If you're building a game, you'll definitely need a solid roblox studio leaderstats script to track player points, gold, or whatever currency you've dreamt up. It's basically the backbone of any competitive or progression-based experience on the platform. Without that little leaderboard in the top right corner, players don't really have a visual way to see how they're doing compared to everyone else in the server.
Getting this set up isn't nearly as intimidating as it looks. Even if you're just starting out with Luau, the logic behind leaderstats is pretty straightforward. You're essentially just creating a folder inside the player object and putting some values in it. Let's dive into how to actually make this happen without overcomplicating things.
The Basic Logic Behind Leaderstats
Before we start typing code, it's worth understanding why we do things a certain way. Roblox looks for a folder specifically named "leaderstats" (all lowercase) inside the Player object. If it finds that folder, it automatically takes whatever values are inside and displays them in the UI.
You don't have to design the UI yourself; Roblox handles the heavy lifting of displaying the names and numbers. All you have to do is make sure the folder exists and the values are correctly parented to it.
Writing Your First Script
To get started, you'll want to head over to ServerScriptService in your Explorer window. Right-click it, insert a new Script (not a LocalScript!), and clear out that "Hello World" line. We want this to run on the server so that everyone sees the same scores and so it's harder for exploiters to mess with the numbers.
Here's a simple version of a roblox studio leaderstats script that tracks "Coins":
```lua game.Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(function(player) local leaderstats = Instance.new("Folder") leaderstats.Name = "leaderstats" leaderstats.Parent = player
local coins = Instance.new("IntValue") coins.Name = "Coins" coins.Value = 0 coins.Parent = leaderstats end) ```
Let's break that down a bit. We're using game.Players.PlayerAdded, which is an event that fires every single time a new person joins your game. We connect that to a function that receives the player object. Inside that function, we create a new Folder, name it "leaderstats," and stick it inside the player. Then, we create an IntValue, name it whatever we want (in this case, "Coins"), give it a starting value of zero, and put it inside the leaderstats folder.
Why Case Sensitivity Matters
One of the biggest headaches for new developers is when the leaderboard simply doesn't show up. Nine times out of ten, it's because of a typo. If you name the folder "Leaderstats" with a capital "L," Roblox won't recognize it. It must be lowercase. The name of the value (like "Coins" or "Points"), however, can be capitalized however you like, as that's exactly what players will see on their screen.
Adding Multiple Stats
You aren't limited to just one stat. If you want to track "Level," "XP," and "Gold" all at once, you just keep adding more values to that same folder. It's a good idea to keep your code organized so you can see exactly what's going on.
```lua game.Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(function(player) local leaderstats = Instance.new("Folder") leaderstats.Name = "leaderstats" leaderstats.Parent = player
local gold = Instance.new("IntValue") gold.Name = "Gold" gold.Value = 100 -- Maybe give them a starting bonus? gold.Parent = leaderstats local kills = Instance.new("IntValue") kills.Name = "Kills" kills.Value = 0 kills.Parent = leaderstats end) ```
It's pretty modular. You can add as many as you need, though I'd suggest not going overboard. If you have ten different stats, the leaderboard is going to look pretty cluttered and might even get cut off on smaller screens like phones.
Using Different Value Types
Most of the time, you'll use IntValue because most stats are whole numbers. But sometimes you might want something else.
- IntValue: For whole numbers (1, 2, 500).
- NumberValue: For decimals (1.5, 99.9). Useful for things like "Time Played" if you want to be precise.
- StringValue: For text. You could use this to show a player's "Rank" or "Team Name" on the leaderboard.
If you used a StringValue for a rank system, it would look like this:
lua local rank = Instance.new("StringValue") rank.Name = "Rank" rank.Value = "Rookie" rank.Parent = leaderstats
Making the Numbers Actually Change
Having a roblox studio leaderstats script is great, but it's boring if the numbers never go up. You'll usually change these values from other scripts in your game. For example, if a player touches a glowing coin, you'd want to increase their "Coins" value.
Let's say you have a Part in your game. You could put a script inside that Part 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 local leaderstats = player:FindFirstChild("leaderstats") if leaderstats then local coins = leaderstats:FindFirstChild("Coins") if coins then coins.Value = coins.Value + 10 part:Destroy() -- Remove the coin so they can't spam it end end end end) ```
This is a classic "Touch to collect" script. It checks if whatever touched the part is actually a player, finds their leaderstats, and adds 10 to their total.
Keeping Things Secure
I mentioned earlier that you should always use a server-side script for leaderstats. This is super important. If you change a leaderstat value inside a LocalScript, it might look like the number went up on the player's screen, but the server won't know about it. More importantly, other players won't see the change.
Exploiters also have a much harder time messing with things if the logic is handled on the server. Never trust the client to tell the server how much money they should have. Always have the server decide when a player earns something.
What About Saving Progress?
The basic roblox studio leaderstats script we wrote above has one big flaw: it resets every time the player leaves. If someone spends hours grinding for a million coins, they're going to be pretty upset when they log back in and see a big fat zero.
To fix this, you need to use DataStoreService. It's a bit more advanced, but it's essential for any "real" game. You basically tell Roblox to save the values to their database when the player leaves and fetch them when the player joins.
While I won't write a whole custom DataStore system here (that's a whole other topic!), just know that your leaderstats script is the foundation for that. The values sitting in that "leaderstats" folder are exactly what you'll be telling the DataStore to save.
Common Issues to Watch Out For
Sometimes you'll find that your script just doesn't work. If that happens, check the Output window in Roblox Studio. It'll usually tell you exactly what went wrong.
One common error is trying to change the value of the object instead of the .Value property. For example, writing coins = coins + 10 will cause an error because coins is the object (the IntValue), not the number. You have to write coins.Value = coins.Value + 10.
Another thing is putting the script in the wrong place. If you put your leaderstats script in StarterPlayerScripts or StarterGui, it won't work correctly. Keep it in ServerScriptService.
Wrapping Up
Creating a roblox studio leaderstats script is one of those "lightbulb moments" for a lot of new devs. Once you see those numbers pop up in the top corner of your game for the first time, it starts feeling like a real project.
It's a simple system, but it's incredibly powerful. Whether you're making a simulator, a race game, or a combat arena, the leaderstats script is going to be your best friend. Just remember to double-check your spelling, keep your logic on the server, and eventually, look into DataStores so your players' hard work actually stays saved.
Happy scripting, and don't get too frustrated if things don't work on the first try—debugging is half the fun of game development anyway!