If you're tired of the default UI, making a roblox custom proximity prompt script is the best way to give your game some personality and a unique feel. Let's be real—the standard black-and-white prompt that Roblox gives us works fine, but it doesn't always fit the vibe of a high-quality project. Whether you're building a spooky horror game, a neon-drenched cyberpunk world, or a cozy simulator, the UI should match the environment.
In this article, we're going to walk through how to ditch the default look and build something completely your own. It's not as hard as it looks once you understand how ProximityPromptService works and how to hook it up to your own custom UI elements.
Getting the Foundation Ready
Before we dive into the code, you need to understand how Roblox handles these prompts. By default, every time you add a ProximityPrompt to a part, Roblox just renders its own built-in interface. To stop this from happening, we have to tell the game, "Hey, I've got this handled."
You'll want to find your ProximityPrompt inside your workspace. In the Properties window, look for a setting called Style. By default, it's set to Default. You need to change this to Custom.
Once you flip that switch, the prompt will literally disappear in-game. It's still there, and it's still firing events, but it has no visual representation. That's where our script comes in. We're going to listen for when a player gets close to that prompt and then manually show our own custom ScreenGui.
Setting Up Your Custom UI
You can't have a roblox custom proximity prompt script without something to actually show on the screen. Head over to StarterGui and create a new ScreenGui. Inside that, design whatever you want the prompt to look like.
Usually, you'll want a few specific things: * A Frame to act as the background. * A TextLabel to show the action text (like "Open" or "Pick Up"). * Another TextLabel to show the keybind (like "E" or "F"). * Maybe an ImageLabel for a cool icon.
Make sure you set the Enabled property of your ScreenGui to false. We don't want it just sitting in the middle of the screen the whole time—we only want it to pop up when the player is actually standing next to an interactable object.
The Logic Behind the Script
Now for the fun part: the scripting. We're going to use a LocalScript inside StarterPlayerScripts (or inside the UI itself, though I prefer keeping logic centralized).
The heavy lifter here is ProximityPromptService. This service has a few specific events that are perfect for what we're doing: 1. PromptShown: Fires when the player enters the activation range. 2. PromptHidden: Fires when the player walks away or the prompt is disabled. 3. PromptButtonHoldBegan: Great for showing a "filling" animation if you require the player to hold the key down. 4. PromptButtonHoldEnded: Fires when they let go before finishing. 5. PromptTriggered: Fires when the action is actually completed.
When PromptShown triggers, Roblox passes along two very important pieces of info: the ProximityPrompt instance and the input type. We can use the info from that prompt instance to fill in our custom UI. For example, if your prompt has the ObjectText "Door" and the ActionText "Open," your script can grab those strings and put them right into your custom TextLabels.
Making It Feel Smooth
If you just make the UI appear and disappear instantly, it feels a bit janky. To make your roblox custom proximity prompt script feel professional, you should use TweenService.
When the prompt is shown, instead of just setting Visible = true, you could scale the UI up from zero or fade the transparency from 1 to 0. This little bit of "juice" makes the game feel much more polished.
Here's a common trick: if your prompt requires a "Hold Duration," you can use a progress bar in your UI. When PromptButtonHoldBegan fires, you start a tween that scales a frame across the screen based on the HoldDuration property of the prompt. If PromptButtonHoldEnded fires, you cancel that tween and reset the bar. It's these small details that separate a beginner project from a front-page game.
Handling Multiple Prompts
One thing to keep in mind is that your script needs to be generic. You don't want to write a separate script for every single door and item in your game. By using ProximityPromptService, your script becomes a "global" listener.
It doesn't matter if you have 100 different prompts in your workspace; as long as they are all set to the Custom style, your single LocalScript will catch all of them. This is way more efficient and much easier to manage. You just write the logic once, and it applies to everything.
Adding Some Polish with Proximity Effects
Sometimes, you want the UI to do more than just sit there. You can actually use the RenderStepped event or a simple loop to update the position of your UI if you're using a BillboardGui instead of a ScreenGui.
While ScreenGui is easier because it stays in a fixed spot on the HUD, a BillboardGui will actually hover over the object in 3D space. If you go the BillboardGui route, you can make the prompt gently bob up and down or change color as the player gets closer.
If you're sticking with a ScreenGui on the HUD, you might want to add a little "distance" indicator. You can calculate the magnitude between the LocalPlayer's character and the prompt's parent part. If they're 5 studs away, the UI stays bright; if they're 10 studs away, maybe it gets a bit more transparent.
Common Pitfalls to Avoid
When working on a roblox custom proximity prompt script, people often forget about the different input devices. Remember that some people play on controllers and others on mobile.
Roblox is actually pretty smart about this. The ProximityPrompt object has a property that tells you which key or button is being used. When you're updating your custom UI, make sure you check the KeyboardKeyCode or the GamepadKeyCode so you're showing the right icon. You don't want to tell a console player to "Press E" when they're holding a controller.
Another thing is performance. You don't want your script constantly searching for prompts. Stick to the events provided by ProximityPromptService rather than using a while true do loop to check distances. The built-in events are highly optimized and won't tank your frame rate.
Testing and Tweaking
Once you've got the basic logic down, spend some time playtesting. Walk up to objects from different angles. Jump around. See how the UI reacts when you quickly walk in and out of range.
If the UI flickers, you might need to add a tiny bit of logic to check if a "hide" tween is already playing before starting a "show" tween. Dealing with these edge cases is what makes the script robust.
Wrapping Things Up
Building a roblox custom proximity prompt script is one of those things that seems intimidating until you actually sit down and look at the events available to you. It's mostly just UI manipulation and event listening.
By taking the time to create your own system, you're giving yourself total control over the player's experience. You can add sound effects, custom animations, and layout designs that actually fit your game's aesthetic. So, go ahead and open up Studio, set that prompt style to custom, and see what kind of cool interfaces you can come up with. Your players will definitely notice the extra effort!