The Roku Cloud Emulator (RCE) lets you spin up virtual Roku streaming players and Roku TVs in the cloud, running various Roku OS versions, so you can develop, test, and debug your app without physical hardware. Access is through a browser-based UI or REST API.
Q: What is being announced at Dev Summit?
In-person Dev Summit attendees (starting September 23, 2026) will join our existing pilot cohort for RCE. This is an early pilot access, not general availability —RCE general availability is planned for the near future and is subject to change. As a member of the pilot cohort, you get full access to RCE’s feature set immediately following the event.
Q: How is this different from general access?
Roku Cloud Emulator is still in pilot — it gives Developer Summit in-person attendees hands-on access ahead of the broader launch while Roku continues to scale infrastructure and finalize billing. Feedback from pilot participants directly shapes the GA release.
Q: Will there be a demo of RCE at the Developer Summit?
Yes. RCE is featured in the Developer Tools session on Day 1 (September 23, 2:00 PM). The session includes a live demo of the web UI and REST API, covering sideloading, the BrightScript debug console, snapshots, and CI/CD integration.
Getting access
Q: How do I get access to RCE?
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Your Roku developer account must be enrolled in the Roku developer program at Roku Launchpad. At this time, only select accounts are enrolled as part of our pilot program.
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Once enabled, go to Roku Launchpad and click Cloud Emulator from the Roku Developers panel.
Q: Can I invite teammates to my RCE account?
Yes. Account owners can invite additional users from the Roles and Access page on Roku Launchpad. Assign invited users either the Cloud Emulator user or Cloud Manager role. Invited users must switch into the account owner’s account context to access RCE.
If the Cloud Emulator link is not visible on your Launchpad after being invited, make sure you have switched into the account owner’s account context using Switch accounts.
Pricing & billing
Q: How much does RCE cost?
All pricing, billing, and usage information can be found on the AWS Marketplace listing for RCE.
Q: How do I pay?
Billing flows through AWS Marketplace. Developers subscribe via a standard AWS Marketplace listing; charges appear on your monthly AWS bill.
Q: What happens when my free trial runs out?
You will receive notifications before and after trial exhaustion. After the 5-hour trial is used, you transition to paid usage at $0.20/hour. Your usage is also visible in the RCE dashboard.
What you can do
Q: What can I actually do with RCE?
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Sideload and run your app — upload a channel zip from the browser UI or via REST API, exactly as you would on a physical device.
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Test against the next Roku OS early— select either the current public Roku OS release or the build for the next release before it ships to consumers.
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Debug via BrightScript console — access crash logs, stack traces, and app output from a read-only debug console (port 8085).
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Save and restore device state with snapshots — capture a device’s installed apps, settings, and signed-in accounts, then restore to that state for future runs. Eliminates repetitive manual setup across test cases.
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Automate via REST API — create devices, start/stop instances, sideload apps, send ECP remote commands, and stream logs; create scripts for CI/CD pipelines and nightly regression runs.
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TV and Player device types — create virtual Roku TVs or standalone Roku streaming players.
Q: Does RCE work with my existing Roku developer tools?
The Roku team is working to ensure developer tools support RCE as a target alongside physical devices — including tools from the Roku developer tools team and the community-developed VS Code extension. Check the developer forums and documentation for the latest status on specific tool integrations.
Q: How many virtual devices can I run at once?
After the free trial, developers have access to up to twenty-five concurrent devices (subject to change). The free trial includes 5 hours of free runtime, and developers can only run one device at a time.
Limitations
Q: What is RCE not suited for?
RCE is built for functional development, iterative testing, and CI/CD — not hardware or performance validation. For timing-sensitive testing, memory profiling, or hardware-specific behavior, use a physical Roku device.
Q: What features are not emulated?
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Live tuner / over-the-air antenna input
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HDMI and analog audio/video in and out
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Physical remotes, mobile app remotes, and third-party remotes (the built-in web virtual remote is the only supported input)
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App suspend and resume lifecycle
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Wi-Fi behavior
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Voice commands and hands-free features
Q: Are there geographic or content restrictions?
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RCE instances are US-based only. Your app must be accessible from US-based IP addresses.
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If your service filters by Roku device model, allow model numbers matching the pattern
29[0-9][0-9]X. -
If your service blocks cloud-hosted IP ranges, allowlist the following RCE addresses:
44.239.29.169, 34.209.122.192, 54.202.182.128, 100.21.142.143, 34.210.16.174, 34.215.23.153, 35.160.218.63, 35.81.125.176, 54.188.9.148. -
DRM support: Widevine L3 at HD resolution (1080p or 720p). Unprotected content is fully supported.
Support
Q: Where do I go with questions or issues?
The official support channels are the Roku Developer Forums and Partner Success. Post bug reports, integration questions, and general RCE questions to the forums, and for account issues, reach out to Partner Success. A Roku DevRel team member will respond within 24 hours (Monday–Friday, 9am–5pm Central) with follow-up or escalation within 72 hours.
Q: Who do I contact if my account doesn’t have RCE access after the Developer Summit?
Post in the Roku Developer Forums and a Roku team member will follow up to get your account enabled.
