Deciding on roblox lighting technology voxel vs shadowmap is basically the first big hurdle you hit when you're trying to set the mood for your game. It's one of those choices that seems small in the properties menu, but it fundamentally changes how every single part, mesh, and character looks under the sun—or under a flickering neon sign. If you've ever wondered why some games look like a nostalgic trip to 2016 while others feel like modern indie titles, the lighting engine is usually the culprit.
For a long time, we didn't have much of a choice. But now that the engine has evolved, choosing between these two is about balancing how much "oomph" you want your visuals to have versus how many players you want to actually be able to run your game without their phones turning into hand warmers.
The Old Reliable: Voxel Lighting
Let's talk about Voxel first. Voxel is basically the "legacy" option that refuses to die, and for good reason. The way it works is pretty clever but simple: it divides your entire game world into a 4x4x4 stud grid. The engine then calculates how light moves through these little invisible cubes (voxels).
Because it's working with these big chunks instead of worrying about every tiny pixel, it's incredibly fast. If you're building a massive simulator where players are running around at high speeds and there are thousands of parts moving at once, Voxel is your best friend. It keeps the frame rate high and the lag low.
The downside? It looks, well, a bit "blocky." Since the light is calculated in those 4-stud increments, you don't get sharp shadows. If you place a thin pole on the ground, the shadow might look like a blurry smudge or just not show up at all. Light also tends to "bleed" through thin walls. If you've ever built a house in Roblox and noticed the floor glowing even though there are no lights inside, that's Voxel lighting struggling with its grid-based math. It's not "realistic," but for many games, it's "good enough."
Stepping Up: The ShadowMap Era
Then we have ShadowMap. When this dropped, it was a total game-changer for developers who wanted their maps to look professional. Unlike Voxel, ShadowMap actually cares about geometry. It uses a different method to calculate how shadows are cast from the sun and other light sources, resulting in crisp, defined lines.
If you have a tree in your game, ShadowMap will actually project the shape of the leaves and branches onto the ground. It gives the world a sense of depth that Voxel just can't touch. It makes materials like grass and metal pop because the shadows interact with the textures much more naturally.
Most modern Roblox games—especially the ones trying to look a bit more "realistic" or atmospheric—default to ShadowMap. It's the middle ground. You get the crisp shadows that make a world feel "solid," but you aren't going full "Future" lighting (which is a whole different beast that can really tank performance on older hardware).
The Performance Trade-off
This is where the roblox lighting technology voxel vs shadowmap debate gets real. You can't just pick the prettiest one and call it a day, because Roblox is a platform built on accessibility. A huge chunk of your players are likely on five-year-old iPhones or budget laptops.
Voxel is the king of performance. It's lightweight and handles massive environments with ease. If your target audience is younger kids playing on tablets, Voxel ensures they won't experience stuttering when they enter a crowded area. It's consistent.
ShadowMap is heavier. It's not "heavy" like a triple-A PC game, but it does require more GPU power. Every time a shadow moves or the sun shifts, the engine has to work harder to redraw those sharp lines. In a small map, you won't notice the difference. But in a massive open-world game with lots of moving parts, ShadowMap can start to eat into the frame rate. I've seen many devs start with ShadowMap, realize their mobile players are crashing, and then begrudgingly switch back to Voxel to save the experience.
Aesthetics and "The Vibe"
Sometimes, the choice isn't even about performance—it's about the look you're going for. Not every game needs to look like a cinematic masterpiece.
Think about those "old-school" Roblox revivals or classic simulators. There's a certain charm to Voxel. It feels "Roblox-y." It has a soft, glowing quality that works well with bright colors and cartoonish builds. If you're making a candy-colored obstacle course (obby), ShadowMap might actually make things look too harsh. You don't always want deep, dark shadows in a game about jumping over rainbow spinning beams.
On the flip side, if you're building a horror game, Voxel is your enemy. Horror relies on what you can't see. You need those dark corners and sharp shadows to build tension. Using Voxel in a horror game usually results in a muddy, grey mess where nothing is truly dark. ShadowMap allows you to use flashlights and flickering bulbs effectively, creating that contrast between light and dark that keeps players on edge.
Interior vs. Exterior Lighting
One thing people often forget when comparing roblox lighting technology voxel vs shadowmap is how they handle interiors. Because Voxel is grid-based, it's notoriously bad at keeping light out of buildings. If your walls are thin, the "sunlight" will just leak right through. You end up having to make walls incredibly thick or use "blackout" parts just to make a room look dark at noon.
ShadowMap is much better at this, though it's still not perfect. It recognizes the shape of the roof and walls more accurately, meaning your indoor scenes will actually look like they're indoors. However, if you really want those beautiful "God rays" coming through a window, you're starting to move into the territory of Future lighting. For most standard buildings, though, ShadowMap is the sweet spot for making an interior feel grounded.
Which One Should You Choose?
So, how do you actually pick? A good rule of thumb is to look at your game's scope.
If you are building a competitive shooter or a fast-paced action game, performance is everything. Every frame counts. In these cases, Voxel might be the smarter play, or at least a very optimized version of ShadowMap. You don't want a player to lose a fight because their screen hitched while calculating a shadow.
If you are building a showcase, a roleplay game, or an adventure title, ShadowMap is almost always the way to go. These games are all about immersion. You want the player to stop and look at the scenery. You want the sunset to look beautiful. The extra hit to performance is worth the massive jump in visual quality.
I usually suggest starting with ShadowMap. It's much easier to scale down to Voxel later if you find out your game is lagging than it is to build an entire game around Voxel and realize it looks too outdated. Test your game on a mobile device early on. If it runs smooth with ShadowMap, stick with it.
Final Thoughts on the Choice
At the end of the day, the roblox lighting technology voxel vs shadowmap debate isn't about which one is "better" in a vacuum. It's about the specific needs of your project. Voxel is the reliable workhorse that keeps things running on a toaster, while ShadowMap is the artistic tool that brings your world to life.
Don't feel pressured to use the "fanciest" setting just because it's there. Some of the most popular games on the platform use very basic lighting settings because they prioritize gameplay and accessibility over eye candy. But if you've got a vision for a moody, atmospheric world, don't be afraid to let ShadowMap do the heavy lifting. Just keep an eye on that micro-profiler and make sure you aren't leaving your mobile players in the dust!