Blog - Platform updates

RDC 2026 - what Roblox's big announcements mean for brands

- Player Promo

Short answer: Roblox's 2026 developer conference (RDC, September 2026) made it much easier to get people into a game - straight from a web link, from a game's own app icon, and eventually offline. For brands, that shortens the path from your own channels to your world.

The numbers Roblox shared

  • 123 million average daily users in the quarter to June 2026, up 10% year on year.
  • Game visits up 55% over the previous twelve months.
  • Around $1.7 billion paid to creators through DevEx in the twelve months to June 2026, up roughly 50%.
  • In August 2026, 28% of the top 100 games by hours played had launched in the previous 90 days - new games can still break through.

1. Play straight from a link

Play on the Web (late 2026) lets people play a game in Chrome straight from its page link - no app, no install. For a brand, a link in a social post, newsletter or club app can now drop a fan directly into your world.

2. Games with their own app

Creators can make standalone apps for their games, so players can open a game without launching Roblox first, while it stays on the Roblox platform. Android comes first, with other platforms later. For a big brand, that means your icon on a phone's home screen.

3. Offline play

Offline solo play arrives in mid-2027, alongside online multiplayer - so games can be played on a plane or with no signal.

4. Getting paid: Roblox Wallet

Roblox Wallet (late 2026) pays creator earnings automatically every US business day in US dollars, instead of the manual DevEx cash-out. It launches first for US-based creators, with wider rollout to follow. A Roblox Card for spending Wallet balance is planned for 2027.

5. New ad formats

Pre-roll video ads are coming: short, skippable, mobile-first ads that play while a game loads, with Roblox handling delivery and sharing revenue. Roblox Plus subscribers won't see them.

6. Better-looking, faster-to-build worlds

  • Emissive textures - glowing avatar items and clothing, sellable on the Marketplace.
  • AI-assisted NPCs and scene generation in Roblox Studio.
  • 2D game support - so new genres can live on Roblox.
  • Push notifications for opted-in players - useful for turn-based games and event reminders.

7. Safety and publishing changes

  • Fewer bans for well-intentioned creators, and a simpler age questionnaire for most 16+ games.
  • Pre-set chat Quick Words, reviewed for policy compliance.
  • The bar for counting "highly engaged players" drops from 250 to 100.

What brands should do with this

  1. Treat your world like a destination you can link to. Every channel you own is now one click from play.
  2. Plan for retention, not just launch. Discovery rewards games people return to - see How players discover Roblox games.
  3. Factor in the 2027 integration fee if your plan relies on renting space in other games - see the fee explainer.

Sources