1,665 Lead Game Designer jobs in the United Kingdom

• Define and articulate the overall game design vision, ensuring creative coherence and quality across all game systems.
• Lead and mentor a team of game designers, fostering a positive and productive working environment.
• Design, document, and oversee the implementation of core gameplay mechanics, systems, and features.
• Collaborate closely with art, programming, narrative, and audio teams to ensure seamless integration of design elements.
• Develop and iterate on game design documentation, including GDDs, flowcharts, and wireframes.
• Create compelling player experiences that are engaging, fun, and memorable.
• Conduct playtesting sessions, analyze feedback, and iterate on designs based on player data and team input.
• Stay up-to-date with the latest industry trends, technologies, and best practices in game design.
• Contribute to the narrative design and world-building aspects of the game.
• Manage design scope, prioritize features, and work effectively within project deadlines and budgets.
• Present design ideas and progress to internal stakeholders and external partners.

• Proven experience as a Lead Game Designer or Senior Game Designer on multiple shipped titles, preferably PC or console.
• A strong portfolio showcasing a deep understanding of game mechanics, systems design, and player psychology.
• Expertise in designing and balancing complex game systems.
• Excellent leadership, communication, and interpersonal skills, with the ability to inspire and guide a team.
• Proficiency in industry-standard game engines (e.g., Unreal Engine, Unity) and design tools.
• Strong understanding of game development pipelines and methodologies.
• Experience with player feedback analysis and iterative design processes.
• Creative thinking, problem-solving abilities, and a passion for creating innovative gaming experiences.
• Ability to translate high-level concepts into detailed design specifications.
• Familiarity with different game genres and their design principles.
• Must be eligible to work in the UK.

• Defining and documenting the overall game design vision, including core mechanics, systems, level design principles, and narrative structure.
• Leading, mentoring, and inspiring a team of game designers, providing clear direction and constructive feedback.
• Collaborating closely with art, engineering, and production teams to ensure the game design vision is realized effectively and cohesively.
• Designing and prototyping innovative gameplay systems and mechanics.
• Developing detailed game design documents (GDDs) and maintaining them throughout the development cycle.
• Conducting playtesting sessions and analyzing feedback to iterate on game design.
• Ensuring a high standard of user experience and player engagement.
• Staying current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitor analysis.
• Presenting design concepts and progress to stakeholders.

• Lead the design vision and execution for key game features and systems.
• Mentor and guide a team of talented game designers, fostering a collaborative and creative environment.
• Design and document core game mechanics, player progression, economies, and other complex systems.
• Collaborate closely with engineers, artists, and producers to bring game designs to life.
• Define and maintain the player experience, ensuring cohesive and compelling gameplay across all aspects of the title.
• Conduct player research, playtesting, and analysis to iterate on designs and improve the overall game.
• Create detailed design specifications, flowcharts, and wireframes.
• Stay current with industry trends, emerging technologies, and best practices in game design.
• Present design concepts and rationale to the wider team and stakeholders.
• Champion innovative and engaging game design principles.
• Contribute to the overall creative direction and strategic vision of the studio.
• Ensure designs are technically feasible and align with project scope and budget.

• Defining and driving the overall game design vision and player experience.
• Leading, mentoring, and managing a team of game designers.
• Creating detailed design documents, including mechanics, systems, levels, and narrative elements.
• Collaborating with art, programming, and audio teams to ensure cohesive implementation of design.
• Prototyping and iterating on gameplay mechanics to achieve desired player engagement.
• Conducting playtesting sessions and analysing feedback to refine designs.
• Ensuring design quality and consistency across all game features.
• Presenting design concepts and updates to stakeholders.
• Staying informed about industry trends and emerging technologies in game development.
• Contributing to the recruitment and development of design talent.

• Conceptualize, document, and present innovative game designs from inception to completion.
• Lead and mentor a team of game designers, providing clear direction and constructive feedback.
• Develop detailed game design documents (GDDs), wireframes, and flowcharts.
• Collaborate closely with programmers, artists, producers, and QA testers to ensure design integrity and feasibility.
• Define and refine core gameplay loops, progression systems, and player engagement strategies.
• Design compelling narratives, character arcs, and world-building elements.
• Balance game mechanics, economy, and difficulty to ensure a satisfying player experience.
• Conduct playtesting sessions and analyze feedback to iterate and improve designs.
• Stay abreast of industry trends, emerging technologies, and competitor analysis.
• Champion the creative vision and ensure its consistent execution throughout the development lifecycle.
• Contribute to the overall artistic and technical direction of the game.

• Lead the conceptualization and design of core game mechanics and systems.
• Develop and maintain comprehensive game design documentation (GDDs).
• Create prototypes to test and validate gameplay ideas.
• Collaborate with artists, programmers, and producers to implement design features.
• Guide and mentor a team of game designers, fostering their growth and creativity.
• Conduct playtesting sessions and analyze feedback to iterate on designs.
• Ensure the coherence, quality, and fun factor of the overall game experience.
• Champion innovative design solutions and best practices.
• Work closely with narrative designers to integrate story and gameplay.
• Contribute to the definition of game aesthetics and player progression.

• Extensive experience in game design, with proven experience in a lead or senior role.
• A strong portfolio demonstrating successful game design work across various genres.
• Proficiency in game design tools, engines (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine), and scripting languages.
• In-depth understanding of game design principles, player psychology, and user experience.
• Excellent documentation, communication, and presentation skills.
• Experience mentoring and managing a team of designers.
• Strong analytical and problem-solving abilities.
• Passion for video games and a deep understanding of the industry.
• Ability to work effectively in a remote, collaborative team environment.
• Bachelor's degree in Game Design, Computer Science, or a related field, or equivalent experience.

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