On December 3, 2025, Russia blocked popular US gaming platform Roblox, accusing it of supplying extremist materials and promoting LGBTQ propaganda. The communications watchdog Roskomnadzor believes the platform spreads inappropriate content that could stunt the moral and spiritual development of children.
This is a common claim any time an online platform is blocked in Russia. Still, Russian Roblox fans aren’t ready to accept their fate just yet, sending many to seek the best VPNs that can unblock the platform.
Extremist materials
Russia frequently uses claims of “extremist propaganda” as a reason for outright bans, throttling, and temporary blocks on gaming and social media platforms. The country heavily throttled and blocked chat platforms like WhatsApp and Telegram earlier this year, and then rolled out Max. Max is Russia’s state-integrated solution to mainstream video and chat services.
A government push to use Max has officials making it a prerequisite for civil servants and students, even going as far as to threaten job loss or expulsion if the app isn’t installed.
Russia isn’t the first country to block the game, though – Iraq and Turkey have also placed a ban on Roblox, citing concerns that predators could use the game to lure and abuse children.
Children at risk
(Image credit: Miguel Lagoa/Shutterstock)
Protecting children online is important, but some argue that moderating children’s activity within the Roblox universe may be more sensible than an outright ban. It is salient to note that Roblox is not solely a child’s game.
The online platform hosts millions of user-generated games and social experiences for adults, such as virtual coffee shops and other meeting places. It even has its own game creation software (Roblox Studio), which allows users to create and publish games using virtual currency (Robux).
For the most part, it claims to do its due diligence in trying to keep children from accessing adult-themed content. The game implements safety measures based on user age that restrict access to certain tools and games.
The platform’s website further details what is and isn’t accessible within a certain age range under Safety by Age. In the Safety section of Roblox’s website, there’s also information about other topics such as parental controls, transparency practices, and safety tools and policies.
It is also notable that Roblox does come under the remit of Australia’s upcoming Online Safety Amendment – legislation that is intended to protect under-16s from inappropriate content on social media.
A spike in Roblox VPN searches
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It is unsurprising that fans of the online gaming platform are looking to VPNs for help navigating around the block. In the last few hours, we have seen a considerable traffic increase to the Tom’s Guide Roblox VPN page, with almost all traffic coming from Yandex users in Russia. As of yet, it is unclear whether using a VPN will allow access to Roblox in Russia.
Notably, the Russian government is considering an outright ban on VPN apps in app stores. This has not yet been implemented, but VPNs may well be under threat in the country.
At Tom’s Guide, we stress to our readers to only use reputable, verified VPNs. Many free VPNs in both the Apple App Store and the Google Play Store are unsafe to use. Instead, we recommend VPNs that we have tested and reviewed, and have verified as safe. Examples include NordVPN, Surfshark, and ExpressVPN.
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We test and review VPN services in the context of legal recreational uses. For example: 1. Accessing a service from another country (subject to the terms and conditions of that service). 2. Protecting your online security and strengthening your online privacy when abroad. We do not support or condone the illegal or malicious use of VPN services. Consuming pirated content that is paid-for is neither endorsed nor approved by Future Publishing.
