Are you a member of Gen Z, a committed TikTok user, with an Instagram feed full of fashion content? Do you know what ‘slay’ now means? Have you been living a Brat summer? If you answered yes to any of those questions, chances are you’re already familiar with the dress-up game currently taking over the internet. But if all those words sounded alarmingly unfamiliar… allow me to introduce you to Dress to Impress.
A Roblox game that first released in November last year, Dress to Impress has become enormously popular over the last few months, with high-profile influencers, streamers and YouTubers all jumping on the fashion bandwagon. The premise of DTI is relatively simple: you are given a theme, access to a room full of clothes, and a time limit. You can interpret this theme any way you choose, and you’ll need to channel all your creativity to craft a unique and surprising outfit. Each round is frenetic, requiring players to dash between mannequins and makeup stations to achieve their perfect look. Once time is up, players walk down the catwalk to show off their outfits, and everyone rates each other’s fashion choices using a 1-5 star system.
It’s a simple yet brilliant idea, and one that has clearly found an audience. At the time of writing, Dress to Impress has a concurrent player count of 334k, making it the most popular title on the Roblox platform. It has been visited by players over 2.3 billion times. Variety streamers such as Kai Cenat, CaseOh and Pokimane have all put their fashion sensibilities to the test, and there are now entire YouTube channels dedicated to covering the game. It’s become such a phenomenon that Charli XCX — currently one of the biggest pop artists on the planet — has collaborated with Dress to Impress to introduce an update themed around her latest album. Dress to Impress has obviously hit on something here, managing to cement itself firmly within the Gen Z cultural zeitgeist. But given the number of dress-up games out there that haven’t achieved this level of popularity, why has one blown up?
It seems likely there are a few factors at play here. The game’s straightforward format, in combination with its competitive multiplayer mode, makes it easy to understand and compelling to play. The time limit adds pressure, introducing an element of silliness and panic when you make bad fashion decisions within the last ten seconds. There’s the fact it uses Bratz-style character models, which differentiates it from Roblox competitors using the platform’s blocky default characters. It leans into current fashion trends, with plenty of Y2K, grunge and coquette-themed items to choose from. Beyond all this, however, I’d argue that Dress to Impress has a secret ingredient that has (so far) gone under-discussed. One that stems from its origins as a Roblox game, rather than something made by an established game developer. The answer? Good-old video game jank.