One of the biggest games in the world just got a massive visual overhaul

Roblox material overhaul — (Image credit: Roblox Corporation)

Roblox is receiving a visual overhaul as the game’s developer upgrades its materials library and implements custom material options.

As announced on the official Roblox blog, product director Josh Anon revealed: "Today, we’re excited to announce that we’ve officially rolled out a number of advancements to our material system, moving them out of beta and into the hands of our broader community." The latest update enhances the visual quality of the Roblox materials library and allows for custom designs with a new Material Manager tool.

This means that textures that make up a Roblox world - such as brick, glass, metal, and more - will now look nicer than before. If you didn’t know, the materials in Roblox have visual and physical properties which reflect the natural world in more ways than one. One of these ways is that each material will have different weights (eg, concrete is heavier than plastic) and reacts differently depending on the situation, so rubber tyres will slide around on an icy surface or struggle to move through mud.

According to the update post, the new versions of these materials will be the default option for all new experiences moving forward. However, if you were more of a fan of the original materials, they will remain available alongside the new ones.

This isn’t the only new thing coming to Roblox, as the post also details a new "user-friendly" Material Manager tool that will allow creators to make their own custom variations of base materials to create a new material they’re happier with.

The post ends with: "Our work with materials is never-ending, but with the launch of our new system, we’re excited to empower even more creators to build the most immersive and dynamic experiences possible on Roblox." So expect even more material upgrades for Roblox as time goes on.

Need a little break from Roblox? Take a look at our best free games for inspiration on what to play next.

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After studying Film Studies and Creative Writing at university, I was lucky enough to land a job as an intern at Player Two PR where I helped to release a number of indie titles. I then got even luckier when I became a Trainee News Writer at GamesRadar+ before being promoted to a fully-fledged News Writer after a year and a half of training. My expertise lies in Animal Crossing: New Horizons, cozy indies, and The Last of Us, but especially in the Kingdom Hearts series. I'm also known to write about the odd Korean drama for the Entertainment team every now and then.