Roblox Global Chat rollout has begun, but bugs and empty servers frustrate players

Roblox has begun rolling out a new Global Chat system. It enables users to communicate with players in the same age group across different servers, within the same experience.

The update introduces two separate chat tabs. “Here” is for messages limited to the current server, and “Global” is for cross-server conversations. Roblox originally announced the Global Chat in its March roadmap, slating the official rollout for May.

After Roblox introduced strict age verification policies, it has become much harder for players in the same age bracket to interact. Expanding the chat to global servers should theoretically improve that while maintaining child safety, since the company uses age-grouping for chats.

Users began noticing this change in early May, with reports appearing on Reddit. So far, it looks like the PC version of Roblox got it first. Since it appeared all of a sudden, people weren’t aware of the difference between the chat tabs and were confused about why it even existed.

However, early feedback highlights several limitations. Early reports suggest the feature isn’t working properly, largely due to extremely low player activity. A YouTube Short testing the new Global Chat feature showed extremely limited active users.

Additionally, another player tested the feature using an alt account in a separate server, but messages never showed up on the main account.

Considering the lack of activity on global chat, the rollout appears gradual. Roblox might still be A/B testing things, since some players report that the option was available first, but it vanished on its own. The feature seems unfinished at the moment, since there are many people claiming it’s buggy.

Reactions to the addition of this feature were mixed. Some find it distracting and unnecessary. Others want a toggle to turn the entire thing off, but Roblox has already mentioned that creators would be able to opt out of the Global tab within Creator Hub once Cross Server Chat has been fully released. 

While the feature is presently limited in customization and availability, Roblox has mentioned that it will continue to improve over time.

We stand out from the tech-media crowd because we break news stories; we mainly bring you stuff that you won’t find anywhere in the mainstream tech media. Our stories have been picked up by some of the world’s most popular websites and media outlets—more info is available here.