If you want your players to see their score or money in the top right corner, you're going to need a roblox leaderstats script to handle the heavy lifting. It's one of the first things most people learn when they start diving into Luau, and for good reason. Without it, your game feels a bit empty—there's no way for people to track their progress or brag about how much "Cash" they've earned. It's essentially the backbone of player progression.
The cool thing about leaderstats is that Roblox has a built-in system for it. You don't have to design a custom UI from scratch if you don't want to. As long as you name things correctly in your script, Roblox will automatically pop up that little leaderboard window for you. Let's get into how you actually set this up without overcomplicating things.
Where does the script go?
Before we even look at the code, you need to know where to put it. You might be tempted to throw it into a part or the workspace, but that's not the best move. For a roblox leaderstats script to work reliably and securely, it belongs in ServerScriptService.
Scripts inside ServerScriptService run on the server side, meaning players can't easily mess with them using exploits. Plus, it keeps your Explorer window organized. Go ahead and right-click ServerScriptService, hit "Insert Object," and choose "Script." You can name it something like "LeaderboardHandler" so you don't forget what it does later.
Writing the basic leaderboard script
Now for the actual coding. We want the game to create a folder for every player who joins. This folder tells Roblox, "Hey, display these specific values on the screen."
Here's a simple version of what that looks like:
```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 = 0 gold.Parent = leaderstats end) ```
There are a couple of super important things happening here. First, the name of the folder must be "leaderstats" in all lowercase. If you capitalize the "L" or spell it differently, Roblox won't recognize it, and your leaderboard simply won't show up.
Second, we used Instance.new("IntValue"). This tells the game we're tracking a whole number. If you wanted to track something with decimals (like a multiplier), you'd use a NumberValue. If you wanted to show a rank like "Beginner," you'd use a StringValue.
Adding more than one stat
Most games don't just have one stat. You might want "Gold" and "Level," or maybe "Kills" and "Deaths." Adding more is as simple as repeating those last few lines.
Inside the same function, you can just add another block for your second stat:
lua local level = Instance.new("IntValue") level.Name = "Level" level.Value = 1 level.Parent = leaderstats
Now, when a player joins, they'll see two columns on the leaderboard. It's pretty satisfying to see it pop up for the first time. Just remember that the more stats you add, the more cluttered the screen gets, so try to keep it to the essentials.
Making the data stay put (DataStores)
This is where things get a bit more advanced, but it's totally necessary. If you use the script above, everything resets to zero the moment a player leaves the game. That's a great way to make your players never come back. To prevent that, you need to link your roblox leaderstats script to a DataStore.
DataStores are basically Roblox's way of saving info to the cloud. It's a bit more "wordy" to code, but it's what turns a tech demo into an actual game. You'll need to use DataStoreService and wrap your saving/loading in something called a pcall (protected call). This is because sometimes the Roblox servers have hiccups, and a pcall prevents your whole script from crashing if the save fails.
Setting up the DataStore
At the top of your script, you'll want to define the service: local DataStoreService = game:GetService("DataStoreService") local myDataStore = DataStoreService:GetDataStore("PlayerStats")
When the player joins, you'll use GetAsync to see if they have any saved data. When they leave, you'll use SetAsync to save their current leaderstats values. It's a bit of a back-and-forth process, but once you set it up once, you can usually reuse the same logic for every game you make.
Common mistakes to watch out for
I've spent way too many hours debugging a roblox leaderstats script only to realize I made a tiny typo. It happens to everyone. Here are the big ones to check if your script isn't working:
- The "leaderstats" folder name: I mentioned this already, but it's the number one cause of failure. Check the spelling. Check the case. It has to be "leaderstats".
- Parenting too late: Make sure you set the
Parentof your values to theleaderstatsfolder. If you parent them directly to the player, they won't show up on the leaderboard. - LocalScripts vs Scripts: A leaderboard won't work if you put it in a LocalScript. It has to be a regular Script (Server script) because the server needs to be the one in charge of the official scores.
- API Services: If you're trying to test saving data in Studio, make sure you go to Game Settings > Security and toggle on "Allow HTTP Requests" and "Enable Studio Access to API Services." If you don't do that, your DataStore will give you a headache.
Testing your script
Once you've written your code, hit the big blue "Play" button in Roblox Studio. If everything went right, you should see your username in the top right with "Gold: 0" (or whatever you named your stat) right next to it.
If you want to test if it's actually working without writing a whole combat or shop system yet, you can use the Command Bar at the bottom of Studio while the game is running. Type something like: game.Players.YourUsername.leaderstats.Gold.Value = 500
Hit enter, and you should see your score jump up instantly. It's a great way to make sure your references are correct before you start building the rest of the game.
Taking it a step further
Once you've mastered the basic roblox leaderstats script, you can start doing some really fancy stuff. For example, you could write a script that gives players +1 Gold every minute they stay in the game. Or, you could make it so that when a player touches a certain part, their "Level" goes up.
The leaderstats folder is just a container. What you do with the values inside is entirely up to your imagination. You could even use those values to lock certain doors (e.g., "You need 10 Gold to enter this area"). The leaderboard isn't just for show; it's a tool for your entire game's logic.
Final thoughts on scripting
Don't get discouraged if the code looks like gibberish at first. Scripting in Roblox is a skill like anything else. The first time you get your roblox leaderstats script working and see that number change for the first time, it feels like magic.
Just keep your Explorer window tidy, watch your capital letters, and always remember to save your work. Before you know it, you'll be handling complex data systems and global leaderboards like it's nothing. Happy building!