Coming from Roblox

If you've been building experiences on Roblox, HELIX will feel familiar in many ways -- but with the full power of Unreal Engine 5 under the hood. Here's how the two platforms compare and what you need to know to make the switch.

Platform Comparison

	Roblox	HELIX
Engine	Proprietary (Roblox Engine)	Unreal Engine 5
Editor	Roblox Studio	HELIX Studio (UE5-based)
Scripting	Luau	Lua (UnLua), Blueprint, JavaScript
Object Model	Instance-based hierarchy	Actor / Component model
Networking	Automatic replication	Server-authoritative events
Monetization	Robux / DevEx	LIX (built-in economy)
Target Audience	All ages	Flexible -- you set the tone

Roblox Studio vs HELIX Studio

Roblox Studio's Explorer panel and Properties window have equivalents in HELIX Studio. The World Outliner is your Explorer, and the Details Panel is your Properties window. Instead of inserting Parts and Models, you work with Actors and Components.

The big upgrade: HELIX Studio gives you access to Nanite (virtualized geometry), Lumen (global illumination), and the full UE5 material editor. Your worlds can look dramatically better without sacrificing performance.

Luau vs Lua (UnLua)

Roblox uses Luau, a typed superset of Lua. HELIX uses standard Lua 5.4 via the UnLua integration. Most of your Lua knowledge transfers directly, but there are a few differences:

Roblox (Luau)	HELIX (Lua)
local part = Instance.new("Part")	local actor = StaticMesh(Vector(), Rotator(), "mesh-path")
part.Position = Vector3.new(0, 10, 0)	actor:SetLocation(Vector(0, 10, 0))
part:Destroy()	actor:Destroy()
game.Players.LocalPlayer	Client.GetLocalPlayer()
wait(1)	Timer.SetTimeout(callback, 1000)
Type annotations (string, number)	Standard Lua types (no built-in type checking)

note

Luau's strict type system doesn't carry over. If you rely heavily on type annotations, consider using a Lua linter in your workflow.

RemoteEvents vs HELIX Events

Roblox's RemoteEvent and RemoteFunction system maps to HELIX's event API:

Blueprint

// Use "Call Remote Event" and "Subscribe to Remote Event"
// nodes in Blueprint for client-server communication.

Lua

-- Roblox: Fire server from client
remoteEvent:FireServer(data)

-- HELIX: Fire server from client
TriggerServerEvent('MyEvent', data)

-- Roblox: Listen on server
remoteEvent.OnServerEvent:Connect(function(player, data) end)

-- HELIX: Listen on server (controller passed as first arg)
RegisterServerEvent('MyEvent', function(controller, data) end)

JavaScript

// HELIX JS uses an endpoint/call model for client-server communication

// Server: register an endpoint
Helix.server(async () => {
    Helix.endpoint('MyEvent', async (helixId, data) => {
        // handle the request
        return { success: true };
    });
});

// Client: call the endpoint
const id = Helix.Player.helixId();
const result = await Helix.call('MyEvent', id.toString(), data);

No need to create RemoteEvent instances in a folder hierarchy. You call events by name and subscribe by name -- that's it.

DataStores vs Database

Roblox's DataStoreService is replaced by HELIX's built-in Database API. You get direct access to a persistent database without the request limits and throttling that Roblox imposes.

Roblox	HELIX
DataStoreService:GetDataStore("name")	Database.Execute("CREATE TABLE ...")
dataStore:SetAsync(key, value)	Database.Execute("INSERT INTO ... VALUES ...")
dataStore:GetAsync(key)	Database.Execute("SELECT ... WHERE ...")
60 req/min + 6s cooldowns	No artificial rate limits -- direct SQL access

Roblox Economy vs LIX

Instead of Robux and the Developer Exchange program, HELIX uses LIX -- the platform's built-in currency. Players earn and spend LIX across experiences, and creators receive LIX directly based on engagement and in-experience purchases. No need for third-party gamepass workarounds.

Getting Started

1. Download HELIX and open HELIX Studio
2. Create a new world -- think of this as your Roblox "Place"
3. Add a script package to start writing Lua (it's close to what you already know)
4. Replace Instance.new calls with HELIX Actor constructors
5. Swap RemoteEvents for TriggerServerEvent / RegisterServerEvent / RegisterClientEvent
6. Test with friends using the built-in multiplayer testing tools