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Playtest Jobs (NOW HIRING)

WI · On-site

$65 - $90/hr

Present concepts, prototypes, playtest findings, and recommendations; incorporate stakeholder feedback while protecting the integrity of the game experience. * Develop gameplay talking points and ...

Present concepts, prototypes, playtest findings, and recommendations; incorporate stakeholder feedback while protecting the integrity of the game experience. * Develop gameplay talking points and ...

Tabletop Game Designer

Seattle, WA · On-site

$176K/yr

Present concepts, prototypes, playtest findings, and recommendations; incorporate stakeholder feedback while protecting the integrity of the game experience. Develop gameplay talking points and ...

$145K - $168K/yr

Example areas may include trunk stability, build and compile performance, editor/tool crash rates,presubmitvalidation, playtest stability, automated reporting, and cross-project regression tracking.

$145K - $168K/yr

Example areas may include trunk stability, build and compile performance, editor/tool crash rates,presubmitvalidation, playtest stability, automated reporting, and cross-project regression tracking.

Analyze and summarize player survey and/or verbal feedback and other qualitative playtest data. * Collaborate with other members of the Research & Insights, Data Science, Community and QA teams to ...

Senior Mission Designer

Irvine, CA · On-site

$93.10 - $216.70/hr

Playtest missions to identify and fix design flaws, bugs, and balance issues. * Iterate on mission designs based on player feedback and analytics to continuously improve the gameplay experience. Who ...

Playtest other people's levels and provide feedback to ensure a cohesive gameplay experience. * Identify, troubleshoot and resolve visual issues with in-game environment assets and character ...

Staff Environment Artist

Seattle, WA · On-site

$150K - $170K/yr

Engage in team brainstorming, playtest, and feedback sessions * Provide feedback for teams working across different forms of media * Partner with the Art Director on future staffing plans including ...

Showing results 41-60

Playtest information

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$5

$21

$26

How much do playtest jobs pay per hour?

As of Sep 6, 2026, the average hourly pay for playtest in the United States is $21.02, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $19.23 and $23.08 per hour, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a playtest?

A playtest is a process where a video game or tabletop game is played by testers to identify bugs, gather feedback, and improve gameplay before its official release. Playtesters are usually asked to play through parts or all of a game and provide detailed feedback on their experience, highlighting any issues or areas for improvement. This helps developers refine game mechanics, balance, and user experience to ensure a better final product. Playtesting is a crucial step in game development as it helps catch problems that developers might overlook. Sometimes, playtests are open to the public, while other times they are conducted privately with a select group.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a playtester?

To thrive as a Playtester, you generally need keen attention to detail, strong analytical skills, and a solid understanding of gaming mechanics, often supported by familiarity with various game genres and platforms. Experience with bug tracking systems, version control software, and sometimes QA certifications are valuable technical assets. Excellent communication, patience, and the ability to provide clear, constructive feedback help Playtesters stand out. These skills are crucial for identifying issues, ensuring game quality, and effectively collaborating with development teams.

What are some common challenges faced by playtesters, and how can they be addressed?

Playtesters often encounter challenges such as providing objective feedback, identifying subtle bugs, and balancing their personal enjoyment with the need for thorough testing. It can also be difficult to communicate issues clearly to developers, especially when describing complex gameplay mechanics or rare glitches. To address these challenges, playtesters should take detailed notes, use standardized reporting tools, and maintain open communication with the development team. Engaging in regular team check-ins and sharing insights with fellow testers can also help improve the overall quality and relevance of feedback.

What is the difference between Playtest vs Game Tester?

AspectPlaytestGame Tester
Primary RoleProvide feedback on game mechanics, usability, and overall experience during developmentIdentify bugs, glitches, and technical issues in the game
Work EnvironmentOften part of the development team, working closely with designers and developersTypically contracted or employed by testing companies or publishers
Required SkillsGood understanding of gameplay, communication skills, and attention to detailTechnical troubleshooting, bug reporting, and familiarity with testing tools

In summary, Playtest involves providing feedback on gameplay and user experience during development, while Game Tester focuses on identifying technical issues and bugs. Both roles are essential in game development but serve different purposes in ensuring a polished final product.

Can you get paid for playtesting?

Playtest jobs often pay participants for testing video games, board games, or software, with compensation varying by company and project. Payment can be hourly, per session, or through gift cards, and some roles may require specific skills or experience in gaming or testing tools. Not all playtesting opportunities are paid, so it’s important to verify the terms before participating.

Does playtest pay real money?

Playtest jobs typically do not pay real money; they usually offer compensation in the form of gift cards, game credits, or other non-monetary rewards. Some platforms or companies may provide monetary payments, but this is less common and often involves specific conditions or freelance arrangements.

How do you become a playtest?

To become a playtest, individuals typically need to apply to companies or platforms that offer game testing opportunities, often requiring familiarity with gaming and good communication skills. Some roles may require specific hardware, software knowledge, or prior testing experience, and applicants may need to complete a screening or training process before starting.
More about Playtest jobs

What cities are hiring for Playtest jobs?

