A Roblox private server (also called a VIP server) is a server of an experience that only the people you choose can join. Here is the short answer to how to make one: open the experience page on the Roblox website or app, go to the Servers section near the bottom, select Create Private Server, give it a name and pay with Buy Now. That button only appears in experiences whose creator has turned private servers on. The price is not a fixed Roblox fee. The creator sets it in Robux, and after the first charge it works as a subscription that renews from your Robux balance on the same date every month. From the server's Configure page you can let in up to 50 individual users or your whole friends list, and you can also create a link to the server to send to friends. If someone can't get in and sees error code 524, the official Help Center describes it as not having permission to join that experience or private server, so the server's member list and privacy settings are the first things to check. This guide follows the official Roblox Help Center as checked on October 14, 2026. It covers creating a server, cost and renewal, cancelling, free private servers, what to check when you can't join, and how to keep a video of a friends-only session. If you are seeing a number other than 524, look up what it means in the Roblox error codes guide first.
Bottom line: a private server is a monthly subscription, not a one-time purchase
A private server is not something you buy once and keep forever. It is a subscription that takes Robux on the same date each month, so check three things before you buy. First, make sure the experience page actually shows Create Private Server. If it doesn't, the creator hasn't enabled private servers for that experience and there is no way to create one from your side. Second, check the price shown and your renewal date. If you don't have enough Robux on the renewal date, the server expires and can no longer be used, although you can buy a new one at any time. If you only need the server once, you can cancel before the renewal date and still use it until the Expiration Date, which is the end of the period you already paid for. The Help Center doesn't describe a way to delete a server; it only covers cancelling the subscription and deactivating a free server. Third, check the ages and settings of the friends you want to play with. By default, users under 13 can only join private servers created by their friends, and only their friends can join theirs. Users 13 and older can also restrict who can add them to private servers in their privacy settings, and parents can limit a child's private servers to friends or to no one. Other age-based limits such as chat and voice are covered in the Roblox age verification guide. There are free options too. Some experiences offer private servers at no cost, and subscribers to Roblox Plus, a paid subscription, get free private servers in supported games; since September 24, 2026 that benefit has been one free private server per game. Error 524 can also show up in experiences that only members of a community (group) can join. If that is your case, join the community first with the help of how to join a Roblox community (group).
How to create a private server and get your friends in
- 1Find the Servers section on the experience pageOpen the page of the experience you want a private server for, on the Roblox website or in the app. The official Help Center says to go to the Servers section near the bottom of the experience page. If you see a Create Private Server button there, the creator has enabled private servers. If there is no button, it isn't a problem with your account. That experience simply doesn't offer private servers, and all you can do is check the experience description or the creator's announcements.
- 2Name the server and buy it with Create Private ServerSelect Create Private Server and type a server name. The price on screen is set in Robux by the experience creator, so it differs from one experience to another. Once you have checked it, select Buy Now to pay. After this first charge, the same amount is taken from your Robux balance automatically on the same date every month. If you get an error while creating it, you may already have a free private server for the same experience or have reached the limit for active free private servers. In that case, deactivate an existing free private server and create the new one again.
- 3Choose who can join under ConfigureIn the Servers section, select the menu button (three dots) at the far right of your private server and choose Configure. There you can rename the server, add up to 50 individual users, or allow your whole friends list. According to the Help Center, changing who can join doesn't change the monthly renewal or the server price, so you can adjust it whenever the group you play with changes.
- 4Create a server link and send it to friendsOn the same Configure page you can create a link to your server. Sending that link over Discord or another messenger makes it easier for friends to find the server. A link doesn't get around the under-13 rule or someone's privacy settings, though, so it helps to also add your friends to Server Members or turn on Friends Allowed before you send it. Those are the same two settings the official error 524 article tells server owners to check.
- 5Play right away from the Private Servers sectionThe Private Servers section on the experience page lists the servers you created and the ones you are a member of, and you can start playing from there right away. If a friend invited you to their server, look at the same Private Servers section on that experience page on your side. If you can't get in and see error code 524, work through the permission and settings checks in the table below.
- 6Keep an eye on Subscription Status and the renewal dateThe Configure page shows the Subscription Status, Renewal Date and Expiration Date. If you don't have enough Robux on the renewal date, the server expires and can't be used anymore, so check your balance before that date for any server you want to keep. You can always buy a new private server later. If you subscribe to Roblox Plus, the server kept as your Plus benefit is marked separately in the subscriptions menu in Settings.
