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Technical Game Designer Jobs in California (NOW HIRING)

Amazon

Game Designer, Amazon Game Studios

Culver City, CA · On-site

$169K/yr

Amazon Game Studios is looking for a Game Designer - we build exciting new casual and innovative ... BA, technical or creative degree, or equivalent work experience - A passion for emergent ...

Amazon

Principal Game Designer, RBKS AI

Hawthorne, CA · On-site

As a Principal Game Designer at RBKS AI (Ring, Blink, Key, Sidewalk), you will own the design ... technical constraints, and keep complex initiatives on track - Proactively identify and resolve ...

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Technical Game Designer information

See California salary details

$35K

$79.2K

$124.3K

How much do technical game designer jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 20, 2026, the average yearly pay for technical game designer in California is $79,214.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $64,100.00 and $90,800.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is a technical game designer?

A Technical Game Designer bridges the gap between design and engineering, using scripting or programming to implement gameplay mechanics, systems, and features. They collaborate with designers, artists, and programmers to prototype ideas, optimize workflows, and solve technical challenges. Their role often involves working with game engines, creating tools, and ensuring that designs are both fun and technically feasible. This position requires both creative problem-solving and technical skills to bring game concepts to life efficiently.

What are the typical daily responsibilities of a technical game designer?

A Technical Game Designer’s daily tasks often include prototyping new gameplay mechanics, creating or tweaking scripts to implement interactive elements, and working closely with both designers and engineers to refine features. They may also review and test game systems to ensure functionality and balance, as well as document their work for future iterations and team reference. Communication and collaboration with art, programming, and QA teams are regular parts of the workflow. This role offers a dynamic mix of creative design and technical problem-solving, making every day both challenging and rewarding.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the technical game designer position, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Technical Game Designer, you need a strong background in game design principles, scripting or programming (such as C#, C++, or visual scripting), and a solid understanding of game engines like Unity or Unreal Engine, often supported by a degree in game design, computer science, or a related field. Proficiency with industry-standard tools for prototyping, version control systems (e.g., Git), and sometimes familiarity with middleware or content pipeline processes are typically required. Collaboration, creative problem-solving, and effective communication with interdisciplinary teams are crucial soft skills for this position. These abilities enable Technical Game Designers to effectively translate design concepts into playable experiences, ensure smooth cross-team workflows, and contribute to high-quality game development.

What are the most commonly searched types of Technical Game Designer jobs in California?

The most popular types of Technical Game Designer jobs in California are:

What are popular job titles related to Technical Game Designer jobs in California?

For Technical Game Designer jobs in California, the most frequently searched job titles are:

What job categories do people searching Technical Game Designer jobs in California look for?

The top searched job categories for Technical Game Designer jobs in California are:

What cities in California are hiring for Technical Game Designer jobs?

Cities in California with the most Technical Game Designer job openings:

Technical Game Designer jobs near you
Infographic showing various Technical Game Designer job openings in California as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 1% As Needed, 91% Full Time, 5% Part Time, 2% Contract, and 1% Nights. Highlights an 88% Physical, 4% Hybrid, and 8% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $79,214 per year, or $38.1 per hour.

Manager, Technical Game Design - Teamfight Tactics

Riot Games

Los Angeles, CA • On-site

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 5 days ago

Job description

Technical Game Designers on the Teamfight Tactics team are game designers who also have access to the C++ code base. They apply the team's engineering principles to technical design work, improve and add to existing design tools to unblock design tasks (sometimes unblocking themselves, in their game design role!), and own gameplay and systems design areas. Their game design expertise lets them dream up and create memorable gameplay experiences for TFT players, and their technical expertise lets them deliver those experiences in a robust, sustainable, and elegant way.
As the Technical Design Manager on the Teamfight Tactics team, you'll manage Technical Game Designers across the project. You'll see to their career progress, evaluate their technical and game design contributions, bring out their best work, and ensure they're delivering on their teams' goals. In turn, you'll report to the Design Director, helping to build the Technical Game Design subdiscipline on the team and for League Studios, and maximizing the TD group's impact. But: on the Teamfight Tactics team, design managers often take on individual contributions, so you'll have plenty of chances to exercise your own craft as well.
Responsibilities:
  • Manage the project's technical game designers: help them grow, learn, and perform to their potential.
  • Maintain a high craft bar: Ensure that the work you oversee meets Riot's demanding craft standards
  • Advocate for players: Stay in tune with the player experience and know how to understand and incorporate their feedback into roadmaps and feature decisions
  • Collaborate and build trust: Work closely with other discipline leads and managers to ensure Tech Design is delivering what they need, when they need it; ensure that features can be scoped efficiently so project plans can be built; and foster relationships with teams outside of Teamfight Tactics
  • Build strong teams: Take an active role in recruiting and onboarding to ensure capable technical game designers join our teams and ramp up quickly

