A well-built Roblox game that runs at low frame rates will struggle to retain players. Performance optimization is not optional for serious developers — it’s a core part of the build process.
Understanding Draw Calls
Every visible Part in your game costs at least one draw call. Draw calls are the instructions your game sends to the GPU to render each object. Hundreds of small, separate parts are dramatically more expensive than the same geometry merged into fewer objects. Use the Roblox Studio Optimization panel to see your draw call count; aim for under 1,000 for most games.
Polygon Count and LOD
High-polygon meshes look great but slow down rendering. Use the “Fidelity” setting on MeshParts — Automatic LOD (Level of Detail) reduces polygon count for distant objects automatically. For custom meshes, create lower-polygon versions in Blender for use at distance.
Streaming Enabled
The StreamingEnabled property in WorkspaceProperties loads only the parts of the map near each player, dramatically reducing memory usage in large open worlds. Enable it for any game with a map larger than a few hundred studs. Test thoroughly: some games break when distant parts aren’t loaded.
Using the Roblox Profiler
The built-in Microprofiler (Ctrl+F6 in play mode) shows a detailed timeline of every task your game executes each frame. Look for long bars labeled “Physics,” “RunService,” or “Heartbeat” callbacks — these are your bottlenecks. A single poorly-optimized loop in a Heartbeat connection can halve your framerate across all players.