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Combat Game Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Templar Media

Lead Game Designer

Alpharetta, GA · On-site

About the Role: As Lead Designer you will have the opportunity to shape the complete player ... Experience with combat and stealth game design * Familiarity with mission, quest, or dialogue ...

teamLFG

Senior Gameplay Designer (Combat & AI)

OR · On-site +1

... game on teamLFG. You will work closely with the entire Design Team designing, crafting, and ... and combat prioritization Create and balance a suite of active and passive player items that can ...

teamLFG

Senior Gameplay Designer (Combat & AI)

$118K - $177K/yr

... game on teamLFG. You will work closely with the entire Design Team designing, crafting, and ... combat prioritization • Create and balance a suite of active and passive player items that can ...

NAUGHTY DOG, LLC

$37 - $50/hr

Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention ... Melee * Combat Systems * Character animation As part of the Naughty Dog application process ...

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How much do combat game designer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 10, 2026, the average yearly pay for combat game designer in the United States is $149,118.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $155,000.00 and $155,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a combat game designer?

A Combat Game Designer is a professional in the video game industry who specializes in designing, balancing, and refining the combat systems within a game. They are responsible for creating engaging and fair mechanics for player battles, including character abilities, weapons, enemy behavior, and progression systems. Combat Game Designers work closely with programmers, artists, and other designers to ensure that combat feels satisfying and aligns with the game's overall vision. Their work often involves prototyping, playtesting, and iterating on combat features based on feedback from both the development team and players.

How does a combat game designer typically collaborate with other departments during the development process?

As a Combat Game Designer, you will work closely with various teams such as artists, animators, programmers, and sound designers to create engaging and balanced combat systems. Collaboration often involves frequent meetings to discuss mechanics, prototyping features, and iterating based on feedback. You'll also coordinate with narrative and level design teams to ensure that combat fits seamlessly within the game's world and story. Effective communication and a willingness to adapt your ideas are essential, as your work will impact many aspects of the game's overall experience.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a combat game designer, and why are they important?

A Combat Game Designer needs a solid understanding of game design principles, experience with balancing gameplay mechanics, and often a degree in game design or a related field. Familiarity with industry-standard tools such as Unity or Unreal Engine, scripting languages like C#, and version control systems is typically required. Creativity, teamwork, and strong problem-solving skills help designers collaborate effectively and craft engaging combat experiences. These abilities are crucial for developing immersive, balanced, and enjoyable combat systems that keep players engaged.

What is the difference between Combat Game Designer vs Level Designer?

AspectCombat Game DesignerLevel Designer
Required SkillsGame mechanics, combat systems, player engagementLevel layout, environment design, pacing
Work EnvironmentCollaborates with gameplay, art, and programming teamsWorks closely with art and level teams to craft environments
Industry UsageUsed in action, shooter, and fighting gamesCommon in adventure, platformer, and open-world games

While both roles involve designing aspects of a game, Combat Game Designers focus on creating engaging combat mechanics and systems, whereas Level Designers craft the environments and levels players explore. Both roles require collaboration across teams and are vital to game development, but they specialize in different facets of gameplay experience.

What are popular job titles related to Combat Game Designer jobs?

For Combat Game Designer jobs, the most frequently searched job titles are:

Infographic showing various Combat Game Designer job openings in the United States as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 3% Internship, 64% Full Time, 23% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 9% Contract. Highlights an 89% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 10% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $149,118 per year, or $71.7 per hour.

Senior Game Designer Combat

Santa Monica, CA • On-site

NAUGHTY DOG, LLC
PC Games • 51 - 200 employees
Learn more about NAUGHTY DOG, LLCexternal

$145K - $181K/yr

Other

Re-posted 13 days ago

Job description

Ability to work onsite from our Santa Monica, CA based studio is required.

For nearly 40 years, Naughty Dog has been crafting best-selling, critically acclaimed games that constantly push the boundaries of narrative, gameplay, and technology. Naughty Dog recently released The Last of Us Part II Remastered as well as a current generation remake of The Last of Us Part I for the PS5. We're also proud to say that The Last of Us Part I is now available for the first time on PC.

Naughty Dog games have long been lauded for their evocative, character-driven stories and attention to detail. We are committed to innovation within our games and as such have curated some of the top creative and technically innovative minds in the industry. We welcome diverse candidates and believe that a broad range of cultural and life experiences contribute to the overall well-being and success of the studio and the titles we craft together.

What you will do:
  • Pitch, design, implement, and own enemy NPC archetypes
  • Work with AI programmers to develop foundational NPC technology and implementing and tuning enemy AI behaviors
  • Work with animators to develop enemy locomotion and traversal, melee moves, ambient behaviors, and other custom abilities. Make every enemy archetype feel unique and memorable
  • Collaborate with the Design team to conceptualize, prototype, implement, tune, and balance gameplay mechanics and systems
  • Communicate with animation, programming, and art departments to effectively produce the assets and code support required for the enemies you’re owning
  • Write and maintain documentation that establishes the core vision of the enemy archetypes
  • Drive communication and collaboration for enemies you design and the levels they are in, ensuring communication across disciplines and meeting deadlines
  • Effective and respectful communicator and collaborator, both with other designers and members of other departments
  • Facilitate playtesting and feedback sessions to iterate on combat systems and fine-tune them based on player experiences
  • Mentor junior designers and contribute to the overall growth of the design team
What skills you will use:
  • 5+ years of industry experience in combat design and/or technical design for games, specifically focused on developing action-adventure or shooter games
  • At least one shipped title as a combat designer or similar role. Experience with behavior trees or similar NPC AI concepts preferred
  • Strong coding ability: Computer Science degree preferred though not required
  • Proficient in using game engines and tools (e.g., Unreal Engine, Unity) for combat implementation and design scripting (C#, Lua, Visual Scripting)
  • Welcomes feedback on their work and embraces the "let's try it" mentality
  • Proficient and effective communication skills, including diagramming and sketching
  • Fluent in modern character action-adventure and shooter combat games. Maintains knowledge of the broader gaming landscape trends
  • Knowledge of narrative structure and how it intersects with gameplay and combat
  • A keen eye for detail in character action games, able to tune gameplay systems to make them feel smooth and impactful
  • Strong leadership and mentoring skills

The estimated USA base pay range for this zone (Los Angeles area) is listed below. This role may be eligible for additional compensation packages that includes annual bonus and other incentive plans.

$145,100 - $181,400 USD

Please note, Sony Interactive Entertainment conducts background checks at the offer stage for all new employees (which may include criminal background checks for some roles) and will need to process personal information to support these checks.

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