Getting your roblox shop gui script with currency up and running is basically a rite of passage for every developer on the platform. Whether you're making a simulator, a tycoon, or even just a hangout game, players need a way to spend the hard-earned cash they've gathered. It's one thing to see a number go up on the screen, but it's a whole other feeling of satisfaction when they can actually click a button and get a cool new item or power-up.
Honestly, the logic behind a shop system isn't as scary as it looks at first. You're essentially just checking if a player has enough "virtual paper" and then swapping that paper for an object. But, if you do it wrong, you end up with a game full of exploiters who get everything for free. Nobody wants that. So, let's walk through how to set this up from scratch, keeping it clean, functional, and—most importantly—secure.
Setting Up the Currency (Leaderstats)
Before we even touch the GUI, we need something for the shop to actually spend. In Roblox, we usually do this through a "Leaderstats" folder. This is what shows that little scoreboard in the top right corner of the screen.
To do this, you'll want to create a Script (not a LocalScript!) inside ServerScriptService. You can name it "LeaderstatsHandler."
```lua game.Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(function(player) local leaderstats = Instance.new("Folder") leaderstats.Name = "leaderstats" leaderstats.Parent = player
local coins = Instance.new("IntValue") coins.Name = "Coins" -- This is your currency name coins.Value = 100 -- Starting money coins.Parent = leaderstats end) ```
Now, when you play-test the game, you'll see "Coins" next to your name. We're using an IntValue because we're dealing with whole numbers. If you wanted decimals (like $10.50), you'd use a NumberValue, but for most Roblox games, simple integers are the way to go.
Designing the Shop GUI
Now for the visual part. You don't need to be a graphic designer to make something that looks decent. Head over to the StarterGui and insert a ScreenGui. Inside that, you'll probably want a Frame to act as the main shop window.
Here's a quick tip: set the Frame's Visible property to false by default. You'll want a separate button (like a "Shop" button on the side of the screen) to toggle that visibility.
Inside your shop frame, add a TextButton. This is what the player will click to buy something. You might want to label it something like "Buy Sword - 50 Coins." Don't worry about the functionality yet; we're just getting the "vibe" of the UI right. Make sure you name your buttons clearly, like "BuySwordButton," so you don't get confused later when you have twenty different items.
The Secret Sauce: RemoteEvents
This is the part where a lot of beginners get stuck. You cannot—and I mean cannot—subtract money from a player using a LocalScript. If you do, the change only happens on the player's computer, and the server will have no idea. Even worse, if you let the client tell the server "Hey, I just bought this, take my money," a hacker can just fire that event without actually having the cash.
To fix this, we use a RemoteEvent. Go to ReplicatedStorage and create a new RemoteEvent. Let's name it "PurchaseEvent." This acts as a bridge between the player's screen and the server's brain.
Writing the LocalScript
Now, let's go back to that "BuySwordButton" inside your GUI. Add a LocalScript to it. This script is only responsible for listening for the click and telling the server what the player wants to buy.
```lua local button = script.Parent local replicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage") local purchaseEvent = replicatedStorage:WaitForChild("PurchaseEvent")
button.MouseButton1Click:Connect(function() -- We tell the server which item we want purchaseEvent:FireServer("WoodenSword") end) ```
Notice how we aren't sending the price? We don't trust the player to tell us how much it costs. The server should already know the prices. We're just sending the name of the item.
The Server-Side Logic
This is where the actual transaction happens. Go back to a script in ServerScriptService (you can make a new one called "ShopServer"). This script will listen for the "PurchaseEvent" and verify if the player isn't trying to pull a fast one.
```lua local replicatedStorage = game:GetService("ReplicatedStorage") local purchaseEvent = replicatedStorage:WaitForChild("PurchaseEvent")
-- A simple table to keep track of prices local itemPrices = { ["WoodenSword"] = 50, ["SuperSpeed"] = 100, ["CoolHat"] = 500 }
purchaseEvent.OnServerEvent:Connect(function(player, itemName) local price = itemPrices[itemName] local coins = player.leaderstats.Coins
if price and coins.Value >= price then -- Player has enough money! coins.Value = coins.Value - price print(player.Name .. " bought " .. itemName) -- Give the item here (e.g., clone a tool into their backpack) -- if itemName == "WoodenSword" then -- local sword = game.ServerStorage.Items.WoodenSword:Clone() -- sword.Parent = player.Backpack -- end else print(player.Name .. " is too broke for " .. itemName) end end) ```
By checking the coins.Value on the server, we've made the shop exploit-proof. Even if a player modifies their local code to skip the price check, the server will see they don't have enough coins and refuse to give them the item.
Making it Feel "Polished"
A roblox shop gui script with currency works fine with just those basics, but it feels a bit "stiff" without some feedback. You want the player to feel like something actually happened when they clicked that button.
Adding a Toggle Button
You need a way to open and close the shop. On a separate button in your StarterGui, add a LocalScript:
```lua local openButton = script.Parent local shopFrame = script.Parent.Parent.ShopFrame -- Adjust path as needed
openButton.MouseButton1Click:Connect(function() shopFrame.Visible = not shopFrame.Visible end) ```
Tweening the UI
Instead of the shop just "popping" into existence, you can make it slide or fade in. Roblox has a great tool for this called TweenService. It makes the GUI feel much more professional. Instead of just setting Visible = true, you could animate the position or size. It's a small touch, but it makes a huge difference in how "premium" your game feels.
Sound Effects
Don't underestimate the power of a "Ka-ching!" sound. When the server confirms the purchase, you can use a RemoteEvent to tell the client to play a sound effect. Or, more simply, just play the sound in the LocalScript immediately after the click (though playing it only on success is better).
Common Mistakes to Avoid
I've seen plenty of scripts break because of tiny oversights. Here are a few things to keep an eye on:
- Infinite Yield Errors: This usually happens if you try to reference
WaitForChild("PurchaseEvent")but you forgot to actually name the event correctly in ReplicatedStorage. Double-check your spelling! - Referencing the Player: In a LocalScript, you can get the player with
game.Players.LocalPlayer. In a Server Script inside a RemoteEvent, the player who fired the event is automatically passed as the first argument. Don't try to useLocalPlayeron the server—it doesn't exist there. - The "Double Buy" Bug: Sometimes if a player clicks really fast, they might trigger the event twice before the server has time to subtract the money. Most of the time, the server logic we wrote handles this fine because it processes requests one by one, but adding a small "debounce" (a cooldown) on the button click is always a good idea.
Wrapping Things Up
Building a roblox shop gui script with currency is a foundational skill. Once you get the hang of the Client-Server relationship via RemoteEvents, you can apply that logic to almost everything else in your game—trading systems, level-ups, or even specialized inventory systems.
The main takeaway is to keep your sensitive data (like money and prices) on the server and use the GUI just as a pretty interface for the player to interact with. It takes a bit more time to set up than a simple local script, but your game will be much more stable and secure because of it.
Now, go ahead and start customizing! Change the colors, add some scrolling frames for a long list of items, and maybe even add a "Sell" button. The sky is the limit once you have the core script working. Happy scripting!