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Game developer resume examples

Full-length game-dev resumes across gameplay, engine, tools, and graphics tracks. Each leads with shipped titles, names engine + language fluency, and surfaces the optimization and pipeline work hiring leads actually grade on.

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ByTomás Albrecht·Senior Resume Writer·Reviewed byDaniel Ortega· Head of Writing·1 example

Game developer hiring grades on three axes: shipped titles (concrete games + platform + commercial outcome), engine + language depth (Unity + C# or Unreal + C++ with version), and track (gameplay / engine / tools / graphics — most game programmers sub-specialize). The resumes on this page are written for those axes. Bullets name shipped titles, attach frame-budget optimization outcomes, name the programmer track, and reference engine subsystems by name.

This matters because game-dev hiring is portfolio-and-shipped-titles-driven more than any other engineering discipline. A 'gameplay programmer on Phantom Halo: Echo' is more credible than '5 years experience.' Even one AAA shipped title commands meaningful interview pull. The 2026 game-dev hiring landscape continues to weight Unreal Engine 5 + open-world systems heavily, with Unity dominating mobile + indie + XR.

For entry-level candidates, the structure mirrors the senior pattern with portfolio-first signal: itch.io / Steam releases, game jam placements (Ludum Dare, GMTK Jam, Global Game Jam — overall rank + jam scale), CS degree or game-development bootcamp standing, and engine + language depth. A senior CS grad with 3 game-jam top-50 finishes + a Steam release with 1,200+ Wishlists is hireable at junior gameplay programmer roles.

For mid + senior game developers, the structure widens. The summary names shipped titles with platform + unit-count or Metacritic context. Bullets quantify frame budgets, name engine subsystems, and reference cross-discipline collaboration (art, design, audio, production). The bottom third reserves space for capability proof — GDC talks, technical blog posts on game-dev topics, open-source engine contributions (Godot, Unreal source PRs).

The example

Kazuki Yamamoto

Senior Gameplay Programmer · Unreal 5 + C++ · 2 AAA Shipped Titles
Vancouver·CA
[email protected]+1 (604) 555-0381github.com/kyamamotokazukiy.dev (portfolio)linkedin.com/in/kyamamoto

Summary

Senior gameplay programmer with 6 years on Unreal 5 + C++. Shipped Phantom Halo: Echo (PS5/PC, 2024, 1.4M units, Metacritic 84) and Iron Drift Saga (Switch/PC, 2022, 280k units, Metacritic 78). Owned player-controller + combat-AI systems on both. Cut combat-AI tick cost from 2.8ms to 0.9ms per frame on PS5. GDC 2024 programming-track speaker.

Skills

Engine + Languages
Unreal Engine 5 (5.4 / 5.5)C++ (C++20)Blueprint (visual scripting)Unity (familiarity)
Subsystems
Player Controller + CharacterBehavior Trees + Utility AIAnimation State Machines + IKReplication / multiplayer networkingWorld Partition + streaming
Tools + Pipeline
Perforce (streams-based)Unreal Insights + RenderDoc + PIX + RazorUnreal Build Tool + UnrealBuildAcceleratorPlatform: PS5 + Series X|S + PC

Experience

Senior Gameplay Programmer
Echo Forge Studio·Vancouver, BC
Aug 2022—Present

AAA console + PC studio (140 engineers). Owned player-controller + combat-AI systems on Phantom Halo: Echo.

