How to make a leaderboard in roblox studio is a question almost every developer asks when they transition from just messing around in the editor to actually building a competitive game. If you've ever played a game like Adopt Me or Murder Mystery 2, you've seen that little list in the top right corner showing off everyone's "Cash," "Kills," or "Level." That's the leaderboard, and it's essentially the heartbeat of player retention. Without it, there's no way for players to see how they stack up against their friends, and let's be real, a little friendly competition goes a long way.
The good news? It's not nearly as complicated as it looks. You don't need a degree in computer science to get this running. In fact, Roblox has a built-in system called leaderstats that handles the heavy lifting for you. You just need to know how to talk to it.
Getting Started with the Leaderstats Folder
The most important thing to understand is that Roblox looks for a very specific folder inside each player. This folder must be named exactly "leaderstats" (all lowercase, no spaces). If you name it "LeaderStats" or "MyStats," the game won't recognize it as a leaderboard, and nothing will show up on the screen.
To get started, open your game in Roblox Studio and look at the Explorer window on the right. Find the folder named ServerScriptService. This is the best place to put your scripts because it's secure and runs directly on the game server. Right-click it, hover over "Insert Object," and click "Script."
Go ahead and delete the "Hello World" line. We're going to write something much more useful.
Writing the Basic Leaderboard Script
Here is the basic structure you'll need. This script tells the game, "Hey, every time a player joins, give them a folder to hold their stats."
```lua game.Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(function(player) local stats = Instance.new("Folder") stats.Name = "leaderstats" stats.Parent = player
local points = Instance.new("IntValue") points.Name = "Points" points.Value = 0 points.Parent = stats end) ```
Let's break that down for a second. We're using game.Players.PlayerAdded, which is a "signal" that fires whenever someone enters your game. Inside that, we create an Instance.new("Folder"). That's just code-speak for "make a new folder."
We name it "leaderstats" so Roblox knows to display it. Then, we create an IntValue. This is a type of variable that holds whole numbers. If you wanted to track something with decimals (like "Time Played"), you might use a NumberValue instead. We give it a name—in this case, "Points"—and set its starting value to zero. Finally, we "parent" it to the leaderstats folder.
Once you hit "Play" in the top bar, you should see your username in the top right corner with "0" next to it. Congratulations! You've just built your first leaderboard.
Adding More Than One Stat
Most games don't just track one thing. Maybe you want "Cash" and "Rebirths," or "Kills" and "Deaths." Adding more stats is as simple as repeating the middle part of the script.
Just remember that the order in which you parent them to the folder is usually the order they'll appear on the screen. If you want "Level" to show up first, create and parent it before you do the "Experience" stat.
Keep in mind, though, that the leaderboard has limited space. If you try to jam ten different stats in there, it's going to look cluttered, especially on mobile devices where screen real estate is at a premium. Stick to the top two or three most important metrics for your players.
How to Actually Change the Numbers
Having a leaderboard that just stays at zero is pretty boring. You need to be able to change those numbers when something happens in the game. Maybe a player clicks a button, touches a coin, or defeats an enemy.
Since the stats are stored inside the player, you have to find that player first. If you have a part that a player touches, you can use a script like this:
```lua local part = script.Parent
part.Touched:Connect(function(hit) local character = hit.Parent local player = game.Players:GetPlayerFromCharacter(character)
if player then player.leaderstats.Points.Value = player.leaderstats.Points.Value + 10 part:Destroy() -- The coin disappears after being picked up end end) ```
This is the bread and butter of Roblox development. We find the player, navigate to their leaderstats folder, find the "Points" object, and then add to its Value. It's logical and straightforward once you get the hang of the hierarchy.
The Big Problem: Saving Data
If you stop here, you're going to have some very frustrated players. Why? Because as soon as they leave the game or the server restarts, all their hard-earned points will vanish into the void. To keep the progress alive, you need to use DataStores.
DataStores are basically Roblox's way of letting you save information to their cloud servers. It's a bit more advanced, but it's essential if you want people to keep playing.
First, you need to enable "API Services" in your Game Settings. Without this, your script won't be allowed to talk to the Roblox database. Once that's on, you'll need to use DataStoreService to "Get" the data when a player joins and "Set" the data when they leave.
It looks something like this:
```lua local DataStoreService = game:GetService("DataStoreService") local myDataStore = DataStoreService:GetDataStore("PlayerStats")
-- Inside the PlayerAdded function, you'd add: local data local success, err = pcall(function() data = myDataStore:GetAsync(player.UserId) end)
if success and data then points.Value = data end ```
Using a pcall (protected call) is vital here. Sometimes the Roblox servers have hiccups. If you don't use a pcall, and the data service fails, your whole script might crash, preventing the player from even joining properly. It's a safety net that keeps your game running smoothly.
Troubleshooting Common Mistakes
If you've followed the steps for how to make a leaderboard in roblox studio and it's still not working, don't sweat it. Coding is 90% fixing things you accidentally broke.
One of the most common issues is spelling. If you named your folder "Leaderstats" with a capital L, it won't work. If you try to change player.leaderstats.Point.Value but your stat is named "Points" (plural), the script will error out. Always check your output window for red text—it'll tell you exactly which line is causing the headache.
Another common pitfall is trying to change leaderstats from a LocalScript. LocalScripts run on the player's computer, not the server. If a player changes their own points via a LocalScript, it might show up on their screen, but the server (and every other player) won't see it. This is a security measure to prevent easy cheating. Always handle stat changes on the server!
Polishing Your Leaderboard
Once you have the logic down, you can start thinking about the user experience. You don't have to stick to the default grey Roblox leaderboard if you don't want to. While the leaderstats folder automatically creates the UI for you, many top-tier games eventually build their own custom GUIs.
However, for 99% of new games, the built-in leaderboard is perfect. It's clean, it's familiar to players, and it's one less thing for you to design from scratch. Focus on making the gameplay fun first, then worry about custom UI later.
Final Thoughts
Learning how to make a leaderboard in roblox studio is a massive milestone. It's the bridge between a static environment and a dynamic, interactive game. It gives players a goal, a sense of progression, and a reason to brag to their friends.
Start simple with a basic "Points" system. Once you're comfortable with that, move on to adding more stats, and finally, master the art of DataStores to make sure that progress is permanent. The more you practice with these scripts, the more they'll become second nature. Before you know it, you'll be scripting complex economies and leveling systems without even glancing at a tutorial. Happy developing!