ZipRecruiter

Log In

1

Lead Environment Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

PUBG Seattle

Senior Environment Artist

Bellevue, WA · On-site

$143K - $171K/yr

This position is in-office in Bellevue, WA and reports to the Lead Environment Artist. Responsibilities: * Create and own large-scale environments from block out through final polish. * Design and ...

PUBG Seattle

Senior Environment Artist

Bellevue, WA

$143K - $171K/yr

This position is in-office in Bellevue, WA and reports to the Lead Environment Artist. Responsibilities: * Create and own large-scale environments from block out through final polish. * Design and ...

Stone Kite

Staff Environment Artist

Seattle, WA · Remote

$150K - $170K/yr

We're looking for an experienced Environment Artist to lead environment art on our flagship project. Reporting to the Art Director, the ideal candidate brings deep expertise in realtime environment ...

Stone Kite

Staff Environment Artist

Seattle, WA · On-site

$150K - $170K/yr

We're looking for an experienced Environment Artist to lead environment art on our flagship project. Reporting to the Art Director, the ideal candidate brings deep expertise in realtime environment ...

Epic Games

Lead Environment Concept Artist

Cary, NC · On-site

$117K - $135K/yr

What You'll Do Epic Games is searching for an experienced Lead Environment Concept Artist to support and supervise environment concept content created by external partners as part of our ...

next page

Showing results 1-20

All JobsLead Environment Artist Jobs

Lead Environment Artist information

See salary details

$10

$25

$72

How much do lead environment artist jobs pay per hour?

As of Jul 26, 2026, the average hourly pay for lead environment artist in the United States is $25.73, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $15.38 and $24.04 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Lead Environment Artist, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Lead Environment Artist, you need advanced artistic skills in 3D modeling, texturing, and composition, typically backed by a degree in art, design, or a related field and a strong portfolio. Mastery of industry-standard software such as Autodesk Maya, Blender, Substance Painter, and Unreal Engine is essential, along with familiarity with project management tools. Leadership, collaboration, and effective communication are crucial soft skills for guiding teams and translating creative vision into compelling environments. These skills ensure the delivery of high-quality game or film environments while maintaining project timelines and fostering team productivity.

What does a Lead Environment Artist do?

A Lead Environment Artist is responsible for overseeing the creation of detailed and visually compelling environments in video games, films, or other digital media. They guide a team of artists, set visual standards, and ensure that all environmental assets align with the project's artistic vision and technical requirements. Lead Environment Artists collaborate closely with other departments, such as level design, lighting, and technical art, to create immersive worlds. They also mentor junior artists, provide feedback, and help solve complex visual and technical challenges.

What is the difference between Lead Environment Artist vs Environment Artist?

AspectLead Environment ArtistEnvironment Artist
ResponsibilitiesOversees team, sets artistic direction, manages project milestonesCreates and implements environment assets, follows artistic guidelines
Experience & SkillsSeveral years, leadership, project managementIntermediate to advanced environment modeling and texturing skills
Work EnvironmentCollaborative team setting, often in game or film studiosFocused on asset creation, often within a team or solo
CredentialsPortfolio, relevant art or design degree, experiencePortfolio, art or design background, technical skills

The main difference is that the Lead Environment Artist manages the artistic team and oversees project direction, while the Environment Artist focuses on creating environment assets. The lead role involves leadership and coordination, whereas the environment artist concentrates on asset development within the project scope.

How does a Lead Environment Artist typically collaborate with other departments during a game development project?

A Lead Environment Artist works closely with level designers, technical artists, and lighting artists to ensure that environments are visually appealing and technically feasible within the game engine. They often participate in cross-disciplinary meetings to align on art direction, gameplay needs, and performance constraints. Effective communication and a collaborative mindset are essential, as the Lead Environment Artist must balance artistic vision with gameplay functionality, often iterating on assets based on feedback from both the art and design teams.
More about Lead Environment Artist jobs
What cities are hiring for Lead Environment Artist jobs? Cities with the most Lead Environment Artist job openings:
What states have the most Lead Environment Artist jobs? States with the most job openings for Lead Environment Artist jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Lead Environment Artist jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Lead Environment Artist jobs are:
Lead Environment Artist jobs near you
Infographic showing various Lead Environment Artist job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 77% Full Time, 17% Part Time, 1% Temporary, 2% Contract, and 3% Summer. Highlights an 97% Physical, and 3% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $53,524 per year, or $25.7 per hour.