  • Cut combat-AI tick cost from 2.8ms to 0.9ms per frame on PS5 (target 16.67ms total at 60 FPS) by replacing per-frame line-traces with a sweep-cached spatial hash + bucket-deferred AI updates.
  • Owned the player-controller system on Phantom Halo: Echo (Unreal 5 + C++); shipped 14 movement abilities + 8 combat states with frame-perfect input buffering; partnered with 2 designers + 1 animator on combat-feedback iteration across Q2 2024.
  • Built a custom Unreal subsystem for streaming-friendly LOD swaps on a 144 km² open-world tile-streamed map; cut hitch frequency at chunk boundaries from 14/hour to under 1/hour on PS5 + Series X.
  • Authored the multiplayer-replication backbone for Phantom Halo: Echo's 16-player Battle Royale mode; peak bandwidth 38 KB/sec/player at 95th-percentile match density.
  • Mentored 2 junior gameplay programmers on player-controller + combat-state work; both shipped sole-owner mechanic features before vertical-slice milestone.
Gameplay Programmer
Driftwave Interactive·Montreal, QC
May 2019—Jul 2022
  • Shipped Iron Drift Saga (Switch/PC, 2022, 280k units, Metacritic 78); owned the vehicle-handling model + drift-physics tuning.
  • Cut Iron Drift Saga's Switch load time from 24 seconds to 7 seconds by overlapping audio-bank decompression with the splash-screen render.
  • Authored the team's accessibility-feature suite (subtitle customization, color-blind mode, button-remapping); shipped to 100% of players post-launch via a Day-1 patch.
Junior Gameplay Programmer
Indie/Self-published·Montreal, QC
Aug 2018—Apr 2019
  • Shipped 2 indie titles on Steam (combined Wishlists 4,200; reviews 'Very Positive' on both) using Unreal 4 + Blueprint scripting.

Game Jam + Portfolio

• Ludum Dare 56 (Oct 2024) — overall 22/1,800 entries (top 1.2%). • GMTK Jam 2023 — overall 14/6,800 entries (top 0.2%). • Global Game Jam 2024 — site winner (Vancouver site, 38 teams).

Education

BSc in Computer Science (Game Development Track)
University of British Columbia · Vancouver, BC
Sep 2014—May 2018
senior

Senior Gameplay Programmer

Unreal 5 + C++. Shipped Phantom Halo: Echo (PS5/PC, 1.4M units). Combat AI.

Use this template

Live preview · Senior Gameplay Programmer

Use this resume

Why this resume works

Summary names two shipped titles with platform + units + roles. Bullets quantify frame-budget optimizations on specific platforms (PS5), name engine subsystems (player-controller, combat AI), surface cross-discipline collaboration. Game jam placements + GDC talk close. One page tight.

Kazuki Yamamoto

Senior Gameplay Programmer · Unreal 5 + C++ · 2 AAA Shipped Titles
Vancouver·CA
[email protected]+1 (604) 555-0381github.com/kyamamotokazukiy.dev (portfolio)linkedin.com/in/kyamamoto

Summary

Senior gameplay programmer with 6 years on Unreal 5 + C++. Shipped Phantom Halo: Echo (PS5/PC, 2024, 1.4M units, Metacritic 84) and Iron Drift Saga (Switch/PC, 2022, 280k units, Metacritic 78). Owned player-controller + combat-AI systems on both. Cut combat-AI tick cost from 2.8ms to 0.9ms per frame on PS5. GDC 2024 programming-track speaker.

Skills

Engine + Languages
Unreal Engine 5 (5.4 / 5.5)C++ (C++20)Blueprint (visual scripting)Unity (familiarity)
Subsystems
Player Controller + CharacterBehavior Trees + Utility AIAnimation State Machines + IKReplication / multiplayer networkingWorld Partition + streaming
Tools + Pipeline
Perforce (streams-based)Unreal Insights + RenderDoc + PIX + RazorUnreal Build Tool + UnrealBuildAcceleratorPlatform: PS5 + Series X|S + PC

Experience

Senior Gameplay Programmer
Echo Forge Studio·Vancouver, BC
Aug 2022—Present

AAA console + PC studio (140 engineers). Owned player-controller + combat-AI systems on Phantom Halo: Echo.

