• Text chat filtering, moderation support, and automatic translation tools for games and experiences on Roblox, now also enabled in Arabic
  • New study reveals Roblox's GDP contribution to the MENA region grew by 55% in the past year

DUBAI, UAE: Roblox, the immersive gaming and creation platform, is now available in the Arabic language to all users globally, on desktop, tablet, and mobile Android and iOS devices, as well as PlayStation and Xbox consoles.

Roblox CEO and co-founder David Baszucki shared the news of the launch of Arabic-language support during a fireside chat at Dubai’s World Governments Summit. Commenting on the news, Baszucki said: “At Roblox, we have a mission to connect a billion people with optimism and civility and to do that we need a platform that is accessible for all. With the growth of our community here in the UAE and in the wider MENA region, we are excited to share that we are now supporting the Arabic language on the Roblox platform, providing millions of Arabic speakers worldwide with access to the platform’s features, on all devices."

Roblox has 85.3m daily-active users globally* and is a platform where people come together to play, explore, create, and learn in millions of immersive user-generated games and virtual experiences built by a global creator community. The company has a vision to reimagine the way people come together—in a world that's safe, civil, and optimistic.

Arabic is one of 16 language scripts supported on the platform, and today’s launch reflects Roblox’s growing popularity in the MENA region. In 2024, Roblox was the second and fifth most downloaded gaming app on the iOS app store and Google Play store respectively, and from Q3 2021 to Q3 2024 Roblox’s daily active users (DAUs) and hours engaged grew by an average of 80% and 76% across five MENA countries*.

Arabic language support also now extends to the platform’s automatic translation tools, which creators can use to make their games and immersive experiences available in any one of 16 languages currently supported on the Roblox platform, including Arabic, without the need to manage the translation process manually.

In addition, Roblox text chat filtering technology, which is used to detect and block inappropriate words and phrases in text chat, is already operational in Arabic. This is one of a number of technologies Roblox uses to complement human moderation support in order to enforce the platform’s Community Standards, as part of the company’s safe-by-default approach. Parents accessing Roblox in Arabic will also be able to utilize the platform’s recently updated parental controls which enable parents to remotely review and manage their child’s activity on Roblox, including the ability to view their child’s friend list, set spend controls, and manage screen time.

The Roblox platform has roots in physics education software and has evolved over 20 years to sustain a community of 2.8m creators globally who build, manage, and iterate 6 million active experiences on the platform using Roblox Studio - the creation engine that powers the user-generated content platform. With many creators building to develop skillsets, engage with friends, or explore a hobby - some even find economic success through Roblox.

Newly released insights into the economic impact of Roblox in the UAE region shows the positive impact the platform brings to the region. According to the study’s findings, released by Roblox in partnership with Access Partnership, Roblox contributions to GDP in the region increased by 55% YOY in 2024***.

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*As of three months ending September 2024
**UAE, KSA, Egypt, Morocco, Qatar
***Source: ‘Empowering the Region’s Gaming Ecosystem: The Economic Impact of Roblox in MENA’ study by Access Partnership, developed in partnership with Roblox

About Roblox

Roblox is an immersive gaming and creation platform that offers people millions of ways to be together, inviting its community to explore, create and share endless unique experiences.

Our vision is to reimagine the way people come together– in a world that's safe, civil, and optimistic. To achieve this vision, we are building an innovative company that, together, with the Roblox community, has the ability to strengthen our social fabric and support economic growth for people around the world.

For more about Roblox, please visit corp.roblox.com.