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Internship Lead Game Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Principal Game Designer

Austin, TX · On-site

$123K - $182K/yr

Pitch new ideas to the team/ lead brainstorming sessions * Analyze real-time feedback and metrics, and adjust game designs accordingly while maintaining live game balance * Remain up-to-date with ...

Company Description Epoch Games is a volunteer-based, all-online, global game development team. We have no centrally-located headquarters and are unincorporated at this time. Most of the original ...

Are you an experienced tabletop RPG designer with the demonstrated ability to lead major RPG products from inception through publication? We are seeking a Senior Game Designer to work with our design ...

Lead UX/Game Designer

Glendale, CA

$116K - $152K/yr

The Lead UX/Game Designer will work across all of ABCmouse's game experiences: improving existing activities, ideating new features and mechanics, and creating live-service content-while keeping the ...

Lead UX/Game Designer

Glendale, CA · On-site +1

$140K - $165K/yr

The Lead UX/Game Designer will work across all of ABCmouse's game experiences: improving existing activities, ideating new features and mechanics, and creating live-service content-while keeping the ...

Showing results 21-40

Internship Lead Game Designer information

See salary details

$78.5K

$147.4K

$186K

How much do internship lead game designer jobs pay per year?

As of Sep 1, 2026, the average yearly pay for internship lead game designer in the United States is $147,403.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $134,500.00 and $167,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What does an internship lead game designer do?

An Internship Lead Game Designer is responsible for guiding a team of interns in the creation and development of game concepts, mechanics, and features. They oversee the design process, provide feedback, and help interns understand industry standards and workflows. This role often includes mentoring, coordinating tasks, and ensuring that the team's output aligns with the overall vision for the game. The Internship Lead Game Designer acts as a bridge between the interns and senior design staff, fostering a collaborative and educational environment.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an internship lead game designer?

To excel as an Internship Lead Game Designer, you need a solid understanding of game design principles, creative problem-solving abilities, and typically a background in game development or related education. Familiarity with industry-standard engines like Unity or Unreal Engine, prototyping tools, and an understanding of version control systems such as Git is crucial. Strong communication, leadership, and collaboration skills help guide teams and articulate design visions effectively. These competencies ensure the creation of engaging game experiences while maintaining project direction and team cohesion.

What are some common challenges faced by internship lead game designers when managing both design tasks and team coordination?

Internship Lead Game Designers often balance hands-on design responsibilities with coordinating a team of interns, which can be challenging. They need to ensure that project milestones are met while fostering collaboration and mentoring less experienced team members. Communication is key, as aligning everyone's creative vision and addressing feedback constructively can be demanding. Additionally, adapting to fast-paced changes in project direction or technical constraints is a common aspect of the role. Successfully managing these challenges helps develop strong leadership and project management skills, which are valuable for future career advancement.
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Infographic showing various Internship Lead Game Designer job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 89% Full Time, 9% Part Time, and 2% Contract. Highlights an 91% Physical, 3% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $147,403 per year, or $70.9 per hour.