  • Cut combat-AI tick cost from 2.8ms to 0.9ms per frame on PS5 (target 16.67ms total at 60 FPS) by replacing per-frame line-traces with a sweep-cached spatial hash + bucket-deferred AI updates.
  • Owned the player-controller system on Phantom Halo: Echo (Unreal 5 + C++); shipped 14 movement abilities + 8 combat states with frame-perfect input buffering; partnered with 2 designers + 1 animator on combat-feedback iteration across Q2 2024.
  • Built a custom Unreal subsystem for streaming-friendly LOD swaps on a 144 km² open-world tile-streamed map; cut hitch frequency at chunk boundaries from 14/hour to under 1/hour on PS5 + Series X.
  • Authored the multiplayer-replication backbone for Phantom Halo: Echo's 16-player Battle Royale mode; peak bandwidth 38 KB/sec/player at 95th-percentile match density.
  • Mentored 2 junior gameplay programmers on player-controller + combat-state work; both shipped sole-owner mechanic features before vertical-slice milestone.
Gameplay Programmer
Driftwave Interactive·Montreal, QC
May 2019—Jul 2022
  • Shipped Iron Drift Saga (Switch/PC, 2022, 280k units, Metacritic 78); owned the vehicle-handling model + drift-physics tuning.
  • Cut Iron Drift Saga's Switch load time from 24 seconds to 7 seconds by overlapping audio-bank decompression with the splash-screen render.
  • Authored the team's accessibility-feature suite (subtitle customization, color-blind mode, button-remapping); shipped to 100% of players post-launch via a Day-1 patch.
Junior Gameplay Programmer
Indie/Self-published·Montreal, QC
Aug 2018—Apr 2019
  • Shipped 2 indie titles on Steam (combined Wishlists 4,200; reviews 'Very Positive' on both) using Unreal 4 + Blueprint scripting.

Game Jam + Portfolio

• Ludum Dare 56 (Oct 2024) — overall 22/1,800 entries (top 1.2%). • GMTK Jam 2023 — overall 14/6,800 entries (top 0.2%). • Global Game Jam 2024 — site winner (Vancouver site, 38 teams).

Education

BSc in Computer Science (Game Development Track)
University of British Columbia · Vancouver, BC
Sep 2014—May 2018

What hiring managers look for

The specific signals an experienced game developer hiring panel grades on during the eight-second scan.

  • Shipped titles named with platform + role

    'Gameplay programmer on Phantom Halo: Echo (PS5/PC, 2024, 1.4M units)' beats 'game developer.' Shipped + role + platform is the first scan.

  • Engine + language depth

    Unity (C#) or Unreal (C++ + Blueprint). Name the engine + the language with version (Unreal 5.4 + C++17).

  • Programmer track (gameplay / engine / tools / graphics)

    Game-dev sub-specializes. Naming the track signals seniority; conflating tracks reads as junior.

  • Performance optimization in frame budgets

    ms per frame, frame rate at target spec, GPU draw calls. The game-dev quantification.

  • Source control + build pipeline named

    Perforce (P4), Git LFS, Unreal build farm, Unity Cloud Build. Tooling fluency.

  • Portfolio / itch.io / Steam link

    Game-dev portfolio is the load-bearing credential. Link to playable builds.

How to write a game developer resume

  1. 1

    Open with shipped titles + role + platform

    A senior gameplay programmer summary names shipped titles: 'Gameplay programmer on Phantom Halo: Echo (PS5/PC, 2024, 1.4M units) and Iron Drift Saga (Switch/PC, 2022, 280k units). 6 years on Unreal 5 + C++; specialized in player-controller + combat.' Indie/mobile: 'Solo Unity developer; shipped 4 Steam titles (combined 18k Wishlists, 2 Steam Featured) + 2 mobile titles (1.4M downloads).' Entry: 'CS grad with 3 game-jam top-50 finishes (Ludum Dare 56, GMTK Jam 2023, Global Game Jam 2024) + a Steam release (Wishlists 1,200, post-demo).'

    Shipped + role + engine + platform is the first scan.

