Hi Creators,
The Device Simulator lets you preview how your game looks on different devices without owning the hardware, and it’s one of the things you’ll likely reach for most while building. We’ve rebuilt the Device Simulator around a new toolbar, and added a Network Simulator to it. Both are in Studio beta today. Here’s what’s new.
New Device Simulator Toolbar
The redesigned toolbar sits right at the top of the viewport and brings your simulation controls together in one place: pick a device from a compact pill, rotate or rescale with a tap, and shape network conditions right from the same bar.
Key updates in this version include:
- Device switching during play mode: Change the simulated device straight from the toolbar while a playtest is running. You no longer have to stop, switch, and restart.
- Auto-detect scaling: In “physical size” scaling mode, the toolbar matches DPI and scaling to your own monitor, so on-screen sizes reflect the real device.
- Touch control hints: When you simulate a touch device, on-screen hints show the available touch inputs.
- Device Manager visibility: Show or hide built-in mobile devices in the Device Manager panel.
- Updated UI: The whole surface has been redesigned.
Use the Device Simulator toolbar throughout development to:
- Check layout across form factors: Click phone → tablet → console in the toolbar and watch the viewport rescale to each. Safe areas, overflow, and anchoring problems show up immediately.
- Validate touch UX: Simulate a touch device and use the touch control hints to confirm your inputs land where you think they do.
Network Simulator
The Network Simulator is a new tool in the Device Simulator toolbar. It simulates real-world network conditions like latency, jitter, and packet loss while you playtest, so you can find network-only bugs before your players do.
- Built-in profiles: Simulate 3G, 4G, Wi-Fi, or wired conditions on demand. No second device and no throttled router.
- Separate inbound and outbound shaping: Set latency, jitter, and packet loss independently in each direction.
- Live status in the toolbar: The icon shows the current connection type and signal quality, so you can see what you’re testing without opening the panel.
- Custom profiles: Save your own settings and re-apply them. Your “worst-case mobile” is one click away every session.
Adjust latency with the Network Simulator to:
- Feel-test your character controller: Run movement and networked physics under the “Bad Connection (3G)” profile and see whether it still holds up under high latency and jitter.
- Verify your loading and retry UX: Add packet loss and check that loading screens, retries, and timeouts behave instead of hanging.
- A/B the feel: Compare “Ideal Fiber” against “Bad Connection (3G)” on the same build.
This is a beta, so behavior may change based on what you tell us. If something doesn’t work the way you expect, reply in this thread.
Enabling the Beta
Click here for details on enabling the beta
- Open Studio and go to the File menu.
- Click Beta Features.
- Check New Device Simulator and press Save.
- Restart Studio if prompted.
Once it’s enabled, open the Device Simulator from the Test menu → Device Simulator. The toolbar appears at the top of the viewport.
To simulate a network, click the Network button, pick a profile or expand the panel to set inbound and outbound latency, jitter, and packet loss, then press Apply and enter Play or Play Solo. Reset returns you to the default. Save stores the current settings as a custom profile.
What’s Next
We are developing a dedicated Network Simulator skill for Studio Assistant. This skill teaches the Assistant to automatically configure the Network Simulator and validate gameplay feel, making it the fastest way to test edge cases and polish your experience.
We’re also working on enabling creators to validate game performance (memory and rendering quality) against specific device hardware profiles without leaving Studio.
Tell us which network profiles you actually test against, and which devices you most need hardware-accurate performance numbers for. That’s what we’ll build toward first.
Thanks to @wmsnghhrblx, @nidr_71, @ultrastamps2, @chiffonblossom, @ramblinwrek, and @ignotuscaligo for building this.
Happy creating!
The Roblox Studio Team
FAQs
Click here to view FAQs
Does the Network Simulator affect my published experience?
- No. It only shapes traffic in your local Studio playtest session. Nothing changes for players.
Does simulating a device tell me whether my experience will actually run on it?
- Not yet. The Device Simulator simulates screen size, scaling, and input, not device hardware performance. Validating memory and rendering quality against real hardware profiles is something we’re working on.
Do the network profiles match real 3G or 4G?
- They’re approximations built from typical latency, jitter, and loss ranges for each connection type. Use them to find bugs that only appear under bad conditions, not as a precise model of any one carrier.
Does this replace testing on real devices?
- No. It catches a large class of layout and network problems early, but testing on real devices is still the most accurate way to see how your experience will behave.
