If you've ever wanted to add that classic retro hacking vibe to your game, finding a solid roblox computer terminal script is probably at the top of your to-do list. There is just something incredibly satisfying about walking up to a blocky CRT monitor in a dark hallway, pressing a key, and seeing that iconic flickering green text crawl across the screen. Whether you're building a sci-fi horror game, a secret underground bunker, or just a quirky simulator, a terminal adds a layer of immersion that a standard pop-up menu just can't touch.
Creating one of these isn't nearly as intimidating as it looks. You don't need to be a senior software engineer to get a functional command-line interface running in Luau. It's mostly about understanding how to handle user input and how to make the text look like it's actually being typed out in real-time.
Why a Terminal Script Changes the Game
Think about your favorite games for a second. When you find a computer in the world, it usually serves a purpose. It tells a story through old logs, unlocks a heavy blast door, or maybe triggers a self-destruct sequence. A roblox computer terminal script acts as the bridge between the player and the world's lore.
Instead of just clicking a button that says "Open Door," making the player type "UNLOCK_DOOR_01" feels earned. It slows the pace down in a good way, forcing the player to engage with the environment. Plus, it looks cool. Let's be real—everyone wants to feel like a pro hacker when they're playing a game.
The Foundation: SurfaceGuis and TextBoxes
Before you even touch a script, you have to set the stage. In Roblox, if you want a screen to look like it's part of a physical object (like a computer monitor), you're going to be using a SurfaceGui.
Most people make the mistake of using a standard ScreenGui, which just plasters the terminal over the player's entire vision. That kills the "in-world" feeling. Instead, stick a SurfaceGui onto the "Screen" part of your computer model. Inside that, you'll need a few key components: 1. A Frame (set the background to black, obviously). 2. A ScrollingFrame (so the text can move up as the terminal fills). 3. A TextBox (where the player actually types). 4. A TextLabel (where the terminal's responses appear).
The TextBox is the secret sauce here. You'll want to customize it so it doesn't look like a standard Windows input bar. Remove the borders, set the background transparency to 1, and pick a monospaced font like Courier New or Roboto Mono. This gives it that authentic "code" look.
Writing the Logic: Making it Talk Back
Now, let's talk about the actual roblox computer terminal script logic. At its core, the script needs to listen for when the player presses "Enter." In Roblox's API, this is usually handled by the FocusLost event on a TextBox.
When FocusLost triggers and the enterPressed argument is true, that's your cue. You take whatever string the player typed, compare it against a list of commands, and then output a response.
For example, if the player types "help," you might want the script to print out a list of available commands. If they type "status," it could check a BoolValue elsewhere in the game to see if the power is on. It's a series of if-then-else statements that decide the terminal's personality.
The Typewriter Effect
If the text just pops up instantly, it feels a bit "gamey" and robotic. To get that authentic terminal feel, you want the typewriter effect. This is where the script loops through the response string and adds one character at a time to the TextLabel with a tiny delay (like task.wait(0.05)) between each letter.
It's a simple loop, but it makes a world of difference. You can even add a light "clicking" sound effect that plays with every character to really sell the mechanical feel of an old computer.
Handling Input and Commands
A terminal is useless if it doesn't do anything. You need to create a system that parses what the player says. A common way to do this is by splitting the input string into "tokens."
If a player types "access door_01," your script should split that into two parts: the command ("access") and the argument ("door_01"). This allows you to create much more complex interactions. You could have a terminal that lets players change the color of the lights, read specific files by name, or even chat with an AI NPC.
Pro tip: Make sure your script isn't case-sensitive. There is nothing more frustrating for a player than typing "HELP" and getting an "Invalid Command" error just because they didn't type "help" in lowercase. Use string.lower() on the input before you check it against your command list.
Security and RemoteEvents
If your terminal is supposed to affect the game world—like opening a door or giving a player an item—you cannot do it all in a LocalScript. This is a big one. Anything that happens on the client stays on the client. If you use a LocalScript to "open" a door, you'll see it open, but every other player in the server will see you walking through a solid wall (and the server will likely rubberband you back).
You need to use a RemoteEvent. When the player types a valid command in your roblox computer terminal script, the LocalScript should fire a RemoteEvent to the server. The server then verifies if the player is actually allowed to do that and then opens the door for everyone. This also prevents exploiters from just firing "OpenDoor" events whenever they feel like it without actually using the terminal.
Adding the Aesthetic Polish
The difference between a "meh" terminal and an "awesome" terminal is in the details. Here are a few things to consider adding to your script:
- The Blinking Cursor: Add a "|" or a "_" character at the end of the input line that toggles visibility every half-second. It's a small detail, but it makes the terminal feel "alive."
- Screen Shake: When a command is entered or a "system error" occurs, give the SurfaceGui a slight UI shake.
- Flicker Effects: Use a loop to randomly change the transparency of a green-tinted frame over the screen to simulate an old, dying monitor.
- Soundscapes: A constant low hum or static loop while the player is near the terminal adds a huge amount of atmosphere.
Common Mistakes to Avoid
One mistake I see all the time is not account for text wrapping. If your player types a really long sentence, or the terminal returns a long paragraph of lore, it might bleed off the side of the SurfaceGui. Make sure TextWrapped is turned on, or better yet, use a UIListLayout inside a ScrollingFrame so the text can grow vertically as much as it needs to.
Another pitfall is forgetting to clear the TextBox. Once the player hits enter, you should immediately clear the input box so they don't have to manually delete their last command to type a new one. It sounds obvious, but it's a "quality of life" feature that's easy to miss.
Wrapping Up
Building a roblox computer terminal script is one of those projects that is deeply rewarding because it involves a bit of everything: UI design, sound, logic, and world-building. It transforms a static environment into something interactive and mysterious.
Start small. Get a script that simply says "Hello World" back to the player, and then build on it. Add the typewriter effect, then add the door-opening logic, and finally, add the aesthetic bells and whistles. Before you know it, you'll have a terminal system that looks like it was ripped straight out of a big-budget fallout game.
Now get in there, open up Roblox Studio, and start coding. Your players are waiting to feel like the elite hackers they've always dreamed of being!