  2. 2

    Quantify in frame budgets and metrics that scale matter

    ms per frame at target FPS (60 FPS = 16.67ms; 120 FPS = 8.33ms). Tick cost per subsystem (player-controller, AI, animation, physics). Draw calls. Memory budgets per region. Open-world chunk-streaming hitch frequency. Network bandwidth per replication group.

    The specific numbers to favor: • ms per subsystem tick (before/after). • Frame-rate target hit-rate at target platform (e.g., 99.8% above 58 FPS on PS5). • Memory budget (MB) per region or per subsystem. • Build size (GB) after compression. • Load time (cold + transition). • Multiplayer replication bandwidth (KB/sec/player).

  3. 3

    Name engine subsystems precisely

    Unreal subsystems: GameInstance, GameMode, PlayerController, Character, BehaviorTree, NavMesh, LandscapeStreaming, UMG, World Partition, Niagara, Chaos. Unity subsystems: ScriptableObjects, Job System, Burst Compiler, Addressables, URP/HDRP, Visual Effect Graph, ECS / DOTS, Cinemachine.

    Named subsystems parse as game-dev-vocabulary signal.

  4. 4

    Surface specialty + cross-discipline collaboration

    Game dev is heavily cross-functional. Name design + art + audio + production partner counts. Concrete bullets: 'partnered with 2 designers + 1 animator on the combat-feedback iteration; 14 vertical-slice playtests across Q2 2024.'

    Specialty work surfaces seniority: combat-AI, character-controller tuning, replication / networking, save/load systems, accessibility-feature engineering (subtitle systems, color-blind support, ergonomic controls).

  5. 5

    Close with portfolio / OSS / community signal

    Game jam placements (Ludum Dare, GMTK Jam, Global Game Jam — overall rank + jam scale). itch.io / Steam releases with Wishlist or sales context. GDC talks (any track). Engine source PRs (Unreal source, Godot). Technical blog posts that gained traction.

Pro tip

Shipped titles are the load-bearing credential

'1 AAA title shipped' beats 'experience with game development.' Even one shipped title commands more weight than 5 years of unshipped work.

Pro tip

Frame budget is the engine signal

16.67ms per frame at 60 FPS, 8.33ms at 120 FPS. Senior engine programmers think in budgets: 'cut player-controller update from 4.2ms to 1.1ms at 60 FPS on PS5.'

Pro tip

Game jam portfolio is real signal

Game jam wins (Ludum Dare, GMTK Jam, Global Game Jam) and itch.io / Steam releases with player counts are the most credible portfolio for entry-mid candidates.

Pro tip

Perforce fluency is dealership signal at AAA

Most AAA studios run Perforce — Git LFS is more common at indie + mobile shops. Name your version-control fluency precisely; it signals which environment you've shipped in.

ATS notes

Game developer ATS pipelines screen for engine + language + platform + track tokens. Engine: Unity 6, Unity 2022 LTS, Unreal Engine 5, UE5.3 / 5.4 / 5.5, Godot 4, custom engines, proprietary engines (Frostbite, Decima, Anvil, Snowdrop, REDengine, RE Engine). Language: C++ (C++17, C++20), C#, Blueprint (visual scripting), Rust (Godot via gdext), HLSL / GLSL for graphics. Platform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, iOS, Android, Steam Deck, Quest 2/3 (VR). Track: gameplay programmer, engine programmer, tools programmer, graphics programmer, network programmer, AI programmer, audio programmer, build engineer. Specialty systems: player controller, combat, AI behavior tree, animation state machine, replication / networking, save system, UI / UMG. Pipeline: Perforce, Git LFS, Unreal build farm, Unity Cloud Build, Jenkins, Buildkite. Profiling: Unreal Insights, Unity Profiler, RenderDoc, PIX, Razor (PS5).

Name the tokens precisely. Game-dev JDs are explicit about engine + track + shipped-platform.

Sample bullets you can adapt

Each follows the [verb] [object] [number] structure hiring managers grade against. Copy them as a starting point, swap in your own numbers, and read the annotation to understand why each one works.

