Skip to content

Create on Nova

If you already build on Roblox, you already know most of Nova. Instances, services, Luau, scripts, remotes, and the DataModel work the same way. The differences are concentrated in a few modern systems.

Start here

  • Roblox developer primer — a short map of what carries over, what changed, and where the real porting work is.
  • What Nova supports — the compatibility goal, permanent non-goals, and the legacy-compatibility guarantee.
  • Your first script — a server script and a client GUI using the same APIs you already know.
  • Your first place — open, edit, test, and publish a place.
  • Migration guide — the ordered checklist for a real project.
  • Tutorials — porting walkthroughs and common replacement patterns.

What you need

There is no public engine source and no self-hosted server setup. Nova is closed source; the editor and runtime are provided through the official platform.

What carries over

  • Instance, services, game:GetService, Instance.new.
  • Script, LocalScript, ModuleScript, require.
  • Luau syntax, task, typeof, attributes, tags, signals.
  • RemoteEvent, RemoteFunction, TweenService, RunService, CollectionService, DataStoreService.
  • Sound, Terrain, MeshPart, CSG unions, PathfindingService.
  • Most of UserInputService, ContextActionService, StarterGui, and the GUI core.

What needs work

  • UIListLayout and the UI modifier family.
  • WorldRoot:Raycast / RaycastParams.
  • Skinned R15, HumanoidDescription, SurfaceAppearance, layered clothing.
  • TextChatService and localization.
  • Platform-only services (VR, video, voice, Open Cloud).

Each has a guide or a documented workaround. A missing API is usually a work item, not a permanent gap. The exceptions are listed in What Nova supports, along with the legacy-compatibility guarantee.