The long-requested Avatar Switcher feature is finally on the way, and it could completely change how people play Roblox games.
Right now, if you want to change your avatar, you have to leave the game you’re in, swap out your look, then rejoin. It’s clunky, it disrupts the flow, and honestly, a lot of players just don’t come back once they leave. Roblox knows this, and according to their own data, it’s a big reason play sessions get cut short. So instead of kicking you back to the menu every time you want to swap a shirt or flex a new outfit, Roblox is bringing the feature directly in-game.
Here’s how it’s supposed to work. If you’re in a game that supports respawning, you’ll get two options when you switch avatars: “Respawn Now” (your character instantly respawns with the new look) or “Switch on Next Respawn” (your avatar updates the next time you die or respawn naturally).
If the game doesn’t support respawn, the new avatar won’t apply until your next join. And if the dev has coded a custom respawn system, the Avatar Switcher will hook into that too. In other words, Roblox is trying to make sure this doesn’t break existing games.
For devs, it’s pretty straightforward. If you already allow respawn, you don’t have to touch anything. If you don’t but want players to use this new feature, you’ll need to enable respawn, maybe just in non-competitive areas like lobbies so it doesn’t mess up gameplay. On the flip side, if you don’t want Avatar Switcher enabled in your game at all, you’ll need to disable respawn entirely, since the feature is tied to it.
And what about custom avatars, or games that restrict what players can wear? Roblox says the switcher will respect those rules. If your game only supports R6, for example, the preview will show the player what their avatar looks like in that format. If your game runs on a completely custom character system with no Roblox avatars, then Avatar Switcher just won’t show up at all.
Performance-wise, Roblox promises this won’t cause lag or slow things down, since they’re testing it heavily before rollout. That’s going to be crucial, because nobody wants to deal with hiccups in the middle of gameplay just because someone swapped their hair or layered on a new jacket.
I think this might end up being one of those under-the-radar changes that players quickly get used to and then can’t imagine living without. Like voice chat, controversial when it dropped, but now a core part of how people hang out on Roblox. Avatar Switcher could be the same.