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Game Engine Developer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Roblox

Senior Software Engineer Engine Harmony

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$195.78K - $242.10K/yr

As a Senior Software Engineer on our Systems team, you will have an immediate impact on the ... Develop engine code in C++ for sub-systems critical to the Roblox game engine * Work on sub-systems ...

Rockstar Games

Engine Programmer

Carlsbad, CA

Rockstar Games is on the lookout for a passionate Engine Programmer with a keen interest in all the low-level technology that makes a modern video game tick. If you like to understand how things ...

Roblox

Software Engineering Manager, Engine UI

San Mateo, CA

$118.50K - $158.30K/yr

We are seeking a highly skilled and experienced Engineering Manager to join our Engine UI team. In ... Work closely with our game developer community to help achieve their creative vision * Have fun ...

ClassDojo

Senior Game Engineer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$171.50K - $250K/yr

The Monsterverse team is responsible for building the Dojo Islands game, the underlying game engine ... Experience and familiarity with DevOps and platform infrastructure, such as: AWS Cloud ...

Qualcomm

Director of Game AI Production

San Diego, CA · On-site

$189.60K - $284.40K/yr

Our highly creative teams are full of veteran game developers, artists, game engine experts and graphics enthusiasts who work on our latest gaming innovations around mobile, PC, automotive, and XR.

Roblox

Senior Software Engineer, Engine Systems

San Mateo, CA · Hybrid

$139.50K - $183.90K/yr

As a Senior Software Engineer on the Engine DataModel team, you will own and innovate on the ... You will: * Develop engine code that performs well for all user-created games on the Roblox ...

Rockstar Games

Engine Programmer

Carlsbad, CA · On-site

Rockstar Games is on the lookout for a passionate Engine Programmer with a keen interest in all the low-level technology that makes a modern video game tick. If you like to understand how things ...

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Game Engine Developer information

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$107K

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How much do game engine developer jobs pay per year?

As of May 30, 2026, the average yearly pay for game engine developer in California is $107,050.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $80,400.00 and $122,400.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Game Engine Developer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Game Engine Developer, you need strong proficiency in computer science fundamentals, C++ programming, and experience with rendering, physics, or audio systems, often supported by a relevant degree. Familiarity with development tools like Visual Studio, version control systems (e.g., Git), and graphics APIs such as DirectX or OpenGL is typically required. Problem-solving ability, teamwork, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for collaborating with multidisciplinary teams and addressing technical challenges. These skills ensure robust, high-performance engine development that meets the complex needs of modern game production.

What are some common challenges faced by Game Engine Developers when collaborating with cross-functional teams?

Game Engine Developers often work closely with artists, designers, and gameplay programmers, which can present challenges in balancing technical constraints with creative vision. Coordinating feature requests, optimizing for performance, and ensuring tools are user-friendly for non-programmers require strong communication and problem-solving skills. It's important to translate technical limitations into understandable terms and to build solutions that address the needs of different stakeholders. Successful developers proactively seek feedback and iterate on tools to support a smooth production pipeline.

What is a Game Engine Developer?

A Game Engine Developer is a software engineer who designs, develops, and maintains the core technology used to build video games, known as a game engine. They create systems for rendering graphics, handling physics, processing audio, and managing assets, enabling game designers and artists to build interactive worlds. Game Engine Developers work closely with other developers to ensure the engine is efficient, scalable, and supports the features needed for modern games. Their work is crucial for both building new engines and customizing existing ones like Unity or Unreal Engine.

What is the difference between Game Engine Developer vs Game Programmer?

AspectGame Engine DeveloperGame Programmer
Primary FocusDeveloping and optimizing game engines and toolsWriting gameplay code and implementing features
Skills & CertificationsProficiency in C++, graphics APIs, engine architectureStrong programming skills, knowledge of game frameworks
Work EnvironmentEngine development teams, software companiesGame development teams, studios

Game Engine Developers focus on creating and maintaining the core technology that powers games, while Game Programmers work on implementing gameplay features within those engines. Both roles require strong programming skills, but their responsibilities differ in scope and focus.

What are the most commonly searched types of Game Engine Developer jobs in California? The most popular types of Game Engine Developer jobs in California are:
What are popular job titles related to Game Engine Developer jobs in California? For Game Engine Developer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Game Engine Developer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Game Engine Developer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Game Engine Developer jobs? Cities in California with the most Game Engine Developer job openings:
Game Engine Developer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Game Engine Developer job openings in California as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 79% Full Time, 13% Part Time, 2% Temporary, and 6% Contract. Highlights an 81% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 16% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $107,050 per year, or $51.5 per hour.
Principal Core Systems Software Engineer - Game Engine (C++)

Principal Core Systems Software Engineer - Game Engine (C++)

Roblox

San Mateo, CA • On-site

$293.80K - $343.34K/yr

Full-time

Posted 20 days ago

Job description

Every day, tens of millions of people come to Roblox to explore, create, play, learn, and connect with friends in 3D immersive digital experiences- all created by our global community of developers and creators.
At Roblox, we're building the tools and platform that empower our community to bring any experience that they can imagine to life. Our vision is to reimagine the way people come together, from anywhere in the world, and on any device.We're on a mission to connect a billion people with optimism and civility, and looking for amazing talent to help us get there.
A career at Roblox means you'll be working to shape the future of human interaction, solving unique technical challenges at scale, and helping to create safer, more civil shared experiences for everyone.
The Engine Networking Team pulls the players together by ensuring the communication of the game state to all. As a Principal Engineer on this team you will help the players experience the game as a nearly synchronous world. The networking and asset loading team plays a key role in a smooth experience for the players. You will work in all areas of the game platform in your quest for real-time communication of every part of Roblox.
You Will:
  • Lead engineers with 8+ years of industry experience
  • Understand the game networking with a passion for working with open source
  • Be experienced with asset loading, rendering, and networking coming from a Game Engine/Studio. (Desirable)
  • Be an amazing systems-level C++ programmer and be fascinated by the actual work the CPU does when you use smart pointers, templates, virtual functions, and blocks of memory, both structured and raw
  • Have a keen to each millisecond of the network exchanges: You know where the time goes and how to reduce the waste
  • Understand what happens on the operating system level when certain code is completed
You Have:
  • Worked on the guts of a multi-player game engine, solving problems related to scale, performance, latency, and throughput in client/server environments.
  • Worked on a very large multithreaded distributed system that connects millions of users worldwide.
  • Worked on the devices Roblox supports - from desktop clients to mobile phone clients to console clients

For roles that are based at our headquarters in San Mateo, CA: The starting base pay for this position is as shown below. The actual base pay is dependent upon a variety of job-related factors such as professional background, training, work experience, location, business needs and market demand. Therefore, in some circumstances, the actual salary could fall outside of this expected range. This pay range is subject to change and may be modified in the future. All full-time employees are also eligible for equity compensation and for benefits as described on this page.
Annual Salary Range
$293,800-$343,340 USD
Roles that are based in an office are onsite Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday, with optional presence on Monday and Friday (unless otherwise noted).
Roblox provides equal employment opportunities to all employees and applicants for employment and prohibits discrimination and harassment of any type without regard to race, color, religion, age, sex, national origin, disability status, genetics, protected veteran status, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, or any other characteristic protected by federal, state or local laws. Roblox also provides reasonable accommodations to candidates with qualifying disabilities or religious beliefs during the recruiting process.
For US based roles only, please note the Company may not be able to employ candidates for this role who have United States work authorization related to certain U.S. visa categories, or support future H-1B sponsorship at this time.

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