A detailed virtual recreation of Birmingham city centre, built within the popular online game Roblox, has been played by millions of users worldwide. The project, Birmingham Vehicle Simulator, allows players to drive across a digital Brum, taking on roles from police officer to taxi driver.
From Student Project to Viral Sensation
The game was co-developed by Luca Dan, an 18-year-old student at Aston University. He began work on the project in 2023, with the game launching to the public in mid-2024. Serving as technical director, Luca's responsibilities included managing copyright issues and upholding the quality of the virtual world.
Reflecting on the build, Luca explained the team started with the city centre. "The city centre is iconic," he said, "nobody else has made a city centre quite like this." He highlighted Snow Hill as a favourite area to work on due to its architecture, but singled out New Street Station as the most challenging landmark to recreate. "It was a really annoying process because of the shape," he admitted.
Global Reach and Future Expansion
The simulator's popularity has soared, with impressive metrics on the Roblox platform. It has been played over 26 million times and favourited by 76,000 users. While the UK forms a core player base, the game found unexpected fame in South America. "At one point Brazil was the number one country playing the game," Luca revealed. "That was really cool as I didn't expect it to blow up like that."
Although the current map focuses on the city centre, featuring areas like New Street Station and Snow Hill, there are plans to expand. Future updates could see parts of north Birmingham added to the virtual landscape.
Team Effort Behind the Digital City
Luca was keen to credit key collaborators who contributed to the game's development. He specifically acknowledged the work of graphic designer Jessi S, road designer Gavin O, and vehicle modeller Deriko R for their dedicated time on the project.
The success of Birmingham Vehicle Simulator underscores how user-generated content within platforms like Roblox can create detailed, engaging digital twins of real-world locations, connecting local communities and surprising global audiences.
