither feature explicit gore, however both do include various weapons and basic combat. This makes them suitable for players of all ages.
Differences between Minecraft and Roblox
The main differences between Minecraft and Roblox are in how the games are actually played. They each have their own unique mechanics and systems, plus modes of play.
For example, the core game of Minecraft lets you loose in a randomly created world that you need to survive in. This mode can be played with others, but is also a completely solo experience as well if players want it to be. Roblox, on the other hand, has no real single-player experience built in. The only way to get something similar would be to find a game that someone made to be single player, though it would not nearly be as robust or fleshed out as Minecraft‘s Survival mode, which features tons of enemies, weapons, bosses, and secrets in randomly generated worlds.
Minecraft also offers a creative mode that takes all survival and “game” mechanics out of the equation and just let players fly around building whatever they can imagine. The game is heavily supported by the developers that constantly add new features and content to the game in the form of updates.
Roblox has no single player component, as mentioned, and is almost exclusively fueled by player support. That being said, the sheer amount and easy at which you can find and jump into any of these creations is far easier. If there’s any style of game you like, there’s likely at least half a dozen high quality games just like it in Roblox. While Minecraft does have a flourishing mod scene as well, they’re not as easy to browse and instantly jump into as they are in Roblox.
In that same train of thought, Roblox is also built as a platform for creation more than Minecraft is, at least in terms of making games. Where Minecraft lets you do almost anything in the game itself, if you don’t go into modding, Roblox lets you make it almost anything you want it to be.
Multiplayer
In terms of multiplayer, both games offer it, with Roblox being far more open.
In Minecraft, you need to connect to the same server as other players to play together, which the owner can decide whether or not they want other people to be able to join, or only let specific people in. Roblox servers are, typically, open to anyone to join as long as there is enough space.
Cost
Minecraft is a more traditional game in terms of how it is monetized. You simply buy a copy, and are given access to all the content, developer and user created, that has been released so far.
Roblox is a bit different. For one, you can choose to play the game for free, however there is also a premium membership that gives players a monthly supply of Robux, the game’s unique currency, as well as some new features. You can get premium memberships at three different price points: $5, $10, and $20 which give you 450, 1,000, and 2,200 Robux each month respectively. You will also get a 10% discount on any additional Robux purchased, as well as sell or trade their items in game.
Because some items, and even entire games, require Robux to be purchased, Roblox can end up costing far more than the initial one-time purchase of Minecraft due to the microtransation model.
Parental controls
Minecraft is packed with parental controls since its developers are well aware of their primary audience’s age. They have gone out of their way to make the game as safe as possible for everyone, such as disabling chat, multiplayer, and block specific people.
Roblox has arguably a even more fleshed out suite of parental controls on offer. You can customize the game to dictate who can send messages to the account, who can chat with them in the game or in the app, who is allowed to invite the player to games, who is allowed to join the player, and more. The most impressive, and important, feature, however, is the Account Restrictions setting. This setting allows parents to set up restrictions on what type of content their child’s account can access, such as only allowing them to see games that have been deemed child appropriate.
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