The rise of Dress to Impress has taken the internet by storm. Every round, players are given five minutes to craft an outfit based on a given theme. Once the time is up, they transition into walking the runway to showcase their outfit. Players will then be prompted to rate their attire out of five stars. The winners will be announced once everyone’s outfit has been presented, and the cycle repeats.

With over 4.4 billion plays and over 250,000 active players at its height, it is clear that Dress to Impress has captivated a large audience. This viral game was developed by a user known as Gigi and was released on Oct. 18, 2023. As of right now, with 2.5 million votes, the game has an impressive 91% “like rate,” as voted on by Roblox players. Roblox has a feature where players can like or dislike a game, and the ratio of likes to dislikes is displayed right below the thumbnail.

“I like the game because of its variety and its versatility,” FHS freshman Sophia Liu said. “It allows for lots of creativity, some competition and it’s an overall fun game to pass time.”

The game provides a customizable and simple gameplay experience, allowing players to both have fun and not worry too much about the way they play. These game standards tend to draw much larger crowds, with a mixture of older and younger players. With 170 clothing options, 121 hair options and 84 face options available for free, players can mix, match and layer clothing to express themselves. 

Although Dress to Impress is quite simplistic, the quality of animations is not compromised. With highly detailed models and modernized fashion pieces, the game provides a unique and aesthetic experience that most dress-up games do not. It also offers a variety of poses, many of which reference pop-culture, that the players can use on the runway. These features improve the appearance and add new levels of involvement.

The online game could not have garnered so many users if not for its massive popularity on social media. While the sheer amount of Youtubers covering the game certainly helped, it is the celebrities which brought the game to its current glory. Singer Charlie XCX, for example, collaborated with Dress to Impress. New clothes, poses and hair styles themed around her Brat album were added because of this collaboration. Additionally, “Pose 28” became popular by the famous artist Sabrina Carpenter after she hit the pose for her “Juno” choreography during the Short n’ Sweet tour.

Ultimately, the viral Dress to Impress allows its players to explore various fashion styles through simple yet highly enjoyable gameplay, both of which contributed to a rapid increase in its popularity. The rising community around the game portrays a desire for expressing creativity through a relaxing and social environment.

“I would probably rate the game a nine out of ten,” FHS freshman Samaira Tanwar said. “It’s really enjoyable to play and even more fun to play with friends.”