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Game System Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

BESTICA INC

Instructional System Designer

Houston, OH · On-site

Bestica is hiring an Instructional System Designer to provide their services at Wright Patterson ... gaming, 3D modeling, virtual reality and simulation. * The contractor shall have demonstrated ...

BESTICA INC

Instructional System Designer

Dayton, OH · On-site

Bestica is hiring an Instructor System Designer to provide services at Wright Patterson AFB located ... gaming, 3D modeling, virtual reality and simulation. * The Employee shall have demonstrated ...

Proxima

Senior Game Designer

San Francisco, CA · Remote

We're looking for a Senior Game Designer to play a leadership role on the project. We are a remote ... Systems design: You will develop systems that simulate play, blending expertise in player ...

Bestica Inc

Instructional System Designer

Dayton, OH · On-site

Bestica is hiring an Instructional System Designer to provide their services at Wright Patterson ... gaming, 3D modeling, virtual reality and simulation.The contractor shall have demonstrated ...

Fanatics Collectibles

Game Designer - TCG

Seattle, WA · On-site

$176K/yr

Who We're Looking For We're seeking a Game Designer to contribute meaningfully to the design of ... You'll work within the game design group on systems, mechanics, and set development alongside the ...

Bestica

Instructional System Designer

Dayton, OH · On-site

Apply ADDIE (Analyze, Design, Develop, Implement, Evaluate) Instructional System Design model ... Proficiency in current educational technologies (e.g., Adobe Captivate, SCORM packaging, gaming, 3D ...

Limit Break

$162K/yr

Game Designer (Puzzle) About us: Deep expertise. Personal and Industry evolution. Impeccable craft ... Design and balance gameplay mechanics and progression systems that reinforce player flow ...

MrBeast

Game Designer

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$182K/yr

Game Designer (Experience & Systems) About the Role We're looking for an exceptional Game Designer to help build the most fun and engaging consumer app in the world. This is not a traditional game ...

Fanatics Collectibles

Game Designer - TCG

Seattle, WA · On-site

$98K - $123K/yr

Who We're Looking For We're seeking a Game Designer to contribute meaningfully to the design of ... You'll work within the game design group on systems, mechanics, and set development alongside the ...

Naughty Dog

Senior Game Designer (Combat)

Santa Monica, CA · On-site

$145K - $181K/yr

Facilitate playtesting and feedback sessions to iterate on combat systems and fine-tune them based ... games * At least one shipped title as a combat designer or similar role. Experience with behavior ...

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Game System Designer information

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How much do game system designer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 11, 2026, the average yearly pay for game system 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 game system designer?

Game System Designers are professionals who create, balance, and refine the underlying rules and mechanics that govern how a video game operates. They focus on designing systems such as combat, progression, economy, and rewards to ensure an engaging and balanced player experience. By collaborating with other developers, they translate creative ideas into mathematical models and gameplay loops that keep players challenged and entertained. Their work is crucial to the overall feel and longevity of a game.

What skills and qualifications are needed to thrive as a game system designer?

To thrive as a Game System Designer, you need strong analytical thinking, creativity, and a solid understanding of game mechanics, often supported by a background in game design, computer science, or a related field. Familiarity with game engines (such as Unity or Unreal), prototyping tools, and scripting languages like C# or Lua is highly beneficial. Excellent communication, teamwork, and problem-solving abilities help you collaborate effectively with multidisciplinary teams and iterate on complex systems. These skills ensure engaging, balanced, and technically feasible gameplay experiences that drive a game's success.

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

Game System Designers work closely with various teams such as artists, programmers, producers, and narrative designers to ensure that gameplay mechanics align with the overall vision of the game. They often participate in cross-functional meetings, provide detailed system documentation, and gather feedback from playtest sessions to refine systems. Effective communication and adaptability are essential, as system designers must balance creative ideas with technical constraints and player experience. This role is highly collaborative, requiring frequent coordination to integrate new features, resolve design challenges, and maintain a cohesive game experience.

