External Art Intern, Characters [Spring 2027]

Crystal Dynamics; United States; Remote; USD 28,000 - 32,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical, dental, vision insurance

Professional development reimbursement

Paid holidays

Holiday break time off

Job summary

Crystal Dynamics invites you to apply for a remote Spring 2027 External Art Intern, Characters. This 12-week program runs across the United States, with onboarding at the San Carlos, CA studio.

Earn hands-on AAA experience, mentorship, and exposure to world-class pipelines while you build a strong portfolio. Eligibility includes a 2026 graduation, a degree in relevant art/engineering fields, and full-time availability (40 hrs/week) during Feb 1–Apr 23, 2027.

Qualifications

• Graduated in 2026 from college/university.
• Degree in Animation, Art, Game Art, Technical Art, Game Design, Game Development, Engineering, or related fields.

Responsibilities

• Acquire essential skills using industry-standard tools (Unreal Engine, ZBrush, Maya, Substance Designer/Painter).
• Review incoming character and prop assets for quality, consistency, and technical compliance.
• Support mid/senior/lead artists by polishing external character assets and fixing issues.
• Enhance understanding of advanced game development technology, focusing on Unreal Engine.

Skills

Character art

Anatomy

Silhouette

Color theory

PBR

Hard-surface

Education

BA/BS in Animation or Art or related field

Tools

Unreal Engine

ZBrush

Maya

Substance Designer/Painter

Job description

External Art Intern, Characters [Spring 2027]

Remote/Flexible - United States

Crystal Dynamics is constantly seeking the best gaming talent worldwide to add to our 30-plus year legacy of game development creating new and iconic franchises. We are committed to making great games with great people and living the dream while doing it.

Benefits for our regular full-time positions include, but are not limited to, a competitive regional salary, 100% employer-paid medical, dental, and vision insurance options, professional development reimbursement, flexible hybrid on-site/off-site work opportunities, company paid holidays, plus additional paid days in December when the studio is closed for holiday break, and the ability to accrue additional paid time-off.

Join us and help shape an amazing studio culture, where we’re building award-winning franchises like Tomb Raider and more!

Crystal Dynamics is now accepting applications for a remote spring internship, open to candidates across most U.S. states. As part of this 12-week program, you will take part in meaningful, hands-on work that contributes directly to active AAA projects. Throughout the program, you will step into a professional development environment where ongoing projects, experienced mentors, and collaborative teams give you a direct view into AAA game creation. This internship is designed to help you build industry ready skills, form strong professional relationships, and deepen your understanding of how world class games are made!

Eligibility Criteria:

• Graduated from a college or university program in 2026 (Spring, Summer, Fall, or Winter).
• Degree in Animation, Art, Game Art, Technical Art, Game Design, Game Development, Engineering, or related fields.
• Availability to work full-time (40 hrs / week), during core business hours, for the duration of the program (February 1st – April 23rd, 2027), including the first week onsite at our studio in San Carlos, CA for onboarding.
• Legal eligibility to work in the United States.
• Submission of a complete application that includes a resume, cover letter, and a link to your portfolio.

What You Will Gain:

• Practical Project Involvement: Contribute to active game development efforts while learning production scope, workflows, and the advanced tools used across modern AAA pipelines.
• Professional Mentorship: Receive guidance from experienced professionals with deep industry knowledge.
• Skill Development: Expand your skill set, establishing a solid foundation for your professional journey.
• Team Collaboration: Work alongside our dedicated onsite and remote teams including fellow interns, building valuable professional relationships within the gaming industry.

What You Will Do:

• Acquireessential skills using industry-standard tools and software such as Unreal Engine, ZBrush, Maya and Substance Designer & Painter.
• Participate in external game development aspects by helping review incoming character and prop assets, checking for quality, consistency, and technical compliance.
• Support mid, senior, and lead artists by polishing external character assets, helping fix issues, and any other tasks assigned.
• Enhance your understanding of advanced game development technology, focusing on Unreal Engine.

What Makes You Stand Out:

• Portfolio demonstrating foundational character art skills, including one or more of the following:
  • Character art examples that showcase understanding of anatomy, silhouette or proportion.
  • Understanding color theory and PBR.
  • Hard-surface experience, such as creating armor, weapons, vehicles, or other cleanly modeled assets.
• Industry involvement outside classroom curriculum such as game jams, personal projects and/or contributions to group projects that show going above and beyond.
• Exposure to industry-standard development software tools and engines.
• Willingness to tackle challenges, learn from feedback, and adapt to new tools or workflows.
• Ability to communicate your ideas with eagerness to learn and put feedback into action.

Compensation & Benefits: Compensation for this internship is $20-23/hr. Compensation is location-based and will be aligned to the intern’s confirmed work location during the program. Interns are also eligible for a medical, dental, and vision benefits package. Your recruiter can provide more information about total compensation. Check out our Crystal Dynamics Internship FAQ page for additional questions. Thank you for your interest in an internship at Crystal Dynamics. We can't wait to see what you bring to our world of game development!

The pay for this internship role includes the base hourly rate, and does not include the medical, dental and vision benefits package that interns will also be eligible for. Your recruiter will be able to share more information about total compensation.

Internship Pay Rate (United States)

$20 - $23 USD

Crystal Dynamics is an equal opportunity employer. We are committed to identifying and implementing positive and persistent measures to ensure equal opportunity in the recruitment, hiring, development, training, promotion and compensation of a diverse team employee group. This includes persons of different race, color, creed, religion, sex, gender identity or gender expression, pregnancy, breastfeeding or medical conditions related to breastfeeding, genetic characteristic, sexual orientation, national origin, ancestry, medical condition, political affiliation, age, veteran status, uniform service member status, marital status, physical or mental disability, or citizenship, as well as any other classifications protected by applicable federal, state or local laws.Crystal Dynamics is committed to providing reasonable accommodations in accordance with applicable laws. If you require any accommodations, please notify us at your earliest convenience during the interview process.

By submitting an application, you acknowledge that you have read and understand Crystal Dynamics's Privacy Notice .

Voluntary Self-Identification

Crystal Dynamics is an Equal Opportunity Employer and is committed to a program of diversity for our employees. To help Crystal Dynamics monitor its compliance, statistical analysis and measuring our advertising and recruitment efforts, we ask candidates to respond to the self-identification survey below.

Completion of the form is entirely voluntary. A decision to provide or not provide such information will have no effect on the company's employment decision. Your responses will be used (in aggregate only) to help us identify areas of improvement in our process. Your responses will not be associated with your specific application and will not in any way be used in employment decisions.

As set forth in the Crystal Dynamics Equal Opportunity Employment policy, we do not discriminate on the basis of any protected group status under any applicable federal, state or local laws.

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