  • Optimization

    Cut combat-AI tick cost from 2.8ms to 0.9ms per frame on PS5 (target 16.67ms total budget at 60 FPS) by replacing per-frame line-traces with a sweep-cached spatial hash + bucket-deferred AI updates.

    Why it works: ms before/after with frame-budget context, platform, two interventions.

  • Gameplay system

    Owned the player-controller system on Phantom Halo: Echo (Unreal 5 + C++); shipped 14 movement abilities + 8 combat states with frame-perfect input buffering; partnered with 2 designers + 1 animator on combat-feedback iteration across Q2 2024.

    Why it works: System owned, engine + language, ability counts, input-buffering detail, partner count.

  • Engine work

    Built a custom Unreal subsystem for streaming-friendly LOD swaps on a 144 km² open-world tile-streamed map; cut hitch frequency at chunk boundaries from 14/hour to under 1/hour on PS5 + Series X.

    Why it works: Engine sub-system, map scale, metric before/after, target platforms.

  • Shipped titles

    Shipped 2 AAA titles (Phantom Halo: Echo + Iron Drift Saga) and 4 indie titles (3 Steam, 1 Itch.io); combined unit sales: 1.68M; combined Metacritic 81/100. Game-jam wins: Ludum Dare 56 (22/1,800) + GMTK Jam 2023 (14/6,800).

    Why it works: AAA + indie counts, platforms, unit-sales aggregate, Metacritic, game-jam placements.

  • Networking

    Authored the multiplayer-replication backbone for Phantom Halo: Echo's 16-player Battle Royale mode (Unreal 5 + custom relevancy + bandwidth-tiered prop replication); peak bandwidth 38 KB/sec/player at 95th-percentile match density.

    Why it works: Replication architecture, player-count scope, bandwidth metric at percentile context.

  • Load time

    Cut Phantom Halo: Echo cold-load time from 38 seconds to 9 seconds on PS5 by overlapping asset-decompression with shader-cache warm-up + decoupling first-frame-render from world-init.

    Why it works: Cold-load before/after, platform, two interventions.

  • Accessibility

    Authored the team's accessibility-feature suite (subtitle customization, color-blind mode, button-remapping, hold-to-press toggle, ergonomic input curve); shipped to 100% of players post-launch via a Day-1 patch.

    Why it works: Five accessibility features, scope (100%), patch context.

  • Pipeline

    Migrated team from Perforce single-stream to streams-based Perforce workflow over 6 weeks; merge-conflict frequency fell from ~8/week to ~1/week across the 38-engineer team.

    Why it works: Migration scope, team size, merge-conflict outcome.

  • Mentorship

    Mentored 2 junior gameplay programmers on player-controller + combat-state work; both shipped sole-owner mechanic features (one wall-run, one parry-counter) before the team's vertical-slice milestone.

    Why it works: Mentee count, specific feature deliverables tied to milestone.

  • Speaking

    GDC 2024 talk (programming track) — 'Frame-perfect input buffering at 60 FPS without sacrificing animation tween quality' (50 minutes, 420 in-room + 8,400 GDC Vault views).

    Why it works: Named conference, track, talk title, attendance + view metrics.

  • Open source

    Open-sourced UE5-CharacterMotionAnalyzer — a profiling tool for character-controller tick costs (Unreal 5 plugin, 380 GitHub stars, used by 4 named indie studios per their public devlogs).

    Why it works: Tool name, scope, stars, named-studio usage.

  • Entry-level

    Shipped Echoflow — a solo Unity 6 puzzle game on Steam — as a CS-grad portfolio project; 4,800 Wishlists post-demo + Steam Next Fest featured in October 2024.

    Why it works: For an entry candidate, a real shipped Steam title with wishlists + Next Fest feature is high-leverage.

Wrong vs Right · bullet rewrites

Same intent, two phrasings. Read why the right column lands on the keep-pile and the wrong column doesn't.

Summary opener

Wrong

Game developer passionate about creating engaging gameplay experiences.

