102 Lead Game Designer jobs in the United Kingdom

• Conceptualize and develop innovative game mechanics, systems, and features that align with the project's vision and target audience.
• Define and document core gameplay loops, player progression, and user experience flows.
• Create detailed game design documents (GDDs), wireframes, and prototypes to communicate design ideas effectively.
• Collaborate closely with art, engineering, narrative, and audio teams to ensure a cohesive and high-quality player experience.
• Lead and mentor junior game designers, providing constructive feedback and fostering a collaborative environment.
• Conduct playtesting sessions and analyze player feedback to iterate on designs and improve game quality.
• Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in game design.
• Champion the game's vision and ensure its consistent implementation throughout the development cycle.
• Present design concepts and updates to stakeholders and executive teams.
• Contribute to the overall strategic direction of the studio's game portfolio.

• 5+ years of professional game design experience, with at least 2 years in a lead or senior role.
• Demonstrable experience shipping successful titles across multiple platforms (PC, Console, Mobile).
• Expertise in designing complex game systems, mechanics, and economies.
• Strong understanding of player psychology, engagement loops, and retention strategies.
• Proficiency with game engines (e.g., Unreal Engine, Unity) and relevant design tools.
• Exceptional communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills, capable of inspiring cross-functional teams.
• Proven ability to translate high-level concepts into detailed, actionable design specifications.
• Experience with Agile/Scrum development methodologies.
• A strong portfolio showcasing innovative game design work.

• Conceptualize, define, and document core game mechanics, systems, and player progression loops.
• Lead and mentor a team of talented game designers, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment.
• Develop and maintain the game's design vision, ensuring consistency and quality across all features.
• Create detailed design documentation, including game design documents (GDDs), wireframes, and flowcharts.
• Work closely with narrative designers, artists, and engineers to translate creative ideas into compelling gameplay.
• Prototype and iterate on game mechanics, conducting playtests and gathering feedback to refine the player experience.
• Define and manage the user interface (UI) and user experience (UX) design, ensuring intuitive and engaging interactions.
• Champion best practices in game design and advocate for player-centric development.
• Contribute to feature prioritization and roadmap planning, balancing creative ambition with technical feasibility and market demands.
• Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and player expectations to inspire innovation.

• Bachelor's degree in Game Design, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent practical experience.
• Minimum of 7 years of experience in game design, with at least 2 years in a lead or senior role.
• Proven track record of designing and shipping successful titles across multiple platforms (PC, Console, Mobile).
• Deep understanding of game design principles, including mechanics, systems, narrative, level design, UI/UX, and monetization.
• Exceptional leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and guide a creative team.
• Proficiency in game engines (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine) and design tools.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a keen eye for detail and a passion for player experience.
• Ability to create clear, concise, and comprehensive design documentation.
• Experience with agile development methodologies.
• A strong portfolio showcasing innovative game design work.

Lead Game Designer | London | Full time

We’re Hutch, a mobile games developer & publisher with studios in central London, Dundee and Canada. Our mission is to build the most diverse and engaged automotive gaming community on mobile. Our games have been played by over 300 million people, with new titles in development.

We believe in putting our people first. Here you can make games without sacrificing quality time with family and friends. We strive to ensure our people are happy and healthy.  

Our teams are small and empowered, they have the independence to take on creative and technical challenges together, to work collaboratively, to make great games and have fun along the way. 

We believe in; Looking after our people, small empowered teams, complete transparency, test, learn repeat, community at the core and the freedom to focus on what truly makes a difference to our players.

We’re driven by our players! Come and Join the mission!

Lead Game Designer - F1 Clash

Hutch is looking for an experienced Game Designer to accelerate the growth of our flagship motorsports title - F1 Clash. As Lead Game Designer, you will be responsible for the features, loops, and meta experiences that build the habitual engagement to make our games endure, while managing and guiding our design team to new levels of success.

Responsibilities  

As a lead you’ll be responsible for the leadership of design standards, people, and the craft of game design within the F1 Clash team.

