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Gameplay Programmer Jobs in San Ramon, CA (NOW HIRING)

Tencent

BD & Investment Manager, AI + Game Tech

Palo Alto, CA · On-site +1

$100.30K - $233.20K/yr

About the Hiring Team Business Development Department is dedicated to fostering connections between Tencent and top-tier game developers worldwide, catering to a diverse network of over 100 global ...

Roblox

Principal Engineer - Creator Services

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$293.80K - $343.34K/yr

We own the developer APIs for HTTP calls and player traversal within and between games. We own the platform for all of Roblox's Cloud HTTP APIs, enabling internal teams to support creator automation ...

Roblox

Principal Software Engineer, WebRTC

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$153.80K - $206.20K/yr

Enthusiastic about crafting software programming environments for game developers, eager to apply insights from multiple programming ecosystems to our scripting environment * Able to navigate complex ...

Roblox

Quality Engineer, Game Engine

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$82K - $105.90K/yr

In this role, you will focus on automating testing processes while collaborating closely with various engineering teams to enhance the quality of our gaming platform. You will play a crucial role in ...

PlayStation Global

Software Engineer II

San Mateo, CA · On-site

$163.70K - $245.50K/yr

Do you want to craft the future of game audio? Are you the type of person who gets excited when ... Our Platform Audio team seeks an enthusiastic software engineer who can build and implement ...

Moonlake AI

GTM - Gaming

San Francisco, CA · On-site

The Role We're looking for a GTM Engineer to help deploy Moonlake's world-model and environment-generation systems into real-world gaming and interactive content workflows. This is a highly technical ...

Roblox

Senior People Business Partner

San Mateo, CA · Hybrid

You will serve as a critical advisor in scaling high-demand technical talent in ML and game engineering while fostering a culture of Creator empathy to drive innovation across our Studio, Success ...

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Gameplay Programmer information

See San Ramon, CA salary details

$107.8K

$151.1K

$160.4K

How much do gameplay programmer jobs pay per year?

As of May 31, 2026, the average yearly pay for gameplay programmer in San Ramon, CA is $151,124.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $144,200.00 and $159,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What Is a Gameplay Programmer?

A gameplay programmer helps develop, document, test, and debug online or mobile game systems. Responsibilities include writing code with scripting languages such as C++, JavaScript, HTML, and Python; looking for ways to modify code; implementing functionalities such as controls, AI, and NPC behaviors within an established framework; and fixing design issues. They must communicate and work closely with other programmers to provide technical and creative feedback and meet project goals. Qualifications to become a gameplay programmer include a bachelor’s or master’s degree in computer science or a similar field and fluency in programming languages.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Gameplay Programmer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Gameplay Programmer, you need a strong background in computer science, proficiency in programming languages like C++ or C#, and experience with game engines such as Unity or Unreal Engine. Familiarity with version control systems, debugging tools, and, in some cases, relevant certifications in game development is also valuable. Creativity, teamwork, and problem-solving are crucial soft skills for collaborating with designers and artists to bring game mechanics to life. These skills ensure the creation of engaging, efficient, and high-quality gameplay experiences that meet both technical and creative goals.

How does a gameplay programmer typically collaborate with designers and artists during game development?

Gameplay programmers work closely with designers to translate creative concepts into interactive mechanics, implementing features such as controls, rules, and character abilities. They also collaborate with artists to ensure animations, visual effects, and assets integrate smoothly with the codebase. Regular communication, prototyping, and iterative testing are crucial, as gameplay programmers often participate in multidisciplinary meetings and provide technical feedback to refine the player experience. This dynamic teamwork helps ensure that gameplay elements are both fun and technically feasible.

What does a Gameplay Programmer do?

A Gameplay Programmer is responsible for implementing the interactive elements of a video game, such as character controls, game rules, and mechanics. They work closely with designers and artists to turn creative concepts into playable features, ensuring that gameplay is both fun and functional. Their tasks often include writing code for player actions, AI behavior, and in-game systems, as well as debugging and optimizing game performance. Gameplay Programmers play a crucial role in shaping the overall experience and feel of a game.

What is the difference between Gameplay Programmer vs Game Developer?

AspectGameplay ProgrammerGame Developer
Primary FocusImplementing gameplay features, mechanics, and systemsDesigning, developing, and managing entire game projects
Skills & CredentialsProgramming skills, understanding of game engines, scriptingProgramming, design, project management, often with broader skill set
Work EnvironmentTypically within a development team, focused on coding and implementationVaries from coding to design, often in larger teams or studios

While both roles involve programming, Gameplay Programmers specialize in creating and implementing gameplay mechanics, whereas Game Developers oversee broader aspects of game creation, including design and project management. Understanding these differences helps clarify career paths and employer expectations in the gaming industry.

More about Gameplay Programmer jobs
What are popular job titles related to Gameplay Programmer jobs in San Ramon, CA? For Gameplay Programmer jobs in San Ramon, CA, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What cities near San Ramon, CA are hiring for Gameplay Programmer jobs? Cities near San Ramon, CA with the most Gameplay Programmer job openings:
Gameplay Programmer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Gameplay Programmer job openings in San Ramon, CA as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 74% Full Time, 21% Part Time, and 5% Contract. Highlights an 84% In-person, and 16% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $151,124 per year, or $72.7 per hour.
Principal Engine Programmer - Systems (C++)

Principal Engine Programmer - Systems (C++)

Roblox

San Mateo, CA • On-site

$293.80K - $343.34K/yr

Full-time

Posted 7 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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