Right

Gameplay programmer on Phantom Halo: Echo (PS5/PC, 2024, 1.4M units shipped) and Iron Drift Saga (Switch/PC, 2022, 280k units). 6 years on Unreal 5 + C++; specialized in player-controller + combat systems. Cut combat-AI tick cost from 2.8ms to 0.9ms per frame on PS5.

Why: Right version names two shipped titles with platforms + years + unit counts, engine + version, language, specialty, and a frame-budget outcome.

Optimization

Wrong

Optimized game performance for various platforms.

Right

Cut combat-AI tick cost from 2.8ms to 0.9ms per frame on PS5 (target 16.67ms total budget at 60 FPS) by replacing per-frame line-traces with a sweep-cached spatial hash + bucket-deferred AI updates.

Why: Right version names ms before/after with frame-budget context, target platform, and two specific technical interventions.

Gameplay system

Wrong

Worked on player controller and combat mechanics.

Right

Owned the player-controller system on Phantom Halo: Echo (Unreal 5 + C++); shipped 14 movement abilities (dash, wall-run, grapple, slide, mantle, ledge-grab) + 8 combat states (light/heavy/charged/parry/dodge/counter/finisher/finisher-cancel) with frame-perfect input buffering.

Why: Right version names the system owned, engine + language, ability counts with specifics, and the input-buffering detail (signals fighting-game-vintage gameplay craft).

Engine work

Wrong

Contributed to engine improvements.

Right

Built a custom Unreal subsystem for streaming-friendly LOD swaps on a 144 km² open-world tile-streamed map; cut hitch frequency at chunk boundaries from 14/hour to under 1/hour on PS5 + Series X.

Why: Right version names engine sub-system work, map scale, specific metric (hitch frequency) before/after, target platforms.

Shipped titles

Wrong

Worked on multiple game titles across various platforms.

Right

Shipped 2 AAA titles + 4 indie titles (3 on Steam, 1 on Itch.io); combined unit sales: 1.68M units; combined Metacritic score average: 81/100. Game-jam wins: Ludum Dare 56 (overall 22nd of 1,800) + GMTK Jam 2023 (overall 14th of 6,800).

Why: Right version names AAA + indie counts, platforms, unit-sales aggregate, Metacritic context, and game-jam placements.

Skip the blank page

Start from the senior gameplay programmer example

Edit the names, the numbers, the company — yours in under a minute.

Use this template

Common mistakes (and how to fix them)

Patterns our writers see most often when reviewing game developer resumes — each one disqualifies candidates faster than weak experience does.

  • Mistake

    Generic 'game developer' without shipped titles.

    Fix

    Lead with shipped titles. Even one indie title with player counts beats vague experience claims.

  • Mistake

    Listing both Unity and Unreal as equal depth.

    Fix

    Pick the engine you ship in. Multi-engine claims invite scrutiny in technical interviews.

  • Mistake

    Optimization claims without frame budgets.

    Fix

    Frame-rate target + ms per subsystem is the game-dev quantification.

  • Mistake

    No portfolio link.

    Fix

    Game dev portfolio (itch.io, Steam, dedicated portfolio site) is load-bearing. Link in the header.

  • Mistake

    Not naming the track.

    Fix

    Gameplay / engine / tools / graphics — sub-specializing. Name your track.

  • Mistake

    Two-page resume below tech-lead level.

    Fix

    One page until tech-lead / engineering-director work justifies more.

  • Mistake

    Listing every engine you've touched.

    Fix

    Depth in one engine beats breadth across five. Hiring leads grade on shipped engine experience.

  • Mistake

    Hiding game jam placements.

    Fix

    Game jam placements (especially Ludum Dare + GMTK Jam top finishes) are credible portfolio. Surface them.

Resume format for Game Developers

Reverse-chronological. Header → shipped titles + engine + track summary → experience → portfolio link → skills (Engine / Languages / Platforms / Subsystems / Pipeline) → game jam placements + speaking → education. One page until tech-lead level.