• Lead the design process and seek methods for continuous improvement
• Set the standard for systemic, meta, and social design quality
• Mentor other designers in the systems design process and craft
• Manage the design team, ensuring high standards of design quality and team morale
• Craft new features and systems to boost engagement and conversion
• Guide the tuning and balance of the wider game economy to provide the highest quality player experience and amplify product performance
• Evolve and iterate on existing features or systems leveraging data insight

Requirements

You’ve got the experience to jump in, make an impact on both the products and people at Hutch.

• Deep, multi-year experience in mobile, free-to-play game design
• Proven ability to craft engaging gameplay, meta and social systems across multiple live service titles on mobile
• Expert knowledge of game design principles, player psychology and the economics of play
• Free-to-Play evangelist with a finger on the pulse of the market
• Strong ability to create mock-ups/flows/prototypes to showcase new concepts & ideas to a wide variety of audiences
• Excellent written and verbal communication skills 
• Knowledge of various ideation methodologies that leverage group creativity
• Quality communication and cross functional working standards
• Get it done attitude, working in engine, sheets, or anywhere that's needed
• Line management experience

Benefits

Life at Hutch

Our HQ is in the heart of Shoreditch in central London. We have additional offices in Dundee and Mahone Bay, Nova Scotia. We're an agile, creative team with people at the core of our values. We reward our employees with;

• Hutch is now a 4-Day Work Week company*
• Flexible working hours
• Remote working 2 days per week
• Excellent salary
• Private health care
• Enhanced Maternity (18 weeks) and Paternity leave (6 weeks)
• Access to mental health initiatives such as private mental health coaching
• Support to learn, develop and progress within Hutch
• Free snacks and drinks
• Social events, game launch parties, Thursday night drinks and much more

*This will mean that Hutch employees will work a maximum of 4 days per week (30 hours/week) Mon-Thurs, with zero reductions in pay (compared to a 5 day working week).

Our Values

• Transparent - Being transparent and open helps us to be trusted and fosters integrity.
• Humble - When we are humble we show humility, we let go of egos and we are self-aware.
• Collaborative - We value teamwork, the spirit of collaboration and the results of working together.
• Driven - We have drive and ambition and always push for the best results rather than settling.
• Adaptable - Demonstrating the ability to adapt ultimately helps us grow and helps us thrive in different situations

We value diversity and as an equal opportunity employer we encourage applications from all suitable applicants. All applicants will be considered for employment without attention to race, colour, religion, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, veteran or disability status.

Please see Hutch Privacy Policy for details on how Hutch uses your personal data.

Come and find out more about Hutch. We make racing games, but it’s not the only thing that drives us -

We want you to #JOINTHEREBELLION!   

For 30 years we’ve been independently developing and publishing incredible video games at our multiple studios founded by Jason & Chris Kingsley, but Rebellion is more than just games. We have our own film and mo-cap studio, we create board games, publish books, and through 2000AD, publish comics and graphic novels such as the amazing Judge Dredd. 

We are seeking an experienced Lead Game Designer with exceptional leadership and people management skills to guide our talented team on an unannounced project. This role offers a fantastic opportunity to help shape the development right from the very start. 

Your role is to lead, inspire and develop your team and mentor designers in all aspects of their role, whilst overseeing the work of the project design team. Your focus is to lead a team of Designers to deliver a high-quality gameplay experience in line with project direction.  

This exciting hybrid opportunity can be based out of either of our studios in Oxford or Warwick studios. offering flexibility, collaboration, and the chance to work with a world-class team! We can provide a relocation package, including moving assistance, temporary accommodation, and full support to ensure a smooth transition to your new environment.

We believe in the power of face-to-face collaboration and encourage working from our studios. However, we understand that flexibility matters, so we’re open to discussing hybrid options based on individual needs.

Responsibilities : 

• Lead and inspire a team of Designers with best practice people management techniques.

• Proactively manage your team’s performance and professional development through performance review cycles giving constructive, actionable, relevant feedback.

• Collaborate with Design Directors and the Production team to balance creative vision with the production realities.
• Oversee the work of a project design team and mentor designers in all aspects of their role.

• Regularly review your team's work against the design brief and provide actionable feedback to make improvements, incorporating appropriate feedback from key stakeholders.  
• Verify the quality of design in the game, give feedback to designers and suggest improvements where necessary to fit technical constraints and artistic direction. Ensure correct documentation workflows and process are followed throughout the project lifecycle.  

