Rooms Hits 250K Users with Major Discovery-Focused Update

The 3D design platform Rooms, a creative hub that blends interior decorating with the mechanics of a “cozy game,” has reached a significant milestone: 250,000 registered users. This growth marks a sharp increase from the 40,000 users recorded in 2023, validating the vision of its three-person founding team.

To support this expanding community, the company is rolling out a comprehensive update to its iOS application today. The release, dubbed “Rooms 2.0,” shifts the focus toward discovery, addressing a previous hurdle where users struggled to find and appreciate the intricate designs created by others.

Enhancing Discoverability

The update introduces a more robust infrastructure for finding content. While the initial launch featured three basic vertical feeds, users now have access to:

• Algorithmic Feeds: A new “Trending” section that highlights popular creators and highly-liked room contributions.
• Categorical Browsing: Over a dozen genres, including “Games,” “Art,” “Fantasy,” “Nature,” “Weird,” and “Tribute” for pop-culture-inspired designs.
• Explore Page: A dedicated section for browsing top profiles, favorites, and most-played games.
• Honeycomb View: A hexagonal grid interface that allows users to view multiple rooms simultaneously and zoom in for more detail.

Co-founder Jason Toff, who previously worked in Google’s AR/VR division, noted that the lack of discovery tools had become a bottleneck. “Everyone wants their work to be seen,” Toff said. “I think it will help a lot to have not just one surface, but dozens of new feeds for content to be discovered.”

Creator Tools and Performance

The platform, which allows users to build 3D spaces and mini-games using a library of over 7,500 items and Lua coding, is also prioritizing the creator experience. A new Activity tab now lets users track engagement—such as likes, comments, and “remixes”—allowing them to see when their work is being repurposed.

To protect the effort of designers, the Remix feature has been updated to detect copycat rooms. This is particularly relevant given that, according to the company, one in eight users spends more than two hours perfecting their designs. Furthermore, the team has implemented a mesh optimization method that reportedly makes large, complex rooms render up to 20 times faster.

Future Roadmap

While the current focus is on the iOS experience, Rooms is preparing for a broader expansion. Toff revealed that the team is considering an AI-assisted tool to help users debug their code, though ambitious plans for generative AI design tools are currently on hold due to high operational costs. The company is also evaluating a potential premium subscription model for the future and plans to launch a desktop version on Steam in the coming months.