If you're trying to get a roblox vr script start going, you've probably realized that moving from flat screens to headsets is a whole different beast. It's one thing to make a character run around with WASD keys, but it's another thing entirely when you're trying to track someone's actual head and hands in a 3D space. Roblox has made some huge strides in VR support over the last couple of years, but getting a clean, working foundation for your project still takes a bit of a mental shift.
Most people dive in thinking they can just toggle a setting and be done with it. While Roblox does have some built-in VR "comfort" settings, they usually feel a bit clunky for a custom game. If you want your game to actually feel good to play, you've got to get your hands dirty with some Luau scripting.
Figuring Out if the Player is Even in VR
Before you do anything else, you need to know if the person joining your game is actually wearing a headset. There is nothing worse than running a bunch of VR-specific code for someone playing on a laptop; it just breaks things and causes errors in the output.
The most reliable way to handle this is through the VRService. You'll want to check VRService.VREnabled right at the beginning of your local script. But here's the kicker: sometimes that property doesn't flip to "true" the exact millisecond the game loads. I've found that putting a tiny bit of a wait or using a property change signal is way more reliable. If the game detects a headset, that's your cue to disable the default character scripts or adjust the camera to follow the user's head movement instead of the standard third-person follow.
Setting Up the Camera Tracking
This is where the real work begins. In a normal Roblox game, the camera is basically a floating point that follows the character's head. In VR, the camera is the player's head. If you don't script this correctly, players will get motion sick within thirty seconds.
You'll usually want to set the CameraType to Scriptable. This gives you total control. From there, you use VRService:GetUserHeight() and VRService:GetRenderUpdate() to keep the camera positioned exactly where the player's physical head is. It's a bit of a math puzzle because you have to offset the camera based on where the "center" of their play space is.
One thing I see a lot of beginners mess up is the "neck offset." If you just stick the camera to the HumanoidRootPart, it feels like your head is coming out of your stomach. You have to account for the height of the avatar and the actual real-world height of the player. It sounds complicated, but once you see the camera actually tilting when you tilt your head in real life, it's a pretty cool "aha!" moment.
Making the Hands Work
A roblox vr script start isn't complete without some floating hands. Watching your own movements translated into the game world is what makes VR feel immersive. Roblox gives us the UserGameSettings, but specifically, we care about the InputService for tracking the controllers.
You're basically looking for the CFrame of the left and right hand. I usually create two small parts (or full hand models if I'm feeling fancy) and move them every single frame to match the position of the VR controllers.
- The Left Hand: Usually handled by
Enum.UserIndex.DeviceOneor specifically tracked as the Left Hand. - The Right Hand: Usually
DeviceTwoor the Right Hand.
The trick here is to use RunService.RenderStepped. If you update the hand positions in a regular while true do wait() loop, they're going to look jittery and laggy. VR players are super sensitive to latency. If their hand moves in real life and the in-game hand takes an extra 50 milliseconds to catch up, it feels gross. You want that movement to be butter-smooth.
Handling Input and Interactions
Buttons on a VR controller aren't the same as a keyboard. You've got triggers, grips, thumbsticks, and those face buttons (A, B, X, Y). When you're scripting your input, you're mostly going to be using UserInputService.InputBegan.
The "Trigger" is usually the go-to for firing a gun or clicking a button, while the "Grip" button is better for, well, grabbing things. I've noticed that a lot of developers forget about the haptic feedback. If you want your game to feel "premium," you should trigger a tiny vibration in the controller when a player touches an object. It's a small detail, but it makes a world of difference when you're trying to pick up a sword or open a door.
The Nightmare of VR User Interfaces
Honestly, UI in VR is a bit of a headache. You can't just slap a ScreenGui on the player's face. If you do, the buttons will be stuck to their eyes, and they won't be able to look at them—it's like trying to read a sticker on your own glasses.
The solution is to use SurfaceGui. You basically create a physical part in the 3D world, parent the UI to it, and position it in front of the player. Some people like to attach the menu to the player's wrist, like a watch. Others prefer a floating tablet that appears when you press a button.
Whatever you do, make sure the buttons are big. Aiming a laser pointer or a physical finger at a tiny button is frustrating when you're wearing a headset. You want big, chunky buttons that are easy to hit even if your tracking is a little bit wobbly.
Avoiding the "Puke Factor"
We have to talk about motion sickness. When you're getting your roblox vr script start off the ground, you might be tempted to move the player's character with the thumbstick just like a normal game. For many people, this is totally fine. But for a huge chunk of the population, artificial locomotion (moving without moving your real legs) causes instant nausea.
If you're building a game for a wide audience, you should probably think about a teleportation system. It's the gold standard for VR comfort. Instead of sliding the player across the floor, you let them point at a spot and "blink" there. It's less immersive for some, but it keeps people playing longer because they aren't reaching for a barf bag after ten minutes.
If you do use stick movement, try to implement "vignetting." That's when the edges of the screen go dark while the player is moving. It narrows their field of view and helps the brain cope with the movement. It sounds weird, but it actually works.
Testing and Iteration
You can't really code a VR game without a headset. I mean, you can use the VR emulator in Roblox Studio, but it's not the same. You need to feel the scale of the world. Something that looks small on your monitor might feel massive and intimidating in VR.
I spend a lot of time jumping in and out of the headset. I'll write a few lines of code, put the headset on, see that my hands are upside down, take the headset off, fix the code, and repeat. It's a bit of a workout, honestly. But it's the only way to make sure the "feel" is right.
Check your physics, too. VR players love to mess with things. If there's a cup on a table, they're going to try to pick it up. If there's a wall, they're going to try to stick their head through it. You have to decide how your script handles these things. Do you let their head pass through walls? Or do you fade the screen to black when they clip into something?
Final Thoughts on the VR Journey
Starting a VR project on Roblox is a challenge, but it's also one of the most rewarding things you can do as a dev. When you finally get that first successful roblox vr script start where your hands move, the camera follows your eyes, and you can actually reach out and touch something in your game world, it feels like magic.
Don't get discouraged if your first few scripts result in a crazy spinning camera or hands that fly off into infinity. It happens to everyone. Just keep your math clean, focus on player comfort, and remember that in VR, the player's experience of the physical space is just as important as the gameplay itself. Happy scripting, and stay patient—it's worth it when it all clicks!