Roblox is now banned throughout Russia due to a federal agency's claims that it allows the spread of propaganda, including terrorist activity and support for the LGBTQIA+ movement. There are already at least eight other countries in the world there Roblox is restricted or banned, and Russia's inclusion on that list is expected to block more than 2 million active daily users across the country from accessing it.
First launched in the fall of 2006, Roblox has grown into one of the largest online gaming platforms in the world, with over 100 million active monthly players diving into thousands of different fan-made games. Some of the more popular games available via Robloxwhich include but are not limited to Abandoned, Rivalsand Grow a gardenpublished daily player rates of well over 120,000 for November 2025, placing them ahead of the current daily player count for major Triple-A titles that Call of Duty: Black Ops 7. But despite the platform's popularity, it has also been a controversial talking point for several reasons this year, with Russia's ban being just the latest example.
Countries where Roblox is banned or restricted
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China
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Indonesia
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Greece
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Guatemala
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Jordan
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North Korea
- Russia
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Saudi Arabia
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United Arab Emirates (UAE)
According to Russian news site TASS, Moscow-based media and communications watchdog Roskomnadzor issued the ban in early December 2025 due to “distribution of material containing propaganda and justification of extremist and terrorist activity,” via a translation. As described in the report by the agency's press service, this propaganda includes “incitement to illegal sexual acts”, sexual harassment of minors, dissemination of “intimate images”, gambling, attacks on education, calls to violent acts and dissemination of information related to the LGBT movement, which is also banned in the country. No specific games on Roblox has been singled out by the agency, and the press secretary indicated that the alleged violations were also linked to Robloxs chat functions and other means by which players communicate with each other.
This is not the first measure Roskomnadzor has taken to restrict access to media originating outside Russian borders since the start of Russia's military engagement with Ukraine. The Russian government has listed Meta as an extremist organization, with Facebook and Instagram both banned in 2022 and YouTube following suit in 2024. Also in 2024, Russia announced plans to ban Discord, a move the country implemented the following month, resulting in a severe effect on the country's gaming community. Individual games have generally managed to avoid being placed on Russia's federal list of extremist materials, which is populated by a number of films, songs, books, websites and religious texts from a range of religions and philosophies.
However, several game developers have issued their own bans against Russia and Belarus following the escalation of hostilities with Ukraine, which include Russia's occupation and annexation of the Crimean peninsula. These measures include EA's Russian ban on Apex Legends and FIFAas the company's website confirms it banned both countries from participating in its esports programs, saying: “We stand in solidarity with the people of Ukraine.” Other game companies that have suspended or completely halted sales to Russia in recent years include Nintendo, Sony, Microsoft, Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard, CD Projekt Red, Bloober Team and Take-Two Interactive.
While the ban from the Russian government will likely take some of the Robloxs players count, it's not the only controversy the company is undergoing. Roblox is currently facing child safety lawsuits from multiple states and individuals over allegations that it failed to provide adequate safeguards for minors and exposed them to sexually explicit content and predatory online exploitation. So far this year, attorneys general in Louisiana, Kentucky and Texas have all filed individual lawsuits on behalf of their respective states.
Robloxs leadership has dismissed much of the criticism of the company as sensational, but it has also implemented some additional security measures following the wave of backlash against stories of its alleged negligence. The platform has been widely criticized for a lack of age verification of its users, and these new security measures by Roblox includes an age estimation system that requires users to scan their government-issued ID cards and upload self-taken photographs to the service. The platform has also limited chat features for players 8 and under, implemented chat group changes that attempt to sort younger players by age, and introduced parental controls that allow parents to monitor their children's screen time, friend lists, and access to content.
- Released
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September 1, 2006
- ESRB
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Teen / Diverse Content: Discretion Recommended, In-Game Purchases (Includes Random Items), User Interact
- Developer
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Roblox Corporation
- Publisher
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Roblox Corporation
