Senior Gameplay Programmer

About the role

Rockstar Games develops large-scale, high-end entertainment experiences, and this role sits within a collaborative studio environment focused on ambitious creative projects. As a Senior Gameplay Programmer, you will join a compact but seasoned team, contribute to important gameplay technology areas, and be ready to step into adjacent technical areas when needed. The position is based full-time and permanently in Rockstar’s Sydney game development studio.

What the team does

• The gameplay programming group designs and evolves core gameplay systems and player control interfaces using C++ together with game scripting.
• The team works iteratively to fine-tune features so they achieve the intended feel and quality in game.
• It also builds internal tools that speed up feature delivery, improve iteration, and help other teams work more productively.
• The team is responsible for writing efficient, reliable, well-documented code, and for debugging, reviewing, analysing, and improving code written by other developers.

Key responsibilities

• Work alongside designers and artists to design, build, and deliver gameplay systems and features.
• Review existing gameplay systems and enhance or extend them where improvements are needed.
• Translate design feedback and feature changes into practical technical plans and implementations.
• Guide and support junior or less experienced teammates.

What you need

• At least 5 years of professional experience building video games with C++.
• Strong ability to optimize your own code as well as shared team code to meet performance targets.
• Experience creating clear, concise APIs as part of software or gameplay engineering work.
• Solid grasp of top-down design, object-oriented programming, design patterns, and game design fundamentals.
• Strong problem-solving ability and the skill to identify the best solution for a given technical challenge.
• Excellent communication and interpersonal abilities.
• Comfort working in a fast-moving, milestone-based environment where priorities can shift.
• Good mathematical ability, including vectors, matrices, and linear algebra.

Preferred experience

• Background in gameplay-centric roