Rec Room, once a popular social VR platform, has faced declining popularity due to cross-platform changes, layoffs, restrictive policies for younger users, and unresolved issues with hacking and moderation. This article explores these challenges in detail and calls for improvements to restore the community's trust and engagement.
Rec Room is a popular social platform and game that allows users to hang out and play with friends worldwide. It gained significant popularity around 2018, attracting many creators and YouTubers such as Therapeutic, Slat, Drew, Energetic Ruth, JZ, Maven VR, Trigger Inver, Epic Bruise, Ritis, Nathe, Bunny Go, and many others.
Initially, Rec Room was a thriving community with numerous rooms and active users. However, its popularity began to decline when the platform expanded to include Juniors (users aged 12 and under) and non-VR devices, turning it into a cross-platform experience. This shift led to many users leaving or taking a hiatus.
In March 2025, Nick Fay and Cameron Brown (username Gribbly) announced a 16% reduction in employee size, which shocked many in the community. The situation worsened in August when the team laid off many beloved staff members and admitted to overspending, which caused financial instability. These decisions led to dissatisfaction among creators and users alike.
The user interface, which was holographic in 2020, has since changed to an orange and white theme. Additionally, many avatar items were removed. New accounts can only select from limited clothing options such as orange and white shirts and black shorts or jeans, with no accessories available. This limitation causes many new users to appear as "noobs," potentially leading to harassment and bullying.
Juniors face significant restrictions on Rec Room. They must choose custom usernames generated by the system, often consisting of random words and numbers (e.g., Quiet Bad 2836), and are assigned four to six digit codes that they cannot change. Text and voice chat are disabled for Juniors, forcing them to use a quick chat system limited to 25 preset sentences, such as "what the coach" or "hi," lacking more complex communication.
These restrictions prevent Juniors from socializing effectively or receiving help from non-Juniors, as hearing is also disabled for them. The inability to share personal information or create tutorials further isolates Juniors, making it difficult for them to learn or engage fully with the game. This isolation can lead to sadness and a diminished experience for younger players.
Hacking has become a serious problem on Rec Room, with reports of users spawning thousands of paintball pistols and other disruptive behaviors. Unfortunately, many hackers remain unbanned, and the platform's response has been inadequate.
Reporting systems intended to keep the community safe have also failed. Reports often do not result in bans, allowing disruptive players to continue affecting gameplay. Conversely, some users have been falsely banned after being targeted by coordinated false reports from bullies. Appeals processes have not effectively resolved these issues.
Vote kicking, a community moderation tool, is also problematic. Players have been falsely vote kicked for trivial or no reasons, and vote kicking is disabled during games like dodgeball, which frustrates users further.
Rec Room currently faces significant challenges that have impacted its community and reputation. From layoffs and financial mismanagement to restrictive policies for younger users and ineffective moderation, the platform needs substantial improvements.
Despite these issues, there is hope for positive change. The community looks forward to updates that will restore Rec Room as a safe, engaging, and enjoyable space for all users.
Thank you for reading this comprehensive message to Rec Room. Your thoughts and feedback are valuable as the platform evolves.
Please feel free to share your opinions and experiences with Rec Room in the comments section. Together, we can help foster a better community.