Cities with the most Playtest job openings:

What states have the most Playtest jobs?

States with the most job openings for Playtest jobs include:

Infographic showing various Playtest job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 71% Physical, 2% Hybrid, and 27% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $43,729 per year, or $21 per hour.

Senior Technical Product Manager - Tech Strategy, Central Technology

Activision Blizzard, Inc.

Santa Monica, CA • On-site

$187K - $216K/yr

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Re-posted 3 days ago


Activision Blizzard rating

8.3

Company rating: 8.3 out of 10

Based on 11 frontline employees who took The Breakroom Quiz

16th of 78 rated media


Job description

Job Title:Senior Technical Product Manager - Tech Strategy, Central TechnologyRequisition ID:R027470Job Description:

Your Mission

The Senior Technical Product Manager-Tech Strategy will be part of the Central Technology team, which serves as a strategic partner for game development studios in the areas of online services, engine tools, graphics, systems engineering, security, and infrastructure.

We support all aspects of the development process from building pipeline to launch, collaborating with studios on best practices in technology and architecture to help build franchises and the Activision IP portfolio. All the while, we also serve as a bridge to the publishing organization to align game technical development with 1st party management, analytics, product management, marketing, and public relations.

What you bring to the table

Priorities can often change in a fast-paced environment like ours, so this role includes, but is not limited to, the following responsibilities:

Developer Experience, Productivity & Stability

  • What? Own product strategy and execution support for initiatives that improve the day-to-day experience of engineers, artists, QA, and content creators across the development ecosystem. This includes identifying workflow friction, measuring developer productivity, improving visibility into stability issues, and helping teams prioritize the highest-impact improvements across tools, build systems, test pipelines, crash trends, regressions, and live-development workflows.
  • The role will define KPI frameworks, develop dashboards, analyze trends, and partner with technical teams to turn recurring pain points into structured product opportunities. Example areas may include trunk stability, build and compile performance, editor/tool crash rates,presubmitvalidation, playtest stability, automated reporting, and cross-project regression tracking.
  • Why? At Call of Duty scale, small improvements in developer experience can materially improve development velocity, reduce execution risk, and increase content throughput. Reliable tools, stable workflows, and clear operational metrics allow teams to spend lesstimefirefighting and more time building player-facing experiences. This role ensures developer productivity and stability are measured, visible, and actionable across studios.
  • Day-to-day cross-functional stakeholders: Central Technology, studio engineering teams, tools teams, artists and content creators, QA, production, analytics, build/release, online services, studio leadership, and publishing leadership.

Content Creation Workflow Optimization

  • What? Support product planning and cross-functional execution for initiatives that streamline content creation workflows across disciplines such as maps, operators, weapons, environments, lighting, VFX, and related production pipelines. This includes documenting current-state workflows,identifyingpain points, aligning teams on target-state processes, and helpingestablishscalable standards for content creation across studios.
  • The role will partner with studios and technical teams to develop roadmaps, define owners, gather requirements, track adoption, and measure workflow impact through qualitative feedback and quantitative KPIs.Examplework may include improving documentation quality, standardizingintakeand review processes, reducing handoff friction, improving workflow maintainability, and expanding successful workflow patterns acrossadditionalcontent areas.
  • Why? Content creation is one of the largest drivers of development complexity and player-facing output. As teams support multiple titles, live seasons, and increasingly complex production needs, consistent and efficient workflows become critical to quality, schedule predictability, and content velocity. This role helps create the structure, visibility, and alignment needed to scale best practices across disciplines and studios.
  • Day-to-day cross-functional stakeholders: Studio production, art directors, content discipline leads, tools teams, technical artists, engineering, QA, Central Technology, documentation owners, franchise leadership, and publishing stakeholders.

KPI Ownership, Dashboards & Cross-Functional Alignment

  • What? Establish andmaintainthe operating rhythm, dashboards, and reporting artifacts needed to manage complex technical initiatives across multiple teams and studios. This includes defining success metrics, building reporting structures, tracking action items, surfacing risks, and preparing executive-ready updates that clearly communicate progress, blockers, ownership, and recommended next steps.
  • The role willbe responsible forconverting fragmented inputs across teams into a coherent view of initiative health. This may include weekly KPI updates, executive summaries, action item tracking, roadmap status, dashboard requirements, adoption metrics, and leadership readouts across developer productivity, workflow efficiency, and stability initiatives.
  • Why? Cross-studio technology initiatives often require alignment across teams that do not share the same reporting lines, tools, processes, or priorities. Strong KPI ownership and clear communication are essential to driving accountability without direct authority. This role ensures that leadership and working teams have a shared understanding of what matters, what is improving, what is blocked, and where decisions are needed.
  • Day-to-day cross-functional stakeholders: Central Technology leadership, studio leadership, production, engineering, QA, analytics, finance where applicable, tools teams, business operations, franchise leadership, and executive stakeholders.

