Leveraging Roblox for Audience Acquisition and Engagement

Altman Solon is the largest global TMT consulting firm with expertise in media consulting. In this insight, we show how brands can leverage Roblox to engage younger audiences, drive in-game and real-world commerce, and extend IP across platforms.

Roblox, the online social and gaming platform, has gone from an upstart to one of the world’s biggest immersive platforms. Boasting over 90 million daily active users, Roblox’s user-generated games attract highly engaged audiences. This June, the Roblox game Grow a Garden, created by a 16-year-old in just three days, beat the concurrent player record previously held by Fortnite with 16.5 million users playing at once.  The platform has become a key channel for reaching younger audiences and marketers have taken notice. Industries as diverse as luxury, entertainment, and dining have partnered with game developers on Roblox to engage consumers. 
 
To better understand Roblox's appeal, Altman Solon surveyed over 1,000 global respondents on their knowledge of and engagement with Roblox, as well as on and off-platform spending, cross-media spending motivations, and cross-platform Roblox brand and engagement motivations. Respondents, located in the U.S., Canada, the U.K., France, Mexico, Brazil, Saudi Arabia, South Africa, India, and Japan, were representative across age, gender, and geography.  Results showed that Roblox benefits from significant brand awareness, even among non-gamers. Among Roblox users, 93% have spent money on the platform, and more than half spend money at least weekly on Roblox. 

Key survey findings

Roblox has massive top-of-funnel awareness; players are highly engaged

Eighty-eight percent of all respondents are familiar with Roblox, indicating significant top-of-funnel awareness. Among this segment, 53% actively use the platform, gaming on average seven hours per week. Popular games include Brookhaven, Blox Fruits, and Adopt Me!.

Many users spend money weekly on Roblox, main motivations include improving gameplay and self-expression

Since 2015, Roblox's in-game currency Robux has allowed users to spend money on the platform. Our findings show that among current Roblox users, 65% spend Robux on a daily or weekly basis. Over half (57%) of users report spending on power-ups or in-game boosts, 56% spend on avatar upgrades and in-game items (like skins or objects), and 43% spend on access to premium content.  When it comes to motivation for in-game spending, nearly half of respondents do so to improve gameplay or chances of winning, followed by creative self-expression (44%).  

In-game purchases can translate to real-life consumerism

We found that 52% of users who spend money in-game also spend on real-world products linked to character IP in the Roblox universe. Among motivations for spending, 33% of respondents cite a love for the games and/or avatars, followed by influence from social media or YouTube (19%), and endorsement from friends or influencers (18%).  

When it comes to product categories, 34% of consumers spend on clothing and accessories, followed by toys and collectibles (31%). The shift towards physical products is beginning to happen on the Roblox platform: in May 2025, the company announced the launch of in-game shopping for real-world items, including in-game discount codes for physical items and real-world purchases that unlock character upgrades, signaling a shift towards more serious e-commerce. 

Users are willing to follow their favorite Roblox brands to other media and platforms 

Top games on Roblox have become strong brands able to exist outside of the platform. We found that among current Roblox gamers, 75% reported being likely to buy media related to their favorite game. Seventy-eight percent of users would be interested in engaging with their favorite Roblox brands off the platform (on console, YouTube, or mobile). 

Recommendations for marketers 

Roblox's audience and revenues grew dramatically during COVID-19 and has continued to grow. For brand marketers looking for relevance among younger audiences, Roblox provides powerful reach and engagement, thanks to massive top-of-funnel awareness, even among non-players, and time spent on the platform. To leverage Roblox as a channel, marketers should consider the following: 

1. Partner with top performing game developers
   As a platform with 100% user-generated content, the barrier to entry for creators wishing to launch on Roblox is low. However, the bulk of Roblox's users are clustered around a small number of games. Partnering with top game developers is the first step in building a successful marketing campaign on Roblox. For example, American retailer Walmart launched Walmart Discovered Pass (WDP), a branded game pass that gives users exclusive access to content related to a series of top Roblox games in addition to Walmart product recommendations.
2. Explore different types of in-game integration 
   Partnering with Roblox game developers can take many different forms, running the gamut from in-game product placement to video ads broadcast within the game. Marketers should align the goals of their campaigns (awareness, acquisition, etc.) in ways that can fit natively within the games' universes both on and offline. The U.S. restaurant chain Chipotle launched the "Ingredient Challenge" on their existing Burrito Builder Roblox game to increase brand engagement. The challenge, timed with Cinco de Mayo, had players hunt for 53 collectible ingredient cards with the first 50,000 to collect all winning a free meal at Chipotle.
3. Understand the games and the motivations of the gamers 
   Our research shows that users who purchase on Roblox do so mainly to improve their gameplay, by buying in-game boosts, and to be entertained, often through purchasing costumes to personalize avatars. Brands who have been successful in engaging with users on Roblox fully gamify their experiences, like cosmetic brand NARS which created a virtual world with branded in-game purchases that improve user experience.
   

Over the years, gaming has transformed into a foundational cultural touchstone, as evidenced in the recent box-office successes of A Minecraft Movie, Super Mario Brothers, and the Sonic the Hedgehog franchises. Popular user-generated games on Roblox have captured the attention of millions who spend hours playing and socializing in immersive worlds. As legacy media continues to fracture and lose currency among younger generations, marketers have a unique opportunity to gain relevancy, grow product affinity, and increase engagement on platforms like Roblox. 

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