Loading a player's data

Saving is half the loop; loading is the half players actually see. This lesson wires GetAsync into PlayerAdded so a returning player gets their coins back — and a brand-new player starts at zero.

#Loading on join

Inside PlayerAdded, pull the player's file:

local DataStoreService = game:GetService("DataStoreService")
local coinsStore = DataStoreService:GetDataStore("Coins")
local Players = game:GetService("Players")

Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(function(player)
    local coins = coinsStore:GetAsync(player.UserId)
    print(player.Name .. " has " .. coins .. " coins saved")
end)

GetAsync(key) returns the saved value. For a returning player that's their real coin count — the number you stored when they last left.

#First-time players: the nil check

A brand-new player has no save, so GetAsync gives nil. Before doing anything with the number, decide what a missing save means:

local coins = coinsStore:GetAsync(player.UserId)
if coins == nil then
    coins = 0
end

The shorthand does the same thing in one line:

local coins = coinsStore:GetAsync(player.UserId) or 0

or 0 reads: "give me the saved value, or if that's nil, give me 0." It's the standard "default for new players" line in every Roblox game.

#From loaded number to leaderboard

Now the two patterns meet: the loaded value feeds straight into leaderstats.

Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(function(player)
    local coins = coinsStore:GetAsync(player.UserId) or 0

    local stats = Instance.new("Folder")
    stats.Name = "leaderstats"
    stats.Parent = player

    local coinsValue = Instance.new("NumberValue")
    coinsValue.Name = "Coins"
    coinsValue.Value = coins      -- <-- the loaded number
    coinsValue.Parent = stats
end)

Returning player: the leaderboard shows their saved coins. New player: it shows 0. Same code, both cases — the or 0 did the deciding.

Players.PlayerAdded:Connect(function(player)
-- load coins, defaulting new players to 0
end)

#Common mistakes

• Skipping the nil check. New player, no save → coins is nil → coinsValue.Value = nil leaves the stat empty or errors. Always default it.
• Loading outside PlayerAdded. You need the player object to exist first, so the load belongs inside the join handler.
• Forgetting you still need the save. Loading is only half the loop — the data must be written back on leave, or next join loads nothing.

Next: keeping saves safe with the full save loop and autosave.