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Graduate Game Developer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

2K

Senior Researcher

Los Angeles, CA

$161K/yr

... Daddy Games. Our world-class team of engineers, developers, graphic artists and publishing ... Graduate degree (MA, PhD or other advanced degree) in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology ...

2K

Senior Researcher

Los Angeles, CA · On-site

$161K/yr

... Daddy Games. Our world-class team of engineers, developers, graphic artists and publishing ... Graduate degree (MA, PhD or other advanced degree) in Human-Computer Interaction, Psychology ...

Triumph

Data Scientist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$200K - $400K/yr

... matchmaking outcomes, gameplay trajectories) to drive both product decisions and real-time ... Partner closely with engineering, product, and leadership to translate model outputs into shipped ...

King's Harbor Church

Student Ministries Assistant

Torrance, CA · On-site

$16 - $20/hr

... all regular programming, including but not limited to, preaching, middle and high school youth ... Attend additional events such as on-campus ministries, sports, games, recitals, etc. * Assist with ...

Life Time

Pickleball and Tennis Pro

Ocotillo, CA

Position Summary Teach private pickleball lessons and group programming. Coordinate pickleball ... HS Graduate or Equivalent Years of Experience: * 1-2 Years Licenses / Certifications ...

Triumph Arcade, Inc

Data Scientist

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$200K - $400K/yr

... matchmaking outcomes, gameplay trajectories) to drive both product decisions and real-time ... Partner closely with engineering, product, and leadership to translate model outputs into shipped ...

Fashion Nova

Software Engineer

Beverly Hills, CA

... Game, Tyga and Offset and its styles have been worn by many celebrities, artists and athletes ... A graduate from well reputed boot camps such as App Academy, Hack Reactor etc. * A track record of ...

Fashion Nova

Software Engineer

Beverly Hills, CA · On-site

... Game, Tyga and Offset and its styles have been worn by many celebrities, artists and athletes ... A graduate from well reputed boot camps such as App Academy, Hack Reactor etc. * A track record of ...

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Graduate Game Developer information

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$32.1K

$107K

$177.6K

How much do graduate game developer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 13, 2026, the average yearly pay for graduate game 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 is the 80 20 rule in game development?

The 80/20 rule in game development suggests that approximately 80% of the effects come from 20% of the causes, meaning a small portion of features or tasks often deliver the majority of value. For graduate game developers, focusing on core gameplay mechanics and essential features can maximize productivity and project impact while minimizing unnecessary work.

Is 30 too late to get into game development?

Graduate game developers can enter the industry at any age, as many employers value skills, portfolio work, and relevant experience over age. Learning programming languages like C++ or C# and gaining experience through personal projects or internships can help regardless of age, making 30 not too late to start a career in game development.

What is a Graduate Game Developer job?

A Graduate Game Developer is an entry-level role for recent graduates looking to start a career in game development. They typically work as part of a team, assisting in coding, designing, and testing video games. Responsibilities may include developing game mechanics, troubleshooting bugs, and collaborating with artists and designers. This role provides an opportunity to gain hands-on experience using industry-standard tools and technologies. Employers usually seek candidates with a relevant degree and a strong portfolio showcasing their work.

What types of projects and responsibilities can a Graduate Game Developer expect in their first role?

As a Graduate Game Developer, you can expect to work on a variety of tasks, such as writing code for gameplay features, fixing bugs, assisting with prototyping, and collaborating with artists and designers to bring game concepts to life. You may also be involved in playtesting, optimizing performance, and learning about the full game development lifecycle. Entry-level developers typically work under the guidance of senior engineers and are encouraged to contribute fresh ideas while developing their technical and teamwork skills. This supportive structure helps new graduates quickly build experience in both technical and creative aspects of game production.

Will AI replace game devs?

As a graduate game developer, AI is a tool that can automate certain tasks like asset generation or testing, but it is unlikely to fully replace human developers. Creativity, problem-solving, and understanding player experience remain essential skills that AI cannot replicate entirely. Developers will continue to adapt by integrating AI tools into their workflows to enhance productivity and innovation.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the Graduate Game Developer position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Graduate Game Developer, you need a degree in computer science or a related field, solid programming skills (often in C++, C#, or Unity), and a foundational understanding of game design principles. Familiarity with popular game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine, version control systems such as Git, and relevant portfolio projects are highly valued by employers. Strong teamwork, effective communication, creativity, and a willingness to learn help new graduates stand out in collaborative development environments. These skills enable you to contribute effectively to project goals, adapt to evolving technologies, and work well within a dynamic and creative team.

What can I do with a game dev degree?