Senior Environment Artist

PUBG Seattle

Bellevue, WA • On-site

$143K - $171K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 18 days ago

Job description

We are PUBG, the global battle royale phenomenon! After the release of our flagship title in 2017 we have become one of the highest selling games of all time with over 75 million copies sold - that's a lot of Chicken Dinners! PUBG Studios Seattle is a small, skilled team with a wide range of game dev experience, coming together with a strong focus on quality and cross discipline collaboration.
Our office is located in Bellevue, Washington. We are at the heart of a vibrant game development scene, surrounded by top-tier studios and industry talent. We pride ourselves on pushing the boundaries of creativity, storytelling, and visual artistry. Our team of talented artists, designers, and developers work collaboratively to build immersive worlds that captivate players.
The person we're looking for:
We are seeking a highly experienced Senior Environment Artist with deep expertise in large-scale world creation, set dressing, terrain generation, landscape development, procedural techniques and advanced shader authoring. We are looking for an experienced Environment Artist to join our team and help bring immersive, visually stunning worlds to life. This role requires strong artistic vision, technical expertise, and collaboration skills to influence environment art quality and support a team of artists through mentorship and knowledge sharing. The ideal candidate has a deep understanding of composition, lighting, materials, and environmental storytelling, with a proven track record of creating high-quality game environments.
As a Senior Environment Artist, you will collaborate with Art Directors, Leads, Designers, and Technical Artists to establish and maintain the visual direction for environments while ensuring assets meet both artistic and technical standards. Additionally, you will mentor and support other artists, helping to refine workflows and ensure smooth production pipelines.
This position is in-office in Bellevue, WA and reports to the Lead Environment Artist.
Responsibilities:
  • Create and own large-scale environments from block out through final polish.
  • Design and develop realistic terrains, biomes, landscapes, and natural ecosystems.
  • Build modular environment kits and world-building pipelines for massive open worlds.
  • Support complex environment art efforts and serve as a subject matter expert for large scale world creation, mentor a team of artists, providing quality bar-setting examples, constructive feedback and fostering professional growth.
  • Work closely with Art Directors, Leads, Designers, and Technical Artists to ensure visual consistency and technical feasibility.
  • Develop and refine environmental storytelling techniques to create immersive game worlds.
  • Contribute to the development and evolution of environment art workflows, tools, and best practices that improve quality, efficiency, and scalability.
  • Identify production challenges, technical limitations, and content creation bottlenecks, collaborating with cross-functional teams to develop effective solutions.
  • Optimize assets for performance and memory constraints while maintaining high visual fidelity.
  • Support in managing art production pipelines to ensure deadlines and quality expectations are met.
  • Work with engineers and level designers to ensure seamless asset integration into the game engine.
  • Stay up to date with industry trends and push the boundaries of game environment art.
A Typical Day May Include:
  • Reviewing builds with an eye to maintaining a high-quality bar while respecting project or technical requirements.
  • Communicating with leadership to align on various topics like art direction and project timelines.
  • Creating high-quality game art content.
  • Providing constructive feedback to other artists to establish best practices and document workflows.
Portfolio Requirements:
Please include:
  • High-quality environment art for video games, including examples of realistic work and demonstrated understanding of composition, lighting, and asset pipelines.
  • Examples of large-scale environments or open-world scenes.
  • Terrain and landscape breakdowns.
  • Shader/material examples.
  • Wireframes and optimization examples where applicable.
  • Breakdown documentation demonstrating your workflow and technical contribution.
Qualifications:
  • 5-8+ years of experience as an environment artist in the video game industry with at least 2 shipped titles.
  • Strong leadership and mentorship skills, with experience guiding and supporting a team of artists.
  • Proficiency in industry tools such as Blender, Substance Suite, Zbrush and Photoshop.
  • Deep knowledge of landscape creation tools, such as Houdini, World Machine, Gaea etc.
  • Experience with large-scale terrain systems, modular and procedural content workflows.
  • Deep knowledge in the creation and analysis of pixel shaders.
  • Experience using photo scan data as well as satellite imagery.
  • Recent experience with Unreal Engine 4 or 5, including material and pixel shader creation.
  • Deep understanding of PBR workflows, composition, lighting, and environmental storytelling.
  • Vegetation content creation.
  • Strong understanding of real-world architecture, set dressing and infrastructure.
  • Ability to balance artistic vision with technical constraints for optimized performance.
  • Strong communication and problem-solving skills, with the ability to work collaboratively across teams.
  • Excellent English written and verbal communication ability.
Personal Attributes:
  • Proactive, self-motivated, and able to work independently.
  • Passion for video games and interactive entertainment.
  • Strong desire to learn and stay updated with the latest industry trends and technologies.
What we offer:
  • A highly competitive total compensation package
  • Comprehensive employer funded healthcare - ensuring you pay nothing out of pocket for in-network medical care
  • Employer-paid premiums for dental, vision, short & long-term disability, life insurance, and AD&D insurance
  • Generous benefits include 20 days PTO, 12 paid holidays and a studio-wide holiday break annually
  • Ample sick leave days annually to prioritize your well-being
  • Health & wellness, video game, and continuing education reimbursements
  • Industry-leading family planning and fertility care benefits, including gender-affirming care, through Carrot Fertility
  • Enjoy meal reimbursements, and snacks and beverages for in office staff
  • 401K with a company match for your financial well-being
  • Option to work remotely 1 day a week

In Washington, the expected salary range for this position is $103,000- $155,000. The listed expected salary range represents a good faith estimate and the actual pay may depend on a variety of job-related factors that can include experience, education, skills, and location.
PUBG Studios 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. This policy applies to all terms and conditions of employment, including recruiting, hiring, placement, promotion, termination, layoff, recall, transfer, leaves of absence, compensation, and training.

Apply