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Entry Level Game Development Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

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Entry Level Game Development information

See California salary details

$52.4K

$119.5K

$186.7K

How much do entry level game development jobs pay per year?

As of Jun 13, 2026, the average yearly pay for entry level game development in California is $119,454.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $92,300.00 and $153,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are entry level game development jobs?

Entry level game development jobs are positions designed for individuals who are new to the game industry and often require little to no prior professional experience. These roles typically include positions such as junior programmer, QA tester, game artist, or production assistant. Entry-level employees work on small tasks within a larger development team, helping them gain practical skills while contributing to the creation of video games. These jobs often require knowledge of basic programming, art, or design tools, and a passion for gaming.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Entry Level Game Developer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Entry Level Game Developer, you need a solid grasp of programming fundamentals, often with a degree in computer science or a related field, and familiarity with game design principles. Proficiency in game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine, and knowledge of languages such as C# or C++, are typically required, along with any relevant certifications or portfolio projects. Creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving are essential soft skills that help you collaborate effectively and bring innovative ideas to life. These skills and qualities are crucial for creating engaging games, meeting project goals, and integrating seamlessly into development teams.

What is the 80/20 rule in game development?

In entry level game development, the 80/20 rule suggests that roughly 80% of the results come from 20% of the efforts, meaning developers should focus on the most impactful features or tasks first. Prioritizing core gameplay mechanics and essential assets helps streamline development and improve efficiency, especially when working with limited resources or tight schedules.

How to get a job in game development with no experience?

Entry level game development roles often require a strong foundation in programming, game design, or related skills. Building a portfolio with personal projects, participating in game jams, and learning popular tools like Unity or Unreal Engine can improve chances. Gaining relevant certifications or taking online courses can also demonstrate commitment and skill to employers.

Is AI replacing game devs?

AI is increasingly used in game development to assist with tasks like procedural content generation and testing, but it does not replace game developers. Entry level game development roles still require creative design, programming skills, and understanding of game engines. AI tools are viewed as complementary, enhancing productivity rather than replacing human developers entirely.

Is 30 too old to start game development?

Entry level game development roles do not have age restrictions, and many successful developers start later in life. Skills in programming, design, and familiarity with tools like Unity or Unreal Engine are more important than age, and continuous learning can help new entrants succeed regardless of when they start.

What are some common challenges faced by entry-level game developers, and how can they overcome them?

Entry-level game developers often find adapting to fast-paced production schedules and mastering new tools or engines challenging. Collaborating effectively with multidisciplinary teams—including artists, designers, and QA testers—can also be an adjustment. Staying proactive in learning, seeking mentorship from experienced colleagues, and communicating openly can help overcome these hurdles. Embracing feedback and focusing on continuous improvement are key strategies for success in the early stages of a game development career.
What are the most commonly searched types of Game Development jobs in California? The most popular types of Game Development jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Entry Level Game Development jobs in California? For Entry Level Game Development jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What cities in California are hiring for Entry Level Game Development jobs? Cities in California with the most Entry Level Game Development job openings:
Infographic showing various Entry Level Game Development job openings in California as of June 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 80% Full Time, 17% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 97% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 2% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $119,454 per year, or $57.4 per hour.
Machine Learning Engineer, Offline Infrastructure (Entry-Level / New Grad)

Machine Learning Engineer, Offline Infrastructure (Entry-Level / New Grad)