• Plan and conduct gameplay evaluations with the Design Director, and the team providing feedback and suggestions to help fine tune and improve the game.
• Be an active mentor and role model for the Design team. Work to maintain morale, create an atmosphere of creativity, enthusiasm and inspiration.  

Requirements

• Extensive knowledge of people management best practices.  

• Broad business knowledge of the company structure, operations and strategy. 

• Willingness and ability to deliver high quality results using tools and processes required to get the job done. 

• Expert knowledge of the video game development process, including working in a timely / time-bound manner, and prototyping/iterating appropriately within that restriction. 

• Excellent knowledge of production pipelines. 

Benefits

We offer an extensive benefits package to our team including:   

• 22 days holidays + Christmas closure (typically 4 days) & Bank holidays (increasing with service at 5 years – one day each year until you reach 31 days) 

• Private Medical Insurance, healthcare cash plan, including dental and Vision 

• Life Assurance, Income Protection & Critical Illness Cover 

• Enhanced Family Leave  

• Interest Free, Tax-Free loans 

• Enhanced Pension Scheme 

• EAP a range of Mental Health and Wellbeing Support  

• Plus loads more… including a wide range of discounts, freebies, and social events!  

Life at Our Oxford HQ

Our riverside headquarters in Oxford places you a short walk away from the city centre. Renowned for its rich historical backdrop and esteemed educational institutions, Oxford offers a unique blend of tradition and modernity, with its beautiful architecture and green spaces.

Oxford also boasts excellent transport links, making it easy to navigate both the city and the wider country. The city’s train station, just a short walk from our studio, offers frequent services to London, as well as direct routes to major cities like Birmingham, Manchester, and Reading and we also offer free parking at the studio.

Our open-plan office promotes teamwork and innovation, with regular interaction with senior management and other departments, alongside access to free hot drinks, a handy tuck shop onsite and a range of local pubs, cafes and dining options nearby helping make every workday enjoyable!

Inside Rebellion

Whichever team you join at Rebellion we are proud of our open, friendly, and creative atmosphere. We love what we do, and we have fun doing it! As a big indie developer, we have complete creative freedom over our titles which allows us to work on a massive variety of projects across all the major platforms. 

Find out more about us here  

Our size, stability, and the variety of in-house expertise across multiple industries, makes Rebellion completely unique! We work in our own way, and we celebrate that as the key to our success. We foster an inclusive culture where you are encouraged to be yourself, to express your creativity and your talent. We are people focused and will support you in every way to can be the best at what you do. We recognise the importance of enjoying what you do and having a healthy work-life balance. We offer a friendly, creative, and relaxed working atmosphere, with sensibly managed projects and a wide variety of benefits and development opportunities for all our teams to ensure you are fully supported with your physical and Mental Well-being. 

We are actively recruiting for a diverse team and continue to add to our culture of growth and inclusion. Rebellion encourages innovation in all areas, and we look forward to hearing how you can help us to be better. We encourage all demographics of culture, gender, ethnicity, neurodiversity and beyond, because a representative team makes better products. 

If you are interested in working at Rebellion, but this role doesn’t sound quite like you, we’re recruiting for a range of positions across the studio and we’re always happy to receive speculative applications via our website. Visit our Careers website to view all our live vacancies: Rebellion: Careers  

#LI-Hybrid

• Define and champion the overall game vision, design pillars, and player experience.
• Lead, mentor, and inspire a team of game designers, fostering a collaborative and innovative environment.
• Design and document core gameplay systems, mechanics, player progression, and narrative elements.
• Create detailed game design documents, wireframes, flowcharts, and prototypes to effectively communicate design ideas.
• Collaborate closely with engineers, artists, producers, and QA to ensure the cohesive implementation of design vision.
• Conduct playtesting sessions, analyze feedback, and iterate on designs to enhance player engagement and satisfaction.
• Maintain a deep understanding of current gaming trends, player expectations, and emerging technologies.
• Advocate for the player experience throughout the development process.
• Manage design scope, priorities, and schedules in alignment with project milestones.
• Contribute to the recruitment and onboarding of new design talent.