Required Qualifications:
  • 6+ years of experience as a technical game designer, gameplay engineer, or some similar position closely associated with both technical and game design work
  • 2+ years of experience as a manager, team lead, or discipline leader (can overlap with the above requirement)
  • Craft: Craft interviews for this role will look at both gameplay engineering and game design skills; we'd like to see Senior level craft expertise in one, but not necessarily both
  • Management: You'll need leadership experience resolving conflict within and across teams and fostering healthy team culture, along with examples of managing other designers with positive results: promotion, performance improvement, and strong delivery to players
  • High familiarity with Teamfight Tactics, or willingness to rapidly build that familiarity

Desired Qualifications:
  • 4+ years of experience as a manager or team lead
  • 8+ years of experience as a technical game designer or gameplay engineer
  • Experience growing both junior and senior designers or engineers - striking the right balance of assistance and autonomy
  • Experience working on a live service game
  • Deep engagement with Teamfight Tactics over multiple sets
  • Experience working in the Unreal Engine

For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise and a collaborative spirit that prioritizes the delight of players. We will look at your past studies and experience, but for this role, we also look for dedicated people with a personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this is the role for you!
Our Perks:
Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such as flexible work schedules. We offer medical, dental, and life insurance, parental leave for you, your spouse/domestic partner, and children, and a 401k with company match. Check out our benefits pages for more information.
At Riot Games, we put players first . That mission drives every decision in our quest to create games and experiences that make it better to be a player. Whether you're working directly on a new player-facing experience or you're supporting the company as a whole, everyone at Riot is part of our mission. And just like in our games, we're better when we work together. Our goal is to create collaborative teams where you are empowered to bring your unique perspective everyday. If that sounds like the kind of place you want to work, we're looking forward to your application.
It's our policy to provide equal employment opportunity for all applicants and members of Riot Games, Inc. Riot Games makes reasonable accommodations for handicapped and disabled Rioters and does not unlawfully discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity or expression, national origin, age, handicap, veteran status, marital status, criminal history, or any other category protected by applicable federal and state law. We consider for employment all qualified applicants, including those with criminal histories, in a manner consistent with applicable federal, state and local law, including the California Fair Chance Act, the City of Los Angeles Fair Chance Initiative for Hiring Ordinance, the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance for Employers, the San Francisco Fair Chance Ordinance, and the Washington Fair Chance Act.
Per the Los Angeles County Fair Chance Ordinance, the following core duties may create a basis for disqualifying candidates with relevant criminal histories:
  • Safeguarding confidential and sensitive Company data
  • Communication with others, including Rioters and third parties such as vendors, and/or players, including minors
  • Accessing Company assets, secure digital systems, and networks
  • Ensuring a safe interactive environment for players and other Rioters

These duties are directly related to essential operations, safety, trust, and compliance obligations within our organization. Please note that job duties may evolve based on business needs and additional responsibilities may be assigned as necessary to maintain operational efficiency and security.
  • (Los Angeles Only) Base salary range between $185,200.00 - $258,000.00 USD + incentive compensation + equity + 401K with company match + medical, dental, vision, and life insurance + short and long-term disability + open PTO.
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About Riot Games

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Riot Games was founded in 2006 by Brandon Beck and Marc Merrill with the intent to change the way video games are made and supported for players. In 2009, Riot released its debut title League of Legends to worldwide acclaim. The game has since gone on to become the most played PC game in the world and a key driver of the explosive growth of esports. Players are the foundation of our community and it's for them we continue to evolve and improve the League of Legends experience.

Industry

Computer and electronic product manufacturing

Company size

1,001 - 5,000 Employees

Headquarters location

Los Angeles, CA, US

Year founded

2006

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