Error code 524 Roblox: what it means, and the fixes in order

What Roblox says it means

Roblox’s help article is titled “Error Code 524: You do not have permission to join this game”. It says the code “typically indicates that you do not have permission to join a specific experience or private server”, and lists four causes: privacy settings that are too restrictive for private servers; permission restrictions, meaning the server is a VIP or private server and you have not been invited or added to the guest list; server availability, as the game or server may be temporarily unavailable for maintenance or other issues; and network or device glitches such as an unstable connection, a browser problem or a temporary bug. It adds a note about the platform: Roblox is not supported on virtual machines, cloud-based computers or mobile devices running altered or unofficial versions of their operating system, and the internet speed should be 4-8 Mb/s or above.

Roblox’s steps, in its order

The article tells you to follow the steps in order, from the easiest, and to try joining again after each. The first is the one it calls the most common cause: “This is the most common cause of Error Code 524.” Go to Settings, which on the mobile or desktop app is More and the gear icon, and on the website the gear icon at the top right; then Privacy and content restrictions, Visibility & private servers, Private servers, and choose who can add you as a member of their private server. “If you are under 13, you can only join private servers created by your friends.”

The second step is to verify server permissions. For private servers, the owner has to have added your username to the Server Members list or enabled Friends Allowed; for group-only games, you have to have joined the right group. Third, close the Roblox app completely and restart the device. Fourth, check server availability and wait a few minutes, looking at the game’s social media or community pages for news. Fifth, the network: switch from Wi-Fi to mobile data or to a different Wi-Fi network, or unplug the router for about 30 seconds. The sixth is to update or reinstall Roblox.

The reinstall, as Roblox writes it

For Windows, Roblox says to uninstall the app from Settings, Apps, Apps & features, or from the Control Panel under Programs and Features. For a cleaner removal it adds steps after the uninstall: open Command Prompt (Win+R, type CMD), type cd AppData\Local, then rmdir /s Roblox, type y to confirm, restart the computer and reinstall Roblox. Roblox’s page gives these as its own steps; we did not run them. On a Mac, drag the Roblox app to the Trash, or choose Move to Trash, or press Command-Delete, and check that the Roblox app has permission under Privacy & Security. On a phone, force-close the app, then press and hold its icon to delete it and install it again. The page on uninstalling programs properly covers what any removal leaves behind.

What PCrisk adds, and what Roblox does not say

PCrisk’s guide, dated 8 December 2023, is the other page we read. It agrees that most cases come from privacy settings, and then goes further than Roblox does. It says “You must have an account at least 30 days old to join such experiences”, that you should set both “Who can make me a member of their private server” and “Who can join me in experiences” to Everyone, and that corrupted cache files in the browser can trigger the error, with steps to clear the cache and cookies in Chrome and Firefox. Roblox’s page mentions none of these three. PCrisk also says the guest account feature was removed in 2017, so a guest cannot join. We could not check those statements against a Roblox page.

PCrisk is a security blog, and it recommends running a scan with Combo Cleaner, a product sold by its parent company, more than once in the article. That is an advertisement, not a step Roblox gives. The three developer-forum threads and the ExitLag blog in the results were not readable or not read, so the Roblox page is the only primary source here.

The network steps

Roblox’s fifth step is the same kind of check as on the page on lowering ping and the page on the Wi-Fi signal: switch networks, restart the router. If the Wi-Fi itself is the problem, the page on Wi-Fi that stopped working comes first.