If you’ve spent more than five minutes in the Roblox library, you know the vibe. It’s a chaotic mix of anime girls, poorly drawn memes, and textures for tactical vests. But then there’s the other side. The weird side. People call them cursed roblox decal ids, and honestly, they’re a fascinating look at how a massive moderation system struggles to keep up with millions of bored teenagers.
These aren't always "scary" in the traditional sense. Sometimes they're just... off. A distorted face that looks a little too real for a block game. A surrealist image that makes no sense in the context of a child’s imagination. They exist in this strange gray area where the image hasn't technically broken a rule yet, or it's been uploaded by a burner account that’s already long gone. It’s a digital cat-and-mouse game.
What's actually behind the "cursed" label?
Most of the time, a decal becomes "cursed" because of the Uncanny Valley effect. Roblox is bright, colorful, and made of plastic. When someone uploads a high-resolution, grainy photograph of a dark hallway or a distorted human eye, it creates a visceral sense of dread. It feels like something that shouldn't be there.
Moderators have a tough job. They’re scanning millions of assets every single day. If an image doesn't feature gore, nudity, or hate speech, it usually gets through. But "creepy" isn't a banable offense. That's how we end up with thousands of decal IDs featuring surrealist horror imagery or "void" aesthetics that players use to build horror games like The Mimic or Doors.
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There’s also the technical side of things. Sometimes a decal looks normal in the library but turns into something else when applied to a part in-game. This is often due to how transparency (the Alpha channel) works in the Roblox engine. A seemingly blank white square might actually contain a hidden, darkened image that only reveals itself when the lighting settings in a game are tweaked just right. It’s clever, and yeah, it’s definitely a bit unsettling when you stumble across it in a dark server.
The history of bypassed assets
Let’s be real for a second. A huge chunk of what people call cursed roblox decal ids are actually "bypasses." This is the community term for content that was designed to trick the automated filters. Back in 2018 and 2019, this was a massive epidemic on the platform. You’d find decals that looked like static or random noise, but if you zoomed in or changed the contrast, you’d see something that definitely shouldn't be on a platform rated for kids.
The Roblox safety team, led by various VPs over the years like Tami Bhaumik, has consistently talked about their "multi-layered approach" to safety. They use AI—ironically—to catch what human eyes might miss. But humans are creative. They’ll use "distorting filters" or "color inversion" to hide the true nature of an image. Once the ID is live, it spreads through Discord servers and "condo" game communities until the moderators finally catch wind of it and delete the asset. When you see that famous "Content Deleted" gray icon, you’re looking at the ghost of a cursed decal.
Why people hunt for these IDs
It’s about the edge. It’s about being "edgy."
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For a lot of younger players, finding a "forbidden" ID is like finding a secret room in a house you're not supposed to be in. They use these decals in their personal builds or in "vibe rooms" to create an atmosphere that feels more mature or "underground" than the standard Roblox experience. You’ll see them used heavily in the "Ro-Ghoul" or "streetwear" subcultures of the site.
- Atmosphere: Using grainy, low-exposure images to make a horror map feel more authentic.
- Shock Value: Putting a weird face on a TV screen in a roleplay game just to mess with friends.
- The Aesthetic: The "Glitchcore" or "Dreamcore" movements rely heavily on these surreal, often unsettling images.
The technical reality of ID numbers
Every single asset on Roblox—whether it’s a hat, a sound, or a decal—is assigned a sequential ID number. As of 2026, those numbers are astronomical. But the "classic" cursed decals usually have older IDs. Why? Because the older an asset is, the less likely it was scrutinized by the modern, more advanced AI filters Roblox uses today.
Some players actually spend their time "ID fishing." They’ll take a known ID and just start changing the last few digits to see what they find. It’s like digital archaeology. You might find a decade-old image of someone's cat, or you might find a weird, distorted face from a 2012 creepypasta.
Does using these IDs get you banned?
This is a common misconception. Generally speaking, if you find a decal ID that is currently live in the library and you use it in your game, you aren't going to get banned immediately. The uploader is the one who takes the risk. However, if you are the one who uploaded the bypassed content, your account is on thin ice. Roblox uses "image hashing" now. This means if you try to re-upload an image that was previously deleted for being "cursed" or inappropriate, the system recognizes the file signature and blocks it instantly.
The platform has become much stricter. They’ve implemented "Account Aging" and "ID Verification" for some features to slow down the creation of burner accounts used for uploading weird stuff. But with over 60 million daily active users, stuff is always going to slip through the cracks.
How to stay safe while browsing
If you’re a developer looking for textures, or just someone curious about the darker corners of the library, you need to be smart. Honestly, most "cursed" lists you find on TikTok or YouTube are just clickbait. They’ll show a scary image but the ID they provide is either fake or leads to a "Content Deleted" page.
If you do find a legit creepy ID, don't make it the centerpiece of a public game if you care about your developer standing. Roblox’s "Experience Guidelines" are getting more specific. If your game is rated for "All Ages," having a surreal, disturbing decal could get your game flagged for a rating mismatch. It's not worth the headache.
The psychology of the "Cursed" trend
Why are we so obsessed with this? It's the contrast. Roblox is supposed to be safe. It’s supposed to be "Powering Imagination." When something "cursed" appears, it breaks the illusion. It’s a reminder that the internet is a vast, uncurated place, even when it’s wrapped in a friendly, blocky package. It’s the same reason people like urban legends or "lost media" stories. We want to see the things we aren't supposed to see.
Moving forward with your builds
If you're looking for that specific "cursed" aesthetic without actually breaking rules or getting your assets nuked, focus on "Liminal Space" photography. These are images of places that look eerie because they are empty—like a mall at night or a vacant office. They provide that same sense of unease without violating the terms of service.
- Use lighting (Future lighting engine) to wash out colors.
- Stick to low-resolution textures that mimic the 2008 Roblox look.
- Look for distorted architecture decals rather than human faces.
The world of cursed roblox decal ids is really just a reflection of the platform's history. It's a mix of old internet culture, bored kids trying to be edgy, and the inevitable glitches that happen when you allow millions of people to upload whatever they want. It’s weird, it’s sometimes a little creepy, but mostly, it’s just a weird quirk of the world’s biggest digital playground.
If you want to explore this further, stick to the "Liminal" or "Dreamcore" tags in the library. They’re safer, they’re actually creative, and you won’t have to worry about your game getting taken down in the middle of a playtest because a moderator finally caught a bypassed image. Focus on building an atmosphere through lighting and sound rather than relying on a single "scary" ID. That’s how the best horror games on the platform, like Apeirophobia, actually do it. They don't need "cursed" IDs; they create the curse themselves through great design.
Check your own inventory for "Off-sale" items periodically. Sometimes a decal you used years ago might have been updated by the original uploader to something "cursed" as a joke or a "troll." If you see something in your game that looks different than you remember, swap it out immediately to keep your account in good standing.
Actionable Next Steps
- Audit your game assets: Regularly check the "Decals" section of your Create page to ensure nothing you've used has been flagged or changed.
- Use the "Safe for Work" filters: When searching the library, keep the default filters on to avoid most bypassed content.
- Report, don't share: If you find a truly disturbing ID that bypasses filters, report it through the flag icon rather than sharing it in Discord servers, which only increases its visibility to the moderation bots.
- Explore Liminal Aesthetics: If you want the "cursed" look, search for "Liminal," "Poolrooms," or "Backrooms" textures which are generally safer and more professionally made.