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Treyarch Game Designer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Treyarch Game Designer information

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$47K

$156K

How much do treyarch game designer jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 24, 2026, the average yearly pay for treyarch game designer in the United States is $149,118.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $155,000.00 and $155,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are some common challenges Treyarch Game Designers face when balancing gameplay features?

Treyarch Game Designers frequently encounter the challenge of balancing new features and mechanics to ensure both fairness and fun across diverse player skill levels. This often involves extensive playtesting, data analysis, and iterative revisions to maintain game integrity while introducing innovation. Designers must also collaborate closely with other teams—such as art, engineering, and QA—to ensure that gameplay changes integrate smoothly and enhance the overall player experience. Adapting to community feedback and meeting tight development deadlines are additional challenges that require strong problem-solving and communication skills.

What does a Treyarch Game Designer do?

A Treyarch Game Designer is responsible for creating and refining gameplay experiences in video games developed by Treyarch, such as the Call of Duty series. They develop game mechanics, design levels, and collaborate with artists, programmers, and other designers to ensure that gameplay is engaging and balanced. Game designers also use feedback from playtesting to make improvements and keep games fun and competitive. Their work is crucial to delivering high-quality gaming experiences that meet player expectations.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as a Treyarch Game Designer, and why are they important?

To thrive as a Treyarch Game Designer, you need a strong understanding of game design principles, level design, and a portfolio showcasing creative work, typically supported by a degree in game design or a related field. Familiarity with industry-standard tools such as Unreal Engine, scripting languages, and version control systems is essential. Creativity, teamwork, and effective communication are soft skills that set exceptional designers apart. These skills enable designers to create engaging gameplay experiences, collaborate across disciplines, and contribute to the success of AAA game titles.
Infographic showing various Treyarch Game Designer job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 88% Full Time, 7% Part Time, 1% Temporary, and 4% Contract. Highlights an 88% Physical, 6% Hybrid, and 6% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $149,118 per year, or $71.7 per hour.
Expert Engine Engineer - Treyarch - Vancouver, BC

Expert Engine Engineer - Treyarch - Vancouver, BC

Treyarch

Los Angeles, CA • On-site

Other

Medical, Dental, Vision, Life, Retirement, PTO

Posted 6 days ago


Job description

Job Title:Expert Engine Engineer - Treyarch - Vancouver, BCRequisition ID:R027835Job Description:

Treyarch, the studio behind the best-selling Call of Duty: Black Ops franchise, is seeking an Expert Engine Engineer to join our Core Engine team.This is an opportunity to help shape the technology that powers our next blockbuster,cutting-edgegame title while working alongside some of the best engineering, design, and creative talent in the industry.

At Treyarch, Engine Engineers on the Core Engine team focus on the foundational runtime technology that powers the game.This includes performance, memory, streaming, multithreading, platform support, stability, and optimization across supported platforms. This is primarily a game and engine runtime role, not a tools, workflow, or graphics-focused position, though experience in those areas is valuable.

This role can be based in either our Vancouver, BC or Playa Vista, CA office and follows an onsite work schedule of four days per week. Work arrangements may change at the company's discretion to meet business needs.

What you'll do...

  • Design, implement, refactor,optimize, and debug core runtime engine systems across a large,establishedC++ codebase.

  • Improve game performance, stability, memory usage, streaming, multithreading, and platform-specific behavior.

  • Profile andoptimizeruntime systems across supported platforms, including PC and consoles.

  • Investigate complex bugs, crashes, performance issues, and low-level engine problems.

  • Work closely withpipeline, graphics,toolsand other engineering teams to deliver robust engine technology.

  • Participatein technical design, code reviews, performance reviews, and long-term engine roadmap discussions.

  • Mentor engineers andprovidetechnical guidance on architecture, debugging, optimization, and best practices.

To succeed you should have...

  • 10+ years of professional software engineering experience, withsignificant experiencein gameengine, core systems, or runtime development.

  • Deep C++expertiseand proven ability to work effectively in a large,establishedcodebase.

  • Strong experience designing, debugging, andoptimizingcore engine or runtime systems.

  • Solid understanding of computer architecture, memory systems, CPU performance, data-oriented optimization, and multithreaded programming.

  • Excellent debugging, profiling, performance analysis, and optimization skills.

  • Experience shipping AAA consoleandPC titles across multiple platforms.

  • Ability to independently research, prioritize, and solve complex technical problems.

  • Excellent communication and collaboration skills across engineering teams.

  • Passion for writing clean, efficient, reliable, and maintainable code.

We'd love it if you also have...

  • Experience contributing to a proprietary or bespoke internal game engine.

  • Experience with runtime memory systems, streaming technology, asset loading, or platform-level systems.

  • Experience with low-level systems such as I/O, memory management, job systems, task scheduling, or platform abstraction.

  • Strong 3D math and linear algebra skills.

  • Experience with game networking, animation systems, physics,buildinfrastructure, distributed systems, or async programming.

  • Graphics programming experience on console or PC, including rendering APIs, GPU architecture, or graphics performance analysis.

  • Experience mentoring senior engineers or helping guide technical direction across a team.

  • Multiple shipped AAA titles.

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! At Activision Blizzard, we are committed to creating a diverse and inclusive environment and strongly encourage you to apply.

The videogame industry and therefore our business is fast-paced and will continue to evolve. As such, the duties and responsibilities of this role may be changed as directed by the Company at any time to promote and support our business and relationships with industry partners.

About Treyarch

Founded in 1996, Treyarch is a videogame studio whose purpose is to create awesome games for the world to enjoy. With this purpose in mind, we crafted the award winning Call of Duty: Black Ops series and pioneered the fan favorite Zombies mode.

At Treyarch, we empower the team to be individually driven to innovate on our games, processes, and culture. How we do things is just as important as what we do.

Studio culture and development, we believe it's a team effort and that collaboration and hearing one another is key. Every day we face the large and small challenges together and every voice matters.

These values guide us in our mission to create moments that matter. Both to the players and to us, the creators. In an era where triumphs and defeats are readily shared, seeing players engage with our creations gives us great pride. Come help us create that next moment.

We are an Equal Opportunity Employer. All qualified applicants will receive consideration for employment without regard to race, color, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, gender expression, national origin, protected veteran status, or any other basis protected by applicable law, and will not be discriminated against on the basis of disability.

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 accommodationrequests@activisionblizzard.com. General employment questions cannot be accepted or processed here. Thank you for your interest.

To learn more about our studio, please visit us at www.treyarch.com, on Facebook at www.facebook.com/treyarch, and @treyarch on Twitter.

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/.

The standard base pay range for this role is $115,060.00 - $227,010.00 CAD. These values reflect the expected annualized base pay range of new hires in British Columbia, Canada. Actual amounts will vary depending on experience, performance and location. In addition to a competitive base pay, employees in this role may be eligible for incentive compensation. Incentive compensation is not guaranteed.Employment Type: OTHER