Engine Programmer

At Rockstar Games, we create world-class entertainment experiences.

Become part of a team working on some of the most rewarding, large-scale creative projects to be found in any entertainment medium - all within an inclusive, highly-motivated environment where you can learn and collaborate with some of the most talented people in the industry.

Rockstar Games is on the lookout for a passionate Engine Programmer with a keen interest in all the low-level technology that makes a modern video game tick. If you like to understand how things really work “under the hood” of your favourite games, we’d love to hear from you.

This is a full-time, in-office position based out of Rockstar’s new state-of-the-art game development studio in Carlsbad, CA. 

• The Rockstar Games Engine team is a global group of generalist programmers with a keen focus on lower-level systems and squeezing the most out of the underlying hardware.
• We are responsible for many of the core pieces of technology that underpin Rockstar games – such as memory management, streaming game data efficiently, population systems, LOD, scene management, scripting engine, and more.
• We collaborate closely with the Graphics and Tools teams on many systems, and support the Gameplay teams to realise the vision of our games.
• We coordinate and support the wider efforts across the development team to get our games running smoothly and making the best use of system resources.

• Design, implement, and maintain systems collaboratively with Gameplay, Art, and other teams to create a state-of-the-art open-world simulation.
• Maintain existing codebase and support the wider development team in diagnosing problems and coming up with efficient and practical solutions.
• Perform research to acquire new knowledge necessary to perform tasks and continue the technological evolution of the game.
• Develop high performance and easy to use tools and systems for streaming, world representation, and other subsystems.

• A degree in Computer Science/related discipline, or equivalent experience.
• 3+ years’ experience in C/C++ game development.
• One shipped title; preferably on the Xbox and/or PlayStation consoles.
• A technical understanding of core game systems and technologies.
• Excellent problem-solving skills.
• Great technical communication skills.
• An analytical, performance-focused mindset.
• Experience in developing or working with systems, such as: streaming, scene management, multithreading, memory management, etc.

Please note that these are desirable skills and are not required to apply for the position.

• Self-motivated, enthusiastic/passionate about games and curious about how things work.
• Multi-platform and console experience.
• Experience working on open-world, population, and/or streaming systems.
• Experience working closely with Gameplay teams.

Please apply with a resume and cover letter demonstrating how you meet the skills above. If we would like to move forward with your application, a Rockstar recruiter will reach out to you to explain next steps and guide you through the process.

Rockstar is committed to creating a work environment that promotes equal opportunity, dignity and respect. In line with this commitment, Rockstar will provide reasonable accommodations to qualified job applicants with disabilities during the recruitment process in order for such applicants to be considered for the position for which they are applying, as well as to qualified employees to enable them to perform the essential functions of their roles. If you need more information about Rockstar’s reasonable accommodation policies or process, or need to request an accommodation, please notify your recruiter during the interview process.                             

If you’ve got the right skills for the job, we want to hear from you. We encourage applications from all suitable candidates regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, belief, race, or any other protected category.