Roblox and Minecraft are similar games on the surface. Firstly, both games are immensely popular. Secondly, they both have the same blocky colorful graphics and targets the same demographics which consists of the younger generation. However, that is where the similarity ends. In this article, we are going to analyze Roblox vs Minecraft to see which is the better game to play in 2021.

Roblox vs Minecraft
Which is the ultimate Sandbox game, Minecraft or Roblox?

1. Roblox vs Minecraft Gameplay

Surprisingly, Minecraft and Roblox stand on two ends of the spectrum. While Minecraft provides high quality solo gaming, Robox offers a greater variety of mini-games and multiplayer experience.

  • Minecraft is focused on single-player mode: the whole experience is supposed to be played solo with minimal interaction with other players, if at all.
  • Depends on your version of Minecraft, you can play up to 4 modes: creative, survival, adventure and hardcore. Furthermore, you can modify the difficulty of the game manually to have a harder or more relaxed experience.
  • Minecraft updates are made by game developers from Mojang and therefore have high quality.
Minecraft
Minecraft is a solo adventure.

Roblox, on the other hand, is literally the opposite:

  • The majority of games in Roblox are multiplayer interactive.
  • Gameplay-wise, Roblox has Minecraft beat in versatility. Overall, it is more of a game engine or gaming toolbox than a single standalone game. Gamers can play a nearly endless variety of games, including shooters, whodunit, puzzles... and more.
  • Roblox games are made by players, which exchange quality for quantity. While some games are decently polished, the majority are not. Overall, they are nowhere near the sophisticated level of Minecraft gameplay.
Roblox
Roblox's graphics and gameplay are more varied.

As the gameplay of Roblox vs Minecraft is so different, it all comes down to personal preference when one needs to pick between the two games.

2. Which is more popular Minecraft or Roblox?

Overall, Roblox is more popular than Minecraft in 2021. It has 40 million more users than the latter on the global scale.

  • Roblox popularity

Surprisingly, Roblox is older than Minecraft. It was created by two programmers in 2004 and released in 2006. However, it takes more than 10 years for the game platform to become popular - Roblox only began to grow rapidly in the 2nd half of the 2010s. As of August 2021, it has about 200 million active users.

  • Minecraft popularity

Minecraft is also an old game. Created by Mojang Studios, it was made public in 2009 and released in 2011. Since then, Minecraft has gained critical acclaim and become one of the best-selling video games of all time. However, as of August 2021, Minecraft has only approximately 160 million active users.

Player count
Playercount comparison this year for Roblox vs Minecraft vs Fortnite

While both these numbers are the dream of all video game companies, there can be only one winner and that's Roblox. However, when it comes to Roblox vs Minecraft vs Fortnite, the most popular sanbox game title belongs to Fortnite, a product of Epic Games.

3. Roblox vs Minecraft monetization system

Briefly speaking, Minecraft shows a clear advantage over Roblox in terms of monetization. You can check detailed analysis of both systems below.

  • Minecraft monetization system:

Minecraft is a premium game. To play it, you only need to buy a copy of Minecraft Java or Bedrock (about $20-30) or Pocket Edition ($8). Afterward, you can enjoy the game indefinitely as all later upgrades are free.

Furthermore, there are certain ways for you to play Minecraft for free, such as pirating.

TLauncher
Players can play Minecraft for free via TLauncher.
  • Roblox monetization system:

Roblox, on the other hand, is a freemium game. Players can play some games on the platform for free, but to truly experience everything, it is required to spend real money. Because of this, players are more likely to spend more money on Roblox than Minecraft in the long run. There are even in-game ads.

Roblox is a live-service game and cannot be pirated.

Roblox Violet Valkyrie
Roblox's microtransaction can be super expensive. 50000 Robux = $625 USD.

4. Minecraft and Roblox modding scene

Roblox itself is just a platform where people code their games for others to play using a scripting language called Lua. Because of that, almost all the games on the platform can be called "mods", in a sense. You can even make money by selling your game to other people in Roblox. However, not all the games on Roblox are free.

Minecraft, on the other hand, has a fairly ordinary modding scene. People have been making mods for Minecraft Java and Bedrock for ages... and all of them are free. Modders usually just get money from donations.

Overall, while Roblox mods are mostly free, Minecraft mods are better because they are completely free.

Minecraft Mods
Both games have huge modding communities, but Minecraft is more affordable.

5. Roblox vs Minecraft safety - which to pick for kids?

As mentioned above, Minecraft can be experienced fully on single player, and the game is designed around that. This can prevent kids from getting exposed to the more "toxic" side of the internet.

The variety that Roblox games have meant that they are harder to control. Furthermore, most of them involve multiplayer. These two aspects might expose younger kids to greater degrees of violence or even uncensored content. Roblox's developer has added parental control, but the feature is not really that effective.

Generally, Minecraft is safer for kids, while parents of Roblox young players should opt for age-restricted mode or similar settings to prevent their kids from exposing to unwanted content.

Roblox Vs Minecraft
Kids tend to like Roblox more, especially if their friends play it.

6. Verdict

Overall, both games have their strength and weaknesses. However, if you are to pick one game to play as a main, Minecraft is the better pick. It has higher quality and polish, alongside all the free mods you can install. On the other hand, Roblox games' microtransaction can stack up. As the game is free, you should just try it as a side game and never put any money in.

Interested in more of our articles related to Minecraft? Please check this post to find out more about the Top 5 Best Texture Packs For Minecraft Java In 2021