Salary & job outlook

Median annual salary

$98,580

Range: $53,940 to $167,490

Projected job growth

+25% from 2023 to 2033 (much faster than average)

Source

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2024 (Web and Digital Interface Designers and Developers, 15-1255 — applied to game development)

Action verbs for game developers

Strong verbs lead strong bullets. Replace generic openers (worked on, helped with, was responsible for) with the specific verb that matches what you actually did.

shippedownedbuiltimplementeddesignedoptimizedprofiledtunedbalanced (gameplay)iterated (with design)playtestedreplicated (networking)serialized (save system)authored (subsystem)migratedported (platform)shaderizedlit (lighting)scripted (gameplay)mentoredspoke (GDC)open-sourced

Skills hiring managers screen for

ATS pipelines weight your Skills section as a structured list. Include 15-25 of the items below if they match your experience — not soft skills.

Unreal Engine 5 (5.4 / 5.5)Unity 6 + Unity 2022 LTSC++ (C++17, C++20)C#Blueprint (visual scripting)HLSL + GLSLPlayer controller systemsCombat / ability systemsBehavior trees + GOAP + utility AIAnimation state machines + IKReplication / multiplayer networkingSave / load + serializationUI (UMG / UI Toolkit)Open-world / World PartitionNiagara / VFX GraphProfiling: Unreal Insights, Unity ProfilerRenderDoc + PIX + RazorPerforce + Git LFSUnreal Cook + DDC + build farmPlatform: PC, PS5, Xbox Series X|S, Switch, Quest 2/3Accessibility features (subtitles, color-blind, remapping)Game jam participation (Ludum Dare, GMTK Jam, Global Game Jam)

FAQ

Do I need a shipped title for senior gameplay programmer roles?+

Effectively yes. Senior game-dev hiring is shipped-title-driven. Even one AAA shipped title or 3-4 indie shipped titles meets the bar; without shipped titles, lateral hiring panels rarely advance candidates past the phone screen.

Unity vs Unreal — should I list both?+

Pick the engine you ship in. Unity dominates mobile + indie + XR; Unreal dominates AAA + open-world + most console + PC. Multi-engine claims invite technical-interview scrutiny — most studios prefer depth in one engine.

How important are game jams?+

Load-bearing for entry-level + indie hiring. Top placements (Ludum Dare top 50 / GMTK Jam top 50) are credible portfolio. Generic 'participated in game jams' is filler.

Should I list every game I've worked on?+

List shipped titles with role + platform + commercial outcome (units sold, Metacritic, Steam reviews). Cancelled or unshipped projects can appear briefly but shouldn't dominate.

How do I show Unreal subsystem depth?+

Name specific subsystems (GameInstance, GameMode, PlayerController, BehaviorTree, World Partition, Niagara) + the engine version + the work shipped. Generic 'Unreal experience' parses as junior.

What if I'm transitioning from generalist SWE to games?+

Lead with the game-dev work first, even if it's smaller. 'Software engineer transitioning to games — shipped a Unity 6 puzzle game on Steam in 2024 (Wishlists 4,800).' Show shipping evidence.

Should I include shader / graphics work as a gameplay programmer?+

Surface it as supplementary if you have it (HLSL, custom materials, post-process effects). Don't claim graphics-programmer depth unless you've shipped graphics-specific work.

How do I list AAA crunch / shipped under difficult conditions?+

Avoid framing crunch as a positive. Surface the title shipped + commercial outcome + your contribution — let the resume speak to delivery without glorifying the work conditions.

Do I need GDC talks or open-source to be competitive?+

No — but they're high-signal closing items at senior levels. If you have GDC speaking or a recognized engine-source PR, surface it prominently.

What about VR / XR game development?+

Quest 2/3 + PSVR2 are the main 2026 VR platforms. Surface VR-specific work (locomotion comfort design, hand-tracking, performance — VR demands 90 FPS minimum on Quest) — it's a growing specialty.

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