- 7Cancel before the renewal date when you are doneFor a server you no longer need, open the menu button (three dots) to the right of your server in the Servers section, select Cancel and confirm with Yes, cancel. On the Configure page you can also stop the monthly charge by clicking the green Active icon next to Subscription Status, and toggle Subscription Status again at any time if you change your mind and want it to renew. Cancelling before the renewal date stops next month's Robux charge, and you can keep using the server until the Expiration Date, the end of the period you already paid for. The Help Center says nothing about refunding Robux for the remaining time, so cancelling ahead of the renewal date is the safer habit.
Private server situations: what the Help Center says and what to do (checked October 14, 2026)
| Situation | What the official Help Center says | What to do |
|---|---|---|
| No Create Private Server button | You can only create one in experiences whose creator has enabled private servers. | You can't create one in that experience; check its description or the creator's announcements. |
| Error while creating a server | You may already have a free private server for the same experience, or you have reached the limit for active free private servers. | Deactivate an existing free private server, then create the new one. |
| Cost and billing | The creator sets the price in Robux. After the first charge it renews automatically on the same date each month. | Check the price before buying and the Renewal Date on the Configure page afterwards. |
| Not enough Robux on the renewal date | The server expires and can no longer be used. You can buy a new one at any time. | Top up your balance before the renewal date for servers you want to keep. |
| You want to cancel | Cancel before the renewal date from the server menu or the Configure page; you keep access for the time already paid. | Select Cancel, then Yes, cancel, and note the Expiration Date. |
| A friend can't join (error 524) | 524 means no permission to join that experience or private server; overly strict privacy settings can also cause it. | The owner adds them to Server Members or turns on Friends Allowed; the person joining checks Private servers under Settings > Privacy and content restrictions > Visibility & private servers. |
| Users under 13 | By default, they can only join private servers created by friends, and only friends can join theirs. | Add each other as friends first and make sure parental controls aren't blocking everyone. |
Check before you pay and invite
- The Servers section of the experience page shows a Create Private Server button.
- You know the price shown will be charged again on the same date every month.
- For a server you plan to keep, you will have enough Robux on the renewal date.
- Your friends are in Server Members or Friends Allowed is on (up to 50 individual users).
- Your friends' Private servers privacy setting isn't blocking you.
- Players under 13 have been added as friends first.
- If you want a video of the session, a PC recorder is running (built-in video captures are up to 30 seconds and record no sound).
Record a friends-only private server session on PC
Private servers keep strangers out, which makes them handy for filming with friends or retaking the same scene several times. Roblox's built-in video capture, however, is up to 30 seconds according to the official Help Center as checked on October 14, 2026, doesn't record voice chat or in-experience sound, and can be turned off by the developer of an experience. If you want the whole session with sound, a PC recorder is the better fit. DOR is a free Windows PC app that automatically detects the PC version of Roblox downloaded from roblox.com. It doesn't treat public and private servers differently: it starts recording when you join an experience and stops when you leave it for the Roblox home screen or close Roblox. This automatic recording is on by default and can be turned off with the Roblox full-game recording toggle in settings. Each experience becomes one full mp4 in your library, and teleports between servers inside the same experience usually continue in the same file. The experience page where you create and configure the server is not recorded, and if you join right after launching Roblox, the first recording can start about 15 to 20 seconds late. Your mic is recorded by default with noise suppression. While desktop audio recording is on, other sound from your PC such as a Discord call is included as well, so change that setting if you only want Roblox audio. When a friend pulls off something funny, press F8 (you can change the key) while recording inside the experience to save the last 30 seconds as a separate clip (you can pick 15, 30, 45 or 60 seconds); How to Clip Roblox covers this in detail. From the library you can trim the parts you need, export them as 16:9, 9:16 or 1:1 and share them with your friends as a dor.gg link, or bring them into DOR Studio in your browser to combine videos and add text and background music before downloading an mp4. For how the built-in capture and other recording methods compare on length, see how to record Roblox for longer than 30 seconds. DOR can't record Roblox on phones, tablets or consoles, so treat it as the option for when you play on PC. Support for the Microsoft Store version (Roblox - Windows) has not been confirmed.
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