A game developer with a degree can work in roles such as game programmer, designer, or artist, contributing to the creation of video games across various platforms. They often use programming languages like C++ or C# and tools such as Unity or Unreal Engine. Graduates can also pursue careers in related fields like interactive media, simulation development, or virtual reality design.
What are popular job titles related to Graduate Game Developer jobs in California? For Graduate Game Developer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:
What job categories do people searching Graduate Game Developer jobs in California look for? The top searched job categories for Graduate Game Developer jobs in California are:
What cities in California are hiring for Graduate Game Developer jobs? Cities in California with the most Graduate Game Developer job openings:
Graduate Game Developer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Graduate Game Developer job openings in California as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 20% Internship, 60% Full Time, and 20% Part Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $107,050 per year, or $51.5 per hour.
Principal Software Engineer, Neuroscience Platforms

Principal Software Engineer, Neuroscience Platforms

Astera

Emeryville, CA • On-site

$200K - $350K/yr

Full-time

Posted 13 days ago

Job description

About the Role
At Astera Neuro, we are deciphering how activity across billions of neurons becomes thought, perception, and the conscious experience of the world and ourselves. Doing that requires building cutting-edge tools and infrastructure to interface with, record, and control neural activity at an unprecedented scale.
We are hiring a Principal Software Engineer to lead the computational infrastructure that the next generation of large-scale neuroscience research will depend on. Working closely with scientists and hardware engineers, you will span the full stack of our research systems, including instrument control, data acquisition, and analysis, translating open-ended experimental goals into reliable software. The problems are latency-sensitive, multi-modal, and deeply interdisciplinary. You do not need a background in neuroscience to apply; we are looking for an exceptional, pragmatic engineer who enjoys solving hard, interesting problems and picks up the science as they go.
As a principal engineer, you will define the technical roadmap across systems, mentor other engineers, and shape how neuroscience and engineering work together at Astera.
What You Will Build
  • Stimulus presentation and acquisition systems, including VR environments built in Unity, Unreal, or comparable frameworks, that synchronize peripheral streams (eye tracking, displays, haptics) with high-throughput neural recording hardware to millisecond precision.
  • High-throughput pipelines to ingest, process, and store massive, multi-modal neural datasets (electrophysiology, calcium imaging, behavior), with versioned data formats, automated QC, and clear metadata standards.
  • Dashboards, user interfaces, and experiment-design tools that let scientists interact with complex data and run experiments seamlessly.
  • Cloud-based storage, processing and sharing infrastructure that supports distributed teams and large-scale datasets.

What We Are Looking For
  • Exceptional software engineering fundamentals, proven in production. You write clean, testable, well-documented code and approach system design thoughtfully.
  • The range and independence to take a rough idea or open-ended goal, scope a path to a working system, and move forward without waiting for a complete spec.
  • A deep intuition for latency, hardware limits, and data bottlenecks, earned building real-time or performance-critical systems in production (game engines, robotics, embedded systems, audio/video pipelines, or similar).
  • Proficiency in at least two of: Python, C++, C#, Rust.
  • Intellectually curious, collaborative, and eager to learn the science around you.
  • A track record of owning complex systems end-to-end, from architecture and implementation through operational reliability, and of making and defending technical tradeoffs across performance, maintainability, and team velocity.
  • Comfort working across the full stack, from low-level hardware interfaces to cloud infrastructure, with the ability to build and iterate on human-facing research systems with speed and taste.
  • A history of mentoring engineers and leading technical initiatives, with the judgment to set technical direction across teams.

Bonus
  • Familiarity with brain-machine interfaces, neural data acquisition systems, neural data formats and analysis tools.
  • Background in machine learning, particularly online/streaming inference or neural decoding.
  • Experience designing data pipelines at scale (Airflow, Prefect, or similar orchestration tools).
  • Experience with GPU-accelerated computing (CUDA, Vulkan compute shaders).
  • Familiarity with laboratory hardware integration (DAQ systems, TTL synchronization, serial/SPI protocols).
  • Contributions to open-source neuroscience or scientific computing projects.

Education
Backgrounds in computer science, electrical engineering, biomedical engineering, neuroscience, physics, or related fields are all welcome. Graduate work or research experience in neuroscience or a related discipline is a plus but not required.
About Astera Neuro
Astera Neuro is a neuroscience research company deciphering how activity across billions of neurons becomes thoughts, perceptions, and the conscious experience of the world and ourselves. We develop cutting-edge hardware, recording systems, and software, with the goal of enabling the next generation of discoveries about neural circuits, cognition, and behavior.
Compensation
The posted salary range is based on location in the Bay Area. The successful candidate will receive a competitive compensation package, commensurate with their experience and location.
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