Launching Early Access Programs: Test Experimental Features

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Hey Creators!

Ever wanted to get a sneak peek at the latest and greatest features Roblox is developing, the ones that aren’t ready for a Studio Beta? We are excited to offer Early Access Programs!

Previously, the Roblox Studio team had to manually add Creator accounts to a channel in order to try out experimental features and manually remove them when the testing was done. This annoys Creators, especially when they are accidentally left in the channel and cannot get themselves out.

With the introduction of Early Access Programs, you now have full control to opt into (and out of) different experimental features and different Roblox Studio builds that you signed up for (more on this below).

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Early Access Programs dropdown on Settings page

What are Early Access Programs?

Think of Early Access as special versions of Roblox Studio where you can try out experimental features and upcoming user updates. This lets you test new functionality and provide valuable feedback directly to our teams to ensure your experiences are ready for future releases.

How is this different from Studio Beta?

Unlike a Beta, Early Access Programs offer a much earlier look at features that are actively in development. As a result, you should expect that:

  • Builds may be less stable and more prone to issues.
  • Programs may change significantly or even be removed entirely; for example, if they progress toward Studio Beta or if they’re removed completely.
  • You get a complete custom build of Studio, not just a feature flag you can turn on or off.
  • API surfaces will likely change for any new APIs that are introduced in early access.

How to opt in or opt out

Ready to jump in? Here’s how to get started:

  1. When a new Early Access Program is announced on the DevForum, there will be a link to sign up. Watch the announcements space!
  2. The team running the program will then contact you directly within 2 weeks if you’ve been selected to test their feature.
  3. Once the feature build is available, navigate to your Settings page and find the Early Access dropdown to select the program you want to try.
  4. Restart Roblox Studio for any changes to take effect. In rare situations, you may need to restart Studio more than once to return to the production version.
  5. Confirm you’re in the right build by checking the banner at the bottom of the Studio About page, and you’re ready to go!

Note: To opt out at any time, simply return to the dropdown and select “No Program Selected”.

Looking Ahead

This is just the first step! We are committed to improving the testing experience and providing more transparency, including improving program switching experience, improving feedback channels, and providing more notifications on tests.

Keep an eye out for updates on these programs, and thanks in advance for your feedback!

FAQs

Should I sign up for an Early Access Program with my main account, or should I create an alternate account?

  • You can sign up using either your main or an alt account.

    Note: You will not be able to play or work with other users in production or a different build while you are in the program. You will also be prompted to download another build of the Roblox App or Studio when you switch.

How do I access the Early Access Program’s experiment feature once I’ve been added to the testing list?

  • After opting in and restarting Studio, the features will be automatically enabled in your build. You can see which build you are in via the Studio Settings page.

How do I give feedback on the Early Access Program that I’m testing?

  • Once you’re selected to test an Early Access Program, you will be added to a private DevForum group where you can give us feedback on the feature(s) in that program.

Can I publish experiences that use an Early Access tool?

  • No. Products and features in Early Access are not final and are subject to change. These features are intended for testing and feedback purposes only.

Do all features from Early Access Programs become Studio Betas?

  • Not necessarily. Based on our testing and the feedback we receive from creators like you, some features may be changed significantly or even shelved before ever reaching the Beta stage.

I’ve opted out of an Early Access Program, but am still listed. What’s going on?

  • In rare situations, you may need to restart additional times before your Studio Client is back in production.
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This is amazing! We can finally get our hands on Experimental Features!

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Wonderful change! Hyped to see what new features you guys will come up with.

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Definitely a interesting addition, this is amazing

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It should be mentioned that if you’re using an external software to load and use Studio, you have to load the beta from the create.roblox.com page.

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This is a lot better way of handling these. Does this mean that when you sign up, you are just signing your account up or will it still be experience restricted?

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Will the Server Authority be released tomorrow (in early access) or today?
Not exactly sure when as some engineers said it was today, while some said tomorrow.

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This looks amazing seriously, can’t wait

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Sounds like the modern equivalent of www2 and www3, for those who have been around that long.

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oh cool! thats pretty awesome!!

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This is actually awesome lowkey

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Will this early access studio replace any existing Roblox studio installation on your PC?

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You are put onto a different channel, but all your preferences and plugins should persist. They are unstable builds however, so caution should be advised.

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Have these bugs related for this feature been noted down?

I am not sure they were understood. But they impact this feature a lot, a lot and are annoying.

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So I can test new experimental features that are under development? Awesome, but do I have to replace my existing studio installation to use the experimental build?

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Is there a reason it was done like this? We could of had multiple builds installed instead of having to switch the single build between early access and production.

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Wait, this is actually something sick! Thanks for this

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By doing it this way, it’s much cleaner. It won’t get users confused by having multiple builds installed. Believe me, some Roblox users aren’t the brightest, so it’s best when done like this.

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wow thats really cool!

cant wait for configurations feature, then i dont have to use github or anything like that to edit something in my game without actually updating the game

but configurations will probably replace github to roblox

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