Official Q&A: VEX U Robotics Competition 2025-2026: Push Back

Hi Evan (and the rest of the VEXU Community),

Thanks for your question, and, more importantly, thanks for your patience. We apologize for the abrupt surprise and silence over the past 48 hours. We know and understand the timing of this was not ideal, and we appreciate the VEXU community for sitting tight while the GDC sorted out how to move forward.

To get straight to the important part: YES, VEXpro parts (parts beginning with 217-) will remain legal for VEXU for the Push Back Season. (note, parts listed as exemptions in VUR2 are still not legal)

And to be 100% transparent, it was NOT the GDC's intent for yesterdays VEX Robotics website update to immediately make all 217 Parts illegal for use in the VEXU Robotics Competition.

Please proceed with inspection at your event this weekend as normal.

As we begin to navigate this change, the GDC is working with VEX Robotics to explore ways to ensure documentation for all 217 parts remains available so teams, inspectors, referees, etc. can know and understand what is legal and what is not.

In the meantime, we ask for referees, inspectors, and teams to show each other grace, and try to work through this ambiguity as best as possible. If it looks like a VEXpro part, acts like a VEXpro part, (and is anodized black for superior performance,) it is probably a VEXpro part.

We hope and expect to use the December Game Manual Update to address this topic in its entirety, and remove any lingering questions or ambiguity that might remain.

If the GDC does intend for these parts to be legal, is there any way that newer VURC teams can get access to these parts and not lose out on any competitive advantage provided by these parts?

The GDC is exploring proposals to help maintain accessibility to these parts, and to ensure that the competitive balance of the competition does not shift or become altered because of this change. We want to ensure teams that already have access to VEXpro parts retain their ability to use them, and teams that no longer have access to these parts retain their ability to be competitive.

We don't have our answer yet, but we are diligently working to find an appropriate middle ground that keeps the competition happy and healthy.

Again, we politely ask for your patience.

While we understand that the website update was abrupt and fears of robot legality began running rampant, we hope that this answer helps alleviate some of that concern. We apologize again for any inconvenience that this has caused any teams, and hope that this answer helps calm the nerves of the VEXU community.

Please don't hesitate to reach out to [email protected] for any additional comments or concerns.

Best, VEX GDC