Parents' Guide to

Rec Room

By Debbie Gorrell, Common Sense Media Reviewer

age 10+

Virtual social game has lots of promise; crashes often.

App iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad Free to try Adventure Games
Rec Room Poster Image

A Lot or a Little?

What you will—and won't—find in this app.

  • Rec Room App: Screenshot #1
  • Rec Room App: Screenshot #2
  • Rec Room App: Screenshot #3

Community Reviews

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age 12+

Based on 15 parent reviews

Mamallama58
Mamallama58 Parent of 13-year-old
June 5, 2022
age 16+

Pornography. The sneaky way around Parental controls.

A way around content ratings and parental controls. My underage child has been using this app to access pornography. I've deleted images every time I've checked his devices. I find new images each time, for the last several years. He's using this app and a few (seemingly harmless) apps to get around the parental controls I've had set for years. I used to allow app downloads with my approval only, but have learned I cannot trust my own research.

This title has:

Too much sex
4 people found this helpful.
miyasherie
miyasherie Adult
March 15, 2022
age 18+
Dangerous app- there's a microphone function :(
4 people found this helpful.
See all 15 parent reviews

Privacy Rating Warning

  • Unclear whether personal information is sold or rented to third parties.
  • Unclear whether personal information are shared for third-party marketing.
  • Unclear whether this product displays personalised advertising.
  • Unclear whether data are collected by third-parties for their own purposes.
  • Unclear whether this product uses a user's information to track and target advertisements on other third-party websites or services.
  • Unclear whether this product creates and uses data profiles for personalised advertisements.
Learn more about our privacy ratings

What’s It About?

REC ROOM is a social game that encourages kids to hang out with other players and use their creativity to build themed rooms with interactive games. It can be played with or without a virtual reality headset. The game begins with a generic avatar and a private dorm room that kids can customize. From here, kids can hang out, roam around, and enter other game rooms -- all of which have unique themes. Some of the game rooms include paintball, escape rooms, parkour courses, and dodgeball. New rooms are added regularly. Kids can also work with other players to create and publish their own rooms. Many of the rooms have limits on the number of players allowed to enter, which helps with crowd control. Kids can buy tokens or earn them through gameplay. They're used to buy items like food, camera film, hair, clothing, and gifts.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say (15 ):
Kids say (38 ):

The ability to collaborate and create rooms directly within the app and the junior account option set this game apart from other similar games, but frequent crashing puts a major damper on the fun. The game has plenty of appeal for kids who enjoy social gaming and creating worlds. It's a sandbox game, which means players can roam freely and explore to their heart's content. In fact, this form of free exploration is a great way to spark creativity in kids who need a bit of inspiration. For kids under 12, a junior account can give parents some peace of mind. That said, there's plenty of stuff you wouldn't want a 13-year-old to see either, so if your younger teen is playing, be sure to monitor their use of Rec Room.

Unfortunately, at the time of this review, the app experienced multiple crashes during gameplay. The game either shuts down completely or unexpectedly kicks the user out of a room and back to the private dorm room. Such a severe technical glitch makes it nearly impossible to have a fun gaming experience.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about safely publishing a game in Rec Room and what to do if other players participate in inappropriate behavior. How do you block and report other users? What if someone online makes you uncomfortable?

  • Discuss safety and privacy rules with kids so that they know what's appropriate when interacting with other players. What information is private and not for sharing in chat?

App Details

  • Devices: iPhone , iPod Touch , iPad
  • Subjects: Hobbies : building
  • Skills: Creativity : imagination, making new creations, Collaboration : teamwork
  • Pricing structure: Free to try (in-app purchases from $4.99 to $49.99)
  • Release date: July 9, 2020
  • Category: Adventure Games
  • Publisher: Rec Room Inc
  • Version: 20200703
  • Minimum software requirements: iOS 12.0 or later
  • Last updated: August 3, 2020

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