Principal Game Designer

Austin, TX • On-site

Zynga
PC Games • 1 - 5K employees

$123K - $182K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 8 days ago


Job description

Level Up Your Career with Zynga!
At Zynga, we bring people together through the power of play. As a global leader in interactive entertainment and a proud label of Take-Two Interactive, our games have been downloaded over 6 billion times-connecting players in 175+ countries through fun, strategy, and a little friendly competition.
From thrilling casino spins to epic strategy battles, mind-bending puzzles, and social word challenges, our diverse game portfolio has something for everyone. Fan-favorites and latest hits include FarmVille™, Words With Friends™, Zynga Poker™, Game of Thrones Slots Casino™, Wizard of Oz Slots™, Hit it Rich! Slots™, Wonka Slots™, Top Eleven™, Toon Blast™, Empires & Puzzles™, Merge Dragons!™, CSR Racing™, Harry Potter: Puzzles & Spells™, Match Factory™, and Color Block Jam™-plus many more!
Founded in 2007 and headquartered in California, our teams span North America, Europe, and Asia, working together to craft unforgettable gaming experiences. Whether you're spinning, strategizing, matching, or competing, Zynga is where fun meets innovation-and where you can take your career to the next level.
Join us and be part of the play!
Position Overview:
Zynga is looking for an experienced Principal Systems Designer to work on one of our new mobile games. This role leads and participates in direct design and creative input on content and system design in the game.
What You'll Do:
  • Create or adapt game features and large scale systems to work with the game
  • Write user experience stories and design documentation for new features and systems
  • Own, drive, and collaborate with other disciplines for system development
  • Work closely with other disciplines to design and prototype new gameplay and systems
  • Create flexible sheets and models to balance sophisticated systems
  • Design and balance content for new systems
  • Create and improve tools to make the design pipeline faster and more efficient for the team
  • Be the advocate of good design practices across the studio
  • Pitch new ideas to the team/ lead brainstorming sessions
  • Analyze real-time feedback and metrics, and adjust game designs accordingly while maintaining live game balance
  • Remain up-to-date with Game Design literature and standard methodologies to be an evangelist for the craft of Game Design
What You Bring:
  • At least 6 years' relevant experience
  • Strong verbal, written, and interpersonal communication skills
  • Expert with math, levels, and formulas in game environment
  • Possesses an extensive knowledge of games and strategies
  • Solid knowledge of game balancing and pacing
  • Translates direct consumer insights, market data, and analysis into creative design solutions
  • Passionate gamer
  • 2+ shipped games
What We Offer You:
Zynga offers a world-class benefits package that helps support and balance the needs of our teams. To find out more about our benefits, visit the Zynga Benefits site
The pay range for this position in California at the start of employment is expected to be between $123,200 and $182,360 per Year. However, base pay offered is based on market location, and may vary further depending on individualized factors for job candidates, such as job-related knowledge, skills, experience, and other objective business considerations.
Subject to those same considerations, the total compensation package for this position may also include other elements, including a bonus and/or equity awards and eligibility to participate in our 401(K) plan and Employee Stock Purchase Program.
Regular, full-time employees are also eligible for a range of benefits at the Company, including: medical, dental, vision, and basic life insurance coverage; 14 paid holidays per calendar year; paid vacation time per calendar year (ranging from 15 to 25 days) or eligibility to participate in the Company's discretionary time off program; up to 10 paid sick days per calendar year; paid parental and compassionate leave; wellbeing programs for mental health and other wellness support; family planning support through Maven; commuter benefits; and reimbursements for fitness-related expenses.
We are proud to be an equal opportunity employer, which means we are committed to creating and celebrating diverse thoughts, cultures, and backgrounds throughout our organization. Employment with us is based on substantive ability, objective qualifications, and work ethic - not an individual's race, creed, color, religion, sex or gender, gender identity or expression, sexual orientation, national origin or ancestry, alienage or citizenship status, physical or mental disability, pregnancy, age, genetic information, veteran status, marital status, status as a victim of domestic violence or sex offenses, reproductive health decision, or any other characteristics protected by applicable law.
As an equal opportunity employer, we are committed to providing the necessary support and accommodation to qualified individuals with disabilities, health conditions, or impairments (subject to any local qualifying requirements) to ensure their full participation in the job application or interview process. Please contact us at accommodationrequest@zynga.com to request any accommodations or for support related to your application for an open position.
Please be aware that Zynga does not conduct job interviews or make job offers over third-party messaging apps such as Telegram, WhatsApp, or others. Zynga also does not engage in any financial exchanges during the recruitment or onboarding process, and will never ask a candidate for their personal or financial information over an app or other unofficial chat channel. Any attempt to do so may be the result of a scamp or phishing attack, and you should not engage. Zynga's in-house recruitment team will only contact individuals through their official Company email addresses (i.e., via a zynga.com, take2games.com, naturalmotion.com, smallgiantgames.com, themavens.com, gram.gs email domain).