Player Profile

Minimum Requirements:

Experience

  • 5+ years of experience in Technical Product Management
  • Experience analyzing development pipeline data, user experience surveys, workflow adoption, stability trends, and operational metrics.
  • Experience working with Technical Data, and proficient with SQL
  • Background ensuring cross-studio alignment on shared technologies, processes, tooling standards, reporting practices, and workflow improvements that can scale across multiple titles, teams, and development disciplines.

Knowledge & Skills

  • Bachelor's or Master's degree in Computer Science, Business Administration, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience in technical product management or a closely related discipline.
  • Proficient in defining problem statements, success metrics, roadmap prioritization, and measurable outcomes.
  • Cross functional experience with engineering, production, tools, QA, analytics, studio leadership, and publishing stakeholders.

Key Attributes

  • The ability to perform as the connective layer between technical teams and business leadership, ensuring complex issues are communicated clearly
  • Proficient translating ambiguous technical and production challenges into clear business context, product requirements, prioritization frameworks, and actionable recommendations for senior leadership.

Your Platform

Activision Central Tech works to support our development studios and their titles. Comprised of seven main teams, we have many specialties including big data, privacy and security, motion capture and animation pipeline technologies, graphics, build and infrastructure for studio development and data centers, optimization, systems programming and online services including matchmaking and networking. Central Tech is distributed globally with offices across the U.S., and in Canada, England, Ireland and Japan.

Most of our teams are comprised of both engineering and research talent, allowing us to always have an eye on the future. Our talented engineers help with title development and provide valuable knowledge sharing between studios while our researchers are action-oriented and keep a strong connection with the needs of the game studios.

Central Tech is part of Activision. To learn more about us and our research, please visit us at https://research.activision.com/.

Our World

At Activision, we strive to create the most iconic brands in gaming and entertainment. We're driven by our mission to deliver unrivaled gaming experiences for the world to enjoy, together. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty, Crash Bandicoot, Tony Hawk's Pro Skater, and Guitar Hero. As a leading worldwide developer, publisher and distributor of interactive entertainment and products, our "press start" is simple: delight hundreds of millions of players around the world with innovative, fun, thrilling, and engaging entertainment experiences.

We're not just looking back at our decades-long legacy; we're forging ahead to keep advancing gameplay with some of the most popular titles and sophisticated technology in the world. We have bold ambitions to create the most inclusive company as we know our success comes from the passionate, creative, and diverse teams within our organization.

We're in the business of delivering fun and unforgettable entertainment for our player community to enjoy. And our future opportunities have never been greater - this could be your opportunity to level up.

Ready to Activate Your Future?

We love hearing from anyone who is enthusiastic about changing the games industry. Not sure you meet all qualifications? Let us decide! Research shows that women and members of other under-represented groups tend to not apply to jobs when they think they may not meet every qualification, when, in fact, they often do! We are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

We are an equal opportunity employer and value diversity at our company. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, religion, color, national origin, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, age, marital status, veteran status, or disability status, among other characteristics.

We are committed to working with and providing reasonable assistance to individuals with physical and mental disabilities. If you are a disabled individual requiring an accommodation to apply for an open position, please email your request to candidate-accommodations@activisionblizzard.com. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

Rewards

We provide a suite of benefits that promote physical, emotional and financial well-being for 'Every World' - we've got our employees covered! Subject to eligibility requirements, the Company offers comprehensive benefits including:

  • Medical, dental, vision, health savings account or health reimbursement account, healthcare spending accounts, dependent care spending accounts, life and AD&D insurance, disability insurance;
  • 401(k) with Company match, tuition reimbursement, charitable donation matching;
  • Paid holidays and vacation, paid sick time, floating holidays, compassion and bereavement leaves, parental leave;
  • Mental health & wellbeing programs, fitness programs, free and discounted games, and a variety of other voluntary benefit programs like supplemental life & disability, legal service, ID protection, rental insurance, and others;
  • If the Company requires that you move geographic locations for the job, then you may also be eligible for relocation assistance.

Eligibility to participate in these benefits may vary for part time and temporary full-time employees and interns with the Company. You can learn more by visiting https://www.benefitsforeveryworld.com/.

In the U.S., the standard base pay range for this role is $94,580.00 - $174,988.00 Annual. These values reflect the expected base pay range of new hires across all U.S. locations. Ultimately, your specific range and offer will be based on several factors, including relevant experience, performance, and work location. Your Talent Professional can share this role's range details for your local geography during the hiring process. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed. While we strive to provide competitive offers to successful candidates, new hire compensation is negotiable.

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About Activision Blizzard

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Activision Blizzard, Inc. (NASDAQ: ATVI), is one of the world's largest and most successful interactive entertainment companies and is at the intersection of media, technology and entertainment. We are home to some of the most beloved entertainment franchises including Call of Duty®, World of Warcraft®, Overwatch®, Diablo®, Candy Crush™ and Bubble Witch™. Our combined entertainment network delights hundreds of millions of monthly active users in 196 countries, making us the largest gaming network on the planet!

Industry

Arts, entertainment, and recreation

Company size

5,001 - 10,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Santa Monica, CA, US

Year founded

2008

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