If you've ever played a long platformer and felt that rush of relief after hitting a checkpoint, you already know why a roblox stage script is the backbone of any successful obby. There is nothing more frustrating than falling off a tiny neon block only to realize you're back at the very beginning of the game. Most players will just leave at that point, and I don't blame them. If you want people to actually finish your game, you need a system that tracks where they are and puts them back there when they inevitably mess up a jump.
Building a stage system might seem like a headache if you're new to Luau, but it's actually one of the more straightforward things you can do once you get the logic down. It basically boils down to two main jobs: keeping track of a player's "Stage" number and moving their character to the right spot when they respawn. Let's break down how to get this working without making your brain hurt.
Setting Up Your Workspace First
Before we even touch any code, you have to organize your Explorer window. If you just throw a bunch of parts into the workspace and name them all "Part," your script isn't going to know what to do. The easiest way to handle this is to create a Folder in the Workspace and name it something like Stages or Checkpoints.
Inside that folder, place your checkpoint parts. I usually recommend using a standard SpawnLocation or just a regular Part. The most important thing here is the naming convention. You should name them numerically: "1", "2", "3", and so on. This makes it a million times easier for your script to find the next stage because it can just look for the number that matches the player's current level.
Another pro tip: make sure your checkpoint parts are anchored and that CanCollide is on (or off, depending on your design), but most importantly, ensure they are positioned exactly where you want the player to appear. If you place a part halfway inside a wall, your player is going to spawn and immediately get stuck or flung into the void.
The Core Logic: Leaderstats
Every good roblox stage script starts with leaderstats. This is that little board in the top right corner of the screen that shows the player's name and their current stage. Not only does this show off their progress to other players, but it also serves as the variable we use to track where they belong in the world.
You'll want to put a Script inside ServerScriptService. We use a PlayerAdded event to create a folder called leaderstats inside the player object. Inside that folder, we drop an IntValue called "Stage". It's important to call it "leaderstats" exactly (all lowercase) because Roblox looks for that specific name to display the UI.
When a new player joins, you probably want their stage to start at 1. However, if you're planning on adding a save system later, this is where you'd eventually load their previous data. For now, let's just stick to the basics of getting the number to show up.
Making the Checkpoints Work
Now that the player has a "Stage" value, we need a way to change it. This is where the actual interaction happens. You could put a script inside every single checkpoint part, but that is a nightmare to manage. If you have 100 stages and you want to change one line of code, you'd have to do it 100 times. Nobody has time for that.
Instead, a much better way is to use a single script that loops through all the parts in your "Stages" folder. The script should listen for a Touched event. When a player's foot (or any body part) hits a checkpoint, the script checks two things: 1. Is the thing that touched it actually a player? 2. Is the stage number of this part higher than the player's current stage?
That second part is crucial. You don't want a player to run backward to stage 1 and have their progress reset from stage 50. The script should only update the value if CheckpointNumber > CurrentStage.
Handling the Respawn
Setting the number is great, but it doesn't actually move the player yet. By default, Roblox will just spawn the player at the "Neutral" spawn point or a random one. To fix this, we need to use the CharacterAdded event.
Every time a player's character loads into the game, your roblox stage script should look at their "Stage" value. Then, it goes into your Stages folder, finds the part with the matching name, and moves the character's HumanoidRootPart to that part's position.
One thing to watch out for is timing. Sometimes the character loads in before the script is ready, or the physics engine gets a bit wonky. Adding a tiny task.wait() or using MoveTo() instead of directly setting the CFrame can help make the transition smoother and prevent the player from falling through the floor the second they respawn.
Saving Progress with DataStores
If you really want your game to grow, you can't expect people to beat it in one sitting. You need to save their progress. This is where DataStoreService comes in. It sounds intimidating, but it's really just a way to tell Roblox, "Hey, remember that this player was on Stage 15."
You'll set up a "PlayerRemoving" function that takes the player's stage number and saves it to the cloud. Then, in your "PlayerAdded" function, you check if they have any saved data. If they do, you set their Stage value to that number instead of starting them at 1.
Just a heads up: DataStores don't work in the Studio by default unless you go into your Game Settings and "Enable Studio Access to API Services." I've spent way too many hours wondering why my code wasn't working only to realize I forgot to toggle that one little switch.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
Even with a solid roblox stage script, things can go sideways. One common issue is "touch interest" lag. If you have a massive obby with hundreds of players touching checkpoints constantly, it can put a strain on the server. Keeping your code clean and avoiding unnecessary loops is key.
Another annoying bug is when players "skip" stages by jumping weirdly. If your logic only allows them to progress one stage at a time (e.g., Stage + 1), you might break the game for people who use shortcuts. On the flip side, if you allow them to set their stage to any part they touch, someone might cheat by flying to the end. Usually, checking if the new stage is exactly one higher than the current one is the safest bet for a standard obby.
Also, think about the "Y-level." Sometimes it's better to just check the player's height. If they fall below a certain height (like Y = -50), just force them to reset. It feels much more responsive than waiting for them to slowly fall into the void for ten seconds.
Final Touches for Better Feel
To make your stage system feel "premium," add some visual feedback. When a player touches a checkpoint, don't just change a number. Maybe make the part change color for a split second, or play a satisfying "ding" sound. You could even use a ParticleEmitter to burst some confetti.
These small details don't change how the roblox stage script works under the hood, but they make the game feel a lot more polished. Players love seeing that visual confirmation that their progress has been saved.
Writing your own stage system is a bit of a rite of passage for Roblox devs. Once you get it working, you'll realize the same logic applies to almost everything else in game development—tracking data, responding to touches, and managing player states. So, grab a script, start messing around with the code, and don't be afraid to break things. That's usually how you learn the most anyway.