Unity Technologies

Mountain View, CA • On-site

$126K - $166K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 5 days ago


Job description

The opportunity
Unity Vector builds an offline ML platform that powers insight, experimentation, attribution, and AI-driven decision-making across the company.
Our systems operate at scale across batch and streaming data, supporting analytics, product intelligence, machine learning pipelines, and business operations. As data volume and complexity grow, our platform enables large-scale model training, feature generation, and experimentation workflows that power production ML systems.
We're looking for a Machine Learning Engineer to join our Offline Infrastructure team. This is an ideal role for a recent university graduate who is excited to work on large-scale systems and apply research-driven thinking to real-world machine learning problems.
You'll help build and evolve the infrastructure that powers training data generation, ML workflows, and distributed model training. Working closely with experienced engineers and researchers, you'll contribute to systems that ensure our ML pipelines are reliable, scalable, and efficient.
This role offers the opportunity to bridge research and production-translating advanced ideas into systems that operate at scale.
What you'll be doing
  • Build and maintain data pipelines that generate training datasets for machine learning models and experimentation
  • Contribute to infrastructure that supports distributed training workflows (e.g., PyTorch, Ray)
  • Work with workflow orchestration tools (e.g., Airflow, Flyte, or similar) to support multi-stage ML pipelines
  • Improve reproducibility and reliability through dataset validation, monitoring, and testing
  • Partner with ML engineers to support experimentation and model iteration
  • Help optimize performance and efficiency across data processing and training systems
  • Contribute to the evolution of our offline ML platform architecture as it scales

What we're looking for
  • Bachelor's Degree in Computer Science, Machine Learning, Systems, or a related field
  • Strong foundation in machine learning systems, distributed systems, or large-scale data processing (through research or projects)
  • Experience with Python and working with data-intensive workloads
  • Familiarity with ML frameworks (e.g., PyTorch, TensorFlow) and/or distributed systems (e.g., Ray, Spark)
  • Experience (academic or applied) with data pipelines, model training workflows, or large datasets
  • Strong problem-solving skills and ability to translate research ideas into practical systems
  • Interest in building scalable, reliable infrastructure for machine learning
  • Nice to Have
  • Experience with workflow orchestration systems (Airflow, Flyte, etc.)
  • Exposure to large-scale data platforms (data lakes, warehouses, streaming systems)
  • Publications or research in ML systems, distributed systems, or related areas

Additional information
  • Relocation support is not available for this position
  • Work visa/immigration sponsorship is not available for this position

Benefits
At Unity, we want our team members to thrive. We offer a wide range of benefits designed to support well-being and work-life balance.
Please note: Benefits eligibility, specific offerings, and coverage vary based on the country and employment status.
While specific benefits vary, here are some of the ways we strive to take care of our eligible team members globally: Comprehensive health, life, and disability insurance | Commute subsidy | Employee stock ownership | Competitive retirement/pension plans | Generous vacation and personal days | Support for new parents through leave and family-care programs | Office food snacks | Mental Health and Wellbeing programs and support | Employee Resource Groups | Global Employee Assistance Program | Training and development programs | Volunteering and donation matching program
Life at Unity
Unity [NYSE: U] is the world's leading game engine, powering play for more than 3 billion consumers each month. The top mobile games in the world, the most played PC indie titles, the most innovative console games, and virtually all of the top XR and Web Games are developed, deployed, and grown in Unity. Unity also enables teams across industries like automotive, manufacturing, and healthcare to design, simulate, and collaborate in 3D - closing the gap between ideas and reality. For more information, please visit www.unity.com.
Unity is a proud equal opportunity employer. We are committed to fostering an inclusive, innovative environment and celebrate our employees across age, race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, disability, sex, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, or any other protected status in accordance with applicable law. Our differences are strengths that enable us to support the growing and evolving needs of our customers, partners, and collaborators. If you have a disability that means there are preparations or accommodations we can make to help ensure you have a comfortable and positive interview experience, please fill out this form to let us know.
This position requires the incumbent to have a sufficient knowledge of English to have professional verbal and written exchanges in this language since the performance of the duties related to this position requires frequent and regular communication with colleagues and partners located worldwide and whose common language is English.
Headhunters and recruitment agencies may not submit resumes/CVs through this website or directly to managers. Unity does not accept unsolicited headhunter and agency resumes. Unity will not pay fees to any third-party agency or company that does not have a signed agreement with Unity.
Your privacy is important to us. Please take a moment to review our Prospect Privacy Policy and Applicant Privacy Policy. Should you have any concerns about your privacy, please contact us at DPO@unity.com.
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*Note: This range reflects the anticipated base salary for this position. Beyond base salary, this role may be eligible for equity awards and participation in our company incentive plans (such as annual discretionary bonuses or sales commissions). The final offer amount will depend on several factors, including geographic location and the candidate's relevant experience, professional background, and skill set.
Gross pay salary
$92,000-$138,000 USD