Roblox News

Roblox Opens TextChatService Testing Ahead of May 2027 Migration; Custom Terrain Materials Launch

This week's recap covers a required chat migration deadline, terrain performance gains, new UGC validation tools, a homepage thumbnail mandate, and the platform-wide Halloween event The Hollow.

By TOP OF GAMES EditorialPublished 3 min read6 sources

THE SHORT ANSWER

Roblox began native TextChatService testing with a mandatory migration set for May 2027. Custom Terrain Materials exited Early Access with support for up to 62 materials and significant load-time reductions. Creators must now upload a custom thumbnail to qualify for homepage recommendations. UGC validation visualization arrived in Studio. The Hollow Halloween event runs Oct 22–Nov 2 with nine monsters, quests, and a live finale Oct 31. Additional updates include Text-to-Speech asset creation in Studio, deep-linked server stack traces, SLIM avatar support, standardized avatar scaling, and the deprecation of AvatarUnificationMode on Dec 1, 2026.

  • TextChatService native testing opens; required migration by May 2027
  • Custom Terrain Materials fully launched: up to 62 materials, smaller files, faster loads
  • Custom thumbnail now mandatory for Home recommendation eligibility
  • UGC validation visualization tool available in Studio
  • The Hollow Halloween event runs Oct 22–Nov 2 with live finale Oct 31
  • Studio adds Text-to-Speech asset creation via AssetService:CreateAssetAsync
  • Server log stack traces now deep-link to script lines in Studio
  • AvatarUnificationMode deprecation scheduled for Dec 1, 2026

Chat Migration Timeline Set

Roblox opened native TextChatService testing this week and confirmed a hard migration deadline of May 2027. The goal is to make chat functionality native across the platform, reducing per-game custom work and giving every player consistent access to chat features and safety tools. Developers are encouraged to start testing now and report gaps before the cutoff.

Terrain Materials Exit Early Access

Custom Terrain Materials and the first round of terrain performance improvements are fully launched. Creators can publish games using up to 62 custom terrain materials. Roblox cites major reductions in file size and load time compared to the Early Access build. No additional creator action is required beyond adopting the new material slots.

Homepage Discovery Now Requires Custom Thumbnails

Games that rely on the default thumbnail are no longer eligible for homepage recommendations. Creators must upload at least one custom thumbnail that accurately represents the experience. The change applies immediately; existing titles without a custom thumbnail will not appear in Recommended For You or other Home placements until one is added.

UGC Validation Visualization in Studio

A new visualization tool lets creators see exactly where avatar-body validation fails before publishing. The update also standardizes minimum and maximum bounding-box dimensions across Normal, Slender, and Classic body scales. For some templates, Custom Height now defaults to 3.6–6.5 studs; Roblox recommends enabling both Custom Height and Consistent Gameplay for competitive titles.

The Hollow Halloween Event

The platform-wide survival event The Hollow opened Oct. 22 and runs through Nov. 2. It features nine horror-game monsters, quests, and exclusive UGC rewards. A live finale is scheduled for Oct. 31. Roblox Plus subscribers receive early access, an exclusive profile frame and background, and an item launcher for gifting.

Studio Tooling Updates

  • Text-to-Speech assets: AssetService:CreateAssetAsync now accepts AudioTextToSpeech objects with Enum.AssetType.Audio, letting developers generate voice lines in Studio without hitting play-time API rate limits.
  • Editable Image publishing: AssetService:PromptCreatePlatformContentAsync replaces PromptCreateAssetAsync and takes an Object instead of an Instance, allowing direct publishing of EditableImage content to a player's inventory.
  • Deep-linked stack traces: Server error logs now include links that open the offending script at the exact line in Studio, matching the version where the error occurred.

Platform Avatar & Discovery Changes

SLIM now supports StarterHumanoids and StarterCharacters placed in StarterPlayer when Workspace.EnableSLIMAvatars is enabled. Avatar modifications via StarterCharacterScripts or StarterPlayerScripts are not yet supported.

Sponsored Experiences can now appear within the Recommended For You section on Home, spaced apart from the organic RFY tile, giving players two distinct paths to discover a title.

Deprecation Notice

AvatarUnificationMode is scheduled for deprecation on Dec. 1, 2026. The setting supported an earlier avatar-unification phase and will be removed after that date.

Web Profile & Home Layout Tests

Created games now appear on the main page of a creator's web profile instead of behind a separate Creations tab. Separately, Roblox is testing a new Home layout on large landscape screens that adds a right-side pane keeping avatars visible and opening game details without leaving the grid; eligible players see it automatically.

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