• Minimum of 5 years of professional game design experience, with at least 2 years in a lead or senior design role.
• Proven track record of successfully shipping multiple titles across PC, console, or mobile platforms.
• Exceptional portfolio showcasing innovative game mechanics, system design, and creative problem-solving.
• Strong understanding of game design principles, player psychology, and engagement loops.
• Proficiency in industry-standard game engines (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine) and design tools.
• Experience with scripting languages (e.g., Lua, C#) is a plus.
• Outstanding leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to articulate complex ideas clearly.
• Experience leading remote teams and fostering effective collaboration in a distributed environment.
• A deep passion for games and a strong sense of artistic and design innovation.
• Ability to provide constructive feedback and guide junior designers.

• Bachelor's degree in Creative Writing, Game Design, English Literature, or a related field.
• Minimum of 5 years of experience in game design, with at least 3 years focused specifically on narrative design.
• Proven experience in writing dialogue, plot, and character development for video games.
• Strong portfolio demonstrating narrative design work on shipped titles.
• Familiarity with narrative design tools and techniques (e.g., Twine, Ink).
• Excellent writing, editing, and proofreading skills.
• Experience leading creative teams and providing design direction.
• Understanding of how narrative integrates with gameplay mechanics and player progression.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Passion for video games and storytelling.
• Ability to work collaboratively within a studio environment in **Stoke-on-Trent, Staffordshire**.

• Lead the design and implementation of core game systems, including combat, economy, progression, AI behavior, and player interaction mechanics.
• Develop comprehensive design documentation, including GDDs (Game Design Documents), system specifications, and flowcharts.
• Mentor, guide, and manage a team of game designers, fostering their professional growth and ensuring high-quality output.
• Collaborate closely with engineers, artists, producers, and QA testers to ensure seamless integration and execution of game systems.
• Champion the player experience, ensuring all design decisions contribute to engaging, fun, and balanced gameplay.
• Conduct playtesting sessions, gather feedback, and iterate on designs based on user testing and critical analysis.
• Stay abreast of industry trends, competitor analysis, and emerging technologies in game design.
• Contribute to the overall vision and creative direction of game projects.
• Prototype and implement new game mechanics and systems using scripting languages or proprietary tools.
• Ensure consistency and balance across all game systems, managing interdependencies effectively.
• Communicate design intent clearly and effectively to the wider development team and stakeholders.

• Minimum of 8 years of experience in game design, with at least 3 years in a lead or senior role focusing on systems design.
• Demonstrable experience designing and shipping multiple successful titles across various platforms (PC, Console, Mobile).
• Exceptional understanding of game design principles, theory, and best practices, particularly in systems design.
• Proficiency in using game engines (e.g., Unreal Engine, Unity) and associated scripting tools.
• Strong ability to create clear, concise, and comprehensive design documentation.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with a proven ability to motivate and manage a team.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving skills, with a keen eye for detail and balance.
• A passion for video games and a deep understanding of player psychology and motivation.
• Experience with player feedback analysis and iterative design processes.
• Bachelor's degree in Game Design, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent industry experience.

• Lead the conceptualization and design of core game mechanics, systems, and player experiences.
• Develop and document detailed game design specifications, including narratives, progression systems, and player interactions.
• Guide and mentor a team of game designers, fostering creativity and ensuring design coherence.
• Collaborate closely with artists, programmers, and producers to translate design vision into reality.
• Iterate on designs based on playtesting feedback, market analysis, and team input.
• Define and champion the player experience, ensuring engaging and intuitive gameplay.
• Create compelling game worlds, characters, and storylines.
• Contribute to the overall creative direction and vision of the game project.
• Stay up-to-date with industry trends, emerging technologies, and player preferences.
• Ensure designs are technically feasible and meet project constraints.
• Present design concepts and proposals to internal teams and stakeholders.

• Bachelor's degree in Game Design, Computer Science, Art, or a related field, or equivalent experience.
• Minimum of 6 years of professional experience in game design, with at least 2 years in a lead or senior role.
• A strong portfolio showcasing published game titles and design work.
• Deep understanding of game mechanics, level design, narrative design, and systems design.
• Proficiency in game design software and documentation tools.
• Experience with various game engines (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine) is a plus.
• Excellent communication, presentation, and interpersonal skills.
• Strong leadership and team management abilities.
• Creative problem-solving skills and a passion for player-centric design.
• Ability to work effectively in a remote, collaborative environment.