If you've spent any time in Studio recently, you've probably noticed that building a roblox textchatservice custom theme is much more straightforward than it used to be back in the day. We've moved past the era where you had to fork a dozen complicated Lua scripts just to change a font color. Now that Roblox has pushed TextChatService as the standard, we have a much more organized way to make the chat window actually match the "vibe" of our games.
Let's be honest: the default chat is fine for a generic experience, but it sticks out like a sore thumb if you're building something with a specific aesthetic. Whether you're going for a gritty cyberpunk look, a clean minimalist interface, or something bright and bubbly for a simulator, customizing the chat is one of those small details that makes a game feel polished.
Getting started with the new system
The first thing you need to do is make sure your game is actually using TextChatService instead of the old LegacyChatService. If you're starting a new project, this is usually the default, but for older places, you might need to toggle it in the properties of the TextChatService folder. Once that's set, you'll see several children objects like ChatWindowConfiguration, ChatInputBarConfiguration, and BubbleChatConfiguration.
These objects are your best friends. Instead of writing lines and lines of code, you can do a lot of the heavy lifting right in the Properties window. It's basically like styling a UI element because, well, that's exactly what it is now.
Styling the chat window
The ChatWindowConfiguration is where you handle the box where messages actually appear. If you want a roblox textchatservice custom theme that feels integrated, you should probably start by matching the BackgroundColor3 to your game's primary UI palette.
I usually find that the default semi-transparent black is a bit boring. If you're making a forest-themed game, maybe try a deep earthy green with a bit of transparency. Speaking of transparency, the BackgroundTransparency property is huge. If your game is very visual and fast-paced, you might want a higher transparency so the chat doesn't block the player's view of the action.
Don't forget the font. Roblox has added a ton of new fonts over the last year, and changing the FontFace of your chat can instantly change the personality of the game. A serif font makes everything feel a bit more formal or "old world," while a monospaced font gives off those hacker/computer vibes.
Making the input bar match
There is nothing worse than a beautiful chat window paired with a default-looking input bar. The ChatInputBarConfiguration lets you tweak where the players actually type. You can change the placeholder text—instead of just "To chat click here," you could make it say "Type your command" or "Whisper to the void" depending on your game's theme.
One trick I like to use for a roblox textchatservice custom theme is matching the TextStroke and TextColor to the window above it, but maybe giving the input bar a slightly different background shade. It helps define the area where the user is interacting. You can also toggle whether the chat input is visible at all times or if it fades out when not in use. For immersion-heavy games, having it fade out is usually the way to go.
Diving into Bubble Chat
We can't talk about a custom theme without mentioning bubble chat. This is often the primary way players communicate in roleplay games or hangouts. Under BubbleChatConfiguration, you have a ridiculous amount of control now. You can change the bubble background color, the text color, and even the corner radius.
If you want a very modern "app" look, you can maximize the corner radius to make the bubbles perfectly rounded. Or, if you're going for a retro RPG feel, you could set the radius to zero and make them sharp squares. You can even add a gradient if you're feeling fancy. Just keep in mind that readability is king. A bright neon yellow bubble with white text might look "cool" in your head, but your players are going to hate trying to read it against a bright skybox.
Using Rich Text for that extra flare
This is where things get really interesting. One of the best parts about the modern TextChatService is how well it plays with Rich Text. If you want your roblox textchatservice custom theme to include things like colored usernames for VIPs or special tags for staff, you're going to be using the OnIncomingMessage callback.
You basically set up a local script that intercepts a message before it's displayed. You can then wrap the player's name or the message content in XML-like tags. For example, adding a <font color="#FFD700"> tag can give a player a gold-colored name. It's a simple way to add "ranks" to your chat without needing a massive overhead of external modules.
Example: Adding a "Staff" tag
Imagine you want your developers to stand out. You can script the service so that if a player's ID matches yours, their message appears with a prefix like [STAFF] in a bold, red font. It takes the custom theme from just being "colors and boxes" to being a functional part of your game's social hierarchy.
Handling different screen sizes
One thing that people often forget when they're messing with their roblox textchatservice custom theme is mobile players. A chat window that looks perfect on a 27-inch monitor might take up half the screen on an iPhone.
Luckily, the new service handles scaling pretty well, but you should still test it. Make sure your font size isn't so small that mobile users are squinting, but not so large that three words fill up the entire box. I usually find that a text size between 14 and 18 is the "sweet spot" for most devices.
Why bother with a custom theme?
You might be wondering if it's really worth the effort. Does a custom chat theme actually change how people play? Honestly, it's about the "feel." When a player joins a game and sees that even the chat has been customized to fit the world, it signals that the developer cares about the details. It makes the world feel more cohesive and less like a collection of default assets thrown together.
Also, from a practical standpoint, a custom theme can improve usability. If your game has a lot of system messages (like "Player has found a legendary item!"), you can style those messages to be a different color than standard player chat. This helps the important info stand out from the general "gg" and "lol" spam.
Common mistakes to avoid
When you're deep in the weeds of building your roblox textchatservice custom theme, it's easy to overdo it. The biggest mistake is definitely poor contrast. Always test your colors. If you have a dark background, use light text. If you have a light background, use dark text. It sounds like common sense, but you'd be surprised how many games have unreadable chats because they tried to be too "aesthetic."
Another pitfall is ignoring the "Default" settings. Sometimes, the best thing you can do is keep the default behavior for things like scrolling and focus, and only change the visuals. If you mess too much with how the chat functions (like changing the keybinds or focus behavior) without a really good reason, you might frustrate players who are used to the standard Roblox controls.
Wrapping it up
At the end of the day, creating a roblox textchatservice custom theme is one of the most rewarding "quick wins" you can have in game development. It doesn't take hours of coding, but the visual impact is huge. By playing around with the ChatWindowConfiguration, ChatInputBarConfiguration, and a little bit of Rich Text scripting, you can turn a basic utility into a beautiful, integrated part of your game's user interface.
So, go ahead and dive into those properties. Experiment with some weird fonts, try out some bold color combinations, and see what fits your project best. Your players will definitely notice the difference, even if they don't consciously realize why the game feels so much more "together." Happy building!