Marsh
Mallow, we've talked about Kids & Select before as 'hard to get into.' Now I'm seeing '33% more games entering Kids & Select.' Did the bar just drop for us?
Mallow
It's moving in that direction. In the Weekly Recap for July 6-10, 2026, Roblox says it has relaxed its definition of 'Highly Engaged Players' — a change it's rolling out now and 'expected to complete within the week' — and that the change brings an estimated 33% more games into the Kids & Select catalog. So yes, the door got wider.
Marsh
Quick reminder — what is Kids & Select, and why do we care?
Mallow
It's Roblox's curated, safety-reviewed catalog surfaced to younger audiences — the experiences deemed appropriate and eligible to be featured to kids and to the 'Select' age tiers. For a brand aimed at under-13, being in that catalog is the difference between being discoverable to your actual audience and being effectively invisible to them. It's a curated shelf, and getting on it matters.
Marsh
So what exactly is 'Highly Engaged Players,' and why does relaxing its definition let more games in?
Mallow
'Highly Engaged Players' — HEP — is Roblox's measure of players who are genuinely, deeply engaged with an experience, not just passing through. Kids & Select eligibility has been gated partly on having enough of them. If Roblox relaxes the definition of what counts as highly engaged, then more of your existing players qualify, more experiences clear the bar, and — in Roblox's words — the change will increase the number of new games entering Kids & Select by 33%.
Marsh
Great — so what's the exact new number we need to hit?
Mallow
That's the honest catch: Roblox didn't publish the exact new definition or a numeric threshold in this recap. Developers in the thread asked for specifics, and Roblox's answer was that it will 'have more to share by early August.' So the direction is clear — easier — but the precise figure isn't official yet. I'd treat any specific threshold number floating around as unconfirmed until Roblox states it.
Marsh
You said there's more coming. Is this a one-time loosening or a trend?
Mallow
A trend. Beyond the definition change that's rolling out now, Roblox says it's 'working to reduce the Highly Engaged Player threshold required to enter Roblox Kids and Select, with the goal of making eligibility more achievable for all creators.' That's a second, deeper cut to the bar — Roblox says it'll share more by early August (that's when the details land, not necessarily the cut itself). So we're looking at two steps: the definition relaxation now, and a further threshold reduction still to come.
Marsh
If it's getting easier anyway, why not just wait until August and see where we land?
Mallow
Because eligibility isn't the same as readiness. Kids & Select is a safety-reviewed catalog — getting over the engagement bar doesn't help if your experience isn't compliant with the publishing and content requirements for younger audiences. The smart move is to use this window to get the compliance side airtight now, so that the moment the engagement threshold drops in August, you're immediately eligible instead of starting the safety work from scratch.
Marsh
What does 'get compliance airtight' actually involve for us?
Mallow
Line your experience up against Roblox's Kids & Select publishing requirements — age-appropriate content, the maturity/content settings correctly declared, safety and communication features configured for younger users, and any required verifications on the publishing account. We've covered those requirements before; the point today is that the engagement gate is dropping, so the compliance gate becomes the one that actually decides whether you get in.
Marsh
Is there a risk that a wider catalog means our brand experience just gets buried among more games?
Mallow
It's a fair worry — 33% more games is more competition on the shelf. But being in the curated catalog and competing is strictly better than being ineligible and absent. And a brand experience usually has advantages new entrants don't: production budget, a known IP, and a marketing push. Easier entry mostly helps the long tail get in; your job is to make sure that once you're eligible, your experience is polished enough to stand out on that shelf.
Marsh
Give me the action list.
Mallow
(1) If under-13 is your audience, treat Kids & Select as a priority channel now that entry is loosening. (2) Get your publishing and safety compliance in order this week — that's the gate you control. (3) Re-check your eligibility after the definition rollout completes (Roblox says within the week), then again in early August when Roblox shares more on the further threshold cut. (4) Don't lock a plan to a specific HEP number — Roblox hasn't published one; wait for the early-August detail. (5) Assume more competition on the shelf and budget for quality and a launch push, not just eligibility.
Marsh
So the door to the kids' catalog is opening in two steps — a looser definition now, and a lower threshold still to come with details in early August — and the winning move is to have all our safety and compliance done before the door's fully open, so we walk straight through. Understood.
