Roblox has been around for a pretty long time - it's turning 15 this September. The platform has also experienced a boom in the past year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, and many adults are revisiting their old accounts. Unfortunately, what a child thinks is a cool username is very different from what an adult thinks is a cool username. Many returning Robloxians are stuck with rather silly usernames from their past selves.
It's been possible to change a username for a while, but that costs real money. An exciting new feature is being rolled out — display names. Now players can set their names to be whatever they fancy, and it's totally free.
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Display names were first tested back in February 2021 on the German servers, but they were taken down soon after some troublemakers found ways to abuse them. Trial runs started again this past April, and the feature is slowly rolling out for all players.
The terms "username" and "display name" are used interchangeably in a lot of contexts. In Roblox, they're two different things. Here's a quick rundown:
- Each player's username must be unique, but display names can be shared. There are a few exceptions, such as impersonating Roblox staff or famous streamers, but they're few and far between.
- Any player can change their display name for no cost. Changing a username requires a fee of 1,000 Robux.
- In most situations, the display name is the first thing other players will see, but both the display name and username are visible to everyone.
In short, Roblox display names function very similarly to names on Twitter. The username is even displayed with an @ below the display name on a user's page, just like Twitter.
Changing a display name is easy. Keep in mind that the feature is still in trial and may not be available in all countries or to all players. Once it comes to players' neck of the woods, here's how to get that first display name.
- Go to the account details page and navigate to Settings.
- Click on the pencil icon next to "Display Name".
- Enter the display name. It must be between 3 and 20 characters. Vulgar or hateful content and special characters are not allowed.
That's it! There's no limit to the number of times players can change their display name. However, players can only change it once every seven days, to prevent abuse of the feature. Also, players cannot use their display name to log in to their Roblox account — that requires the username.
Since the feature is not yet available in many countries, some eager players have tried to use a VPN to get their hands on a display name. VPNs are very useful for internet security, but they should not be used to unlock aspects of the game that aren't available. This can be considered cheating and could result in punishment.