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

AspectGame System DesignerGame Level Designer
Primary FocusDesigns core game mechanics, systems, and rulesCreates and designs individual game levels and environments
Required SkillsSystems thinking, programming knowledge, gameplay designLevel layout, environment art, storytelling through level design
Work EnvironmentCollaborates with programmers, designers, and artists on overall game systemsWorks closely with artists and narrative teams to craft engaging levels
Industry UsageCommon in game development studios focusing on gameplay mechanicsCommon in studios emphasizing level and environment design

While both roles are essential in game development, the Game System Designer focuses on creating the underlying mechanics that define gameplay, whereas the Game Level Designer concentrates on crafting the individual levels players explore. Understanding these differences helps clarify career paths and collaboration points within game development teams.

How do you become a game system designer?

To become a game system designer, typically a candidate needs a background in game design, computer science, or related fields, along with strong skills in programming, mathematics, and understanding of game mechanics. Gaining experience through internships, personal projects, or portfolio work is important, and proficiency with design tools like Unity or Unreal Engine can be beneficial.

Is game system designer a good career?

A game system designer develops the rules, mechanics, and systems for video games, often requiring skills in programming, mathematics, and game theory. The field offers opportunities in the gaming industry, but job availability can be competitive and typically requires a strong portfolio and relevant experience.
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Game System Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Game System Designer job openings in the United States as of September 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 60% In-person, and 40% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $149,118 per year, or $71.7 per hour.

Game Designer - Cofounder

New York, NY • On-site

The General Intelligence Company of New York
See more jobs at The General Intelligence Company of New Yorkexternal

$180K - $200K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 16 days ago

Job description

About the role
At General Intelligence, we're building highly-capable autonomous agents for startups. Our goal is to enable the one-person, one-billion-dollar company.
Our product, Cofounder, enables entrepreneurs to start and run companies. Using it should feel more like a company-building game where users coordinate agents, unlock roadmap nodes, run missions, build artifacts, grow departments, and make revenue go up.
We're looking for a game designer to make Cofounder more fun, intuitive, and strategically deep.
This is a game designer role for someone with real strategy game taste. You should be familiar with the grand strategy genre as well as gameplay loops involving the genre. You understand why games like Civilization, Stellaris, Factorio, StarCraft, RimWorld, XCOM, or EVE become addictive: macro loops, micro loops, compounding strategy, progression, complexity, constraints, feedback, and reward.
Your job is to translate those instincts into product.
What you'll do
  • Design gameplay loops for Cofounder: missions, goals, departments, progression, maps, unlocks, rewards, and recurring user actions. Translate these gameplay loops into actual direct product surface for our users.
  • Turn "run your company" into clear, intuitive game mechanics users understand.
  • Build compounding strategy into the product: decisions should matter, systems should interact, and progress should create new options.
  • Make agent workflows feel fun, fast, and rewarding instead of abstract or confusing.
  • Work with design and engineering to spec, ship, measure, and improve gameplay-driven product experiences.
  • Study user behavior to optimize and identify loops.
  • Push Cofounder toward the feeling of a great strategy game while keeping it useful for real companies.
Who you are
  • You have 5+ years of experience in game design, game systems design, or gameplay design.
  • You have worked in the gaming industry, ideally on strategy games, simulation games, live-service games, management games, MMOs, RPGs, or other systems-heavy products.
  • You have shipped player-facing gameplay systems, not just managed tasks or roadmaps.
  • You deeply understand strategy games: macro loops, micro loops, progression, pacing, compounding systems, tutorials, rewards, and retention.
  • You know how to balance fun, clarity, pacing, and utility.
  • You care about product quality and craft.
  • You are high agency.
  • You have aura. If you don't know what this means, it's not a fit.
How we work
In-person only in New York. You'll be in the room with founders daily. Relocation assistance is available.
High agency. We hire smart people and get out of their way.
Outcomes over inputs. You're measured on what ships and what gets better.
Direct feedback. You'll hear what's working and what's not; same applies in reverse.
Ship fast, iterate daily. Taste matters, but perfection is the enemy of progress.
What's different about General Intelligence?
Real leverage. You will have a legitimately unlimited token budget for AI tools.
No bureaucracy. You'll be frustrated by red tape everywhere else after working here.
Small, elite team. You work directly with founders and engineers building agents.
Craft matters. Speed is key, but sloppiness isn't tolerated.

Apply