Roblox rolls out automated regional pricing tools for developers
Roblox Corporation has introduced a new regional pricing tool for Roblox, one that allows makers of in-game experiences and items to automatically adjust the pricing of items purchased with the in-app currency known as “Robux” to better meet the purchasing power of different regions.
Though the value of Robux themselves do not necessarily change when crossing international borders, the currency used to purchase Robux certainly does. “Regional Pricing offers users prices that are more reflective of their local economy, rather than paying the same price regardless of where they are,” the company said in its announcement. “For example, without Regional Pricing, users in Vietnam or Brazil would pay the same price as users in the United States to access an experience’s economy.”
“With Regional Pricing enabled, prices are automatically optimized for each user’s local economy and updated periodically as Roblox’s virtual economy—and the global economy in the physical world—shifts.”
The invocation of Vietnam and Brazil’s currencies can help developers calibrate their understanding of why items and experiences may appear to cost “fewer” Robux in other countries. In Brazil, one dollar is worth about 5.8 Brazilian real. These currency differences can make goods priced against the US dollar more expensive in these regions.
Image via Roblox Corporation.
In the example shared by Roblox, an item priced at 199 Robux in the United States might cost 139 Robux in Brazil. That’s a 30 percent decrease in price between the regions.
Roblox Corporation wants 10 percent of global game spending going through Roblox
Roblox Corporation boasted that the regional pricing move is part of its strategy to drive 10 percent of global spending on video games to take place on Roblox. And even though this may mean users in weaker dollar regions pay less money into Roblox for each individual purpose, feeling like their spending on Robux will take them further may drive them to spend more money on the platform, and hopefully with developers.
If you’re concerned about users from outside these regions using a VPN or technology to access cheaper prices, the company says not to worry. “Users using a VPN to access Roblox from a Brazilian IP address would not have access to Brazilian pricing,” a Roblox spokesperson said. “Users who access Roblox from a VPN will be shown the default (highest) price for in-game items.
“Ensuring fairness and preventing misuse are our top priorities for this tool. By using a variety of signals to determine a user’s location, we are mitigating the ability of users to manually update their location to take advantage of lower prices. Users where we cannot confidently determine a true location will be shown the default global (highest) price for in-game items.”
Of course Roblox faces a far bigger challenge in driving so much spending on its app: the public perception that the company has been slow to respond to what users and analysts say is a lackluster enforcement of safety regulations that put minors at risk of exposure to sexual abuse on the platform.
Last November the developer rolled out new tools to help parents control what their children see and hear while playing Roblox. In March of 2025, CEO Dave Baszucki told the BBC in response to its investigation into child safety on Roblox that his message to parents would be “if you’re not comfortable, don’t let your kids be on Roblox.”
“That sounds a little counter-intuitive, but I would always trust parents to make their own decisions.”
