Principal Combat & Controls Designer

Riot Games; California; On-site; USD 180,000 - 240,000; Full time

Benefits offered by this job

Medical insurance

Dental insurance

Life insurance

Parental leave

401k with company match

Flexible work schedules

Paid time off

Job summary

Riot Games is seeking a Principal Game Designer for an unpublished R&D product in California. You will lead hands-on design across combat, controls, targeting, camera, and gameplay feel, shaping ambitious player experiences and setting the quality bar for core systems.

You will prototype and iterate in a small cross‑disciplinary team, partner with product managers, engineers, UX designers, artists and design leaders, and mentor other designers to raise craft and deliver responsive, resonant

Qualifications

• 8+ years of professional experience in game design.
• Deep experience designing, prototyping, and iterating on core gameplay systems.
• Strong expertise in combat design, controls, targeting, camera, and gameplay feel.
• Experience owning large, complex design spaces and delivering high‑impact player‑facing outcomes.
• Experience working in ambiguous or exploratory development environments where fast learning and iteration matter.
• Experience partnering closely with engineers to develop and refine gameplay systems from concept through implementation.
• Ability to break down complex design problems, generate strong solutions, and clearly communicate design rationale across disciplines.

Responsibilities

• Maintain a holistic vision for combat and controls while driving design vision and execution for core gameplay systems.
• Personally prototype, design, and iterate on difficult gameplay problems in ambiguous, early‑stage development spaces, creating multiple design approaches and articulating the tradeoffs, risks, and player implications of each.
• Partner closely with product managers, engineers, UX designers, artists, and producers to turn design goals into playable, testable experiences.
• Define and evolve design frameworks, principles, and quality bars that improve team decision‑making and raise the standard of gameplay craft.
• Lead cross‑disciplinary conversations around tradeoffs, risks, and opportunities, aligning teams around strong design rationale.
• Mentor other designers through feedback, craft guidance, and principled problem solving.
• Contribute to broader gameplay direction by identifying learnings and opportunities that can inform future initiatives.

Skills

Combat design

Controls design

Prototyping

Cross-disciplinary collaboration

Mentoring

Design leadership

Twin-stick controls

Job description

Riot Games is seeking a Principal Game Designer for an unpublished R&D product in California. You will lead hands-on design across combat, controls, targeting, camera, and gameplay feel, shaping ambitious player experiences and setting the quality bar for core systems.

You will prototype and iterate in a small cross‑disciplinary team, partner with product managers, engineers, UX designers, artists and design leaders, and mentor other designers to raise craft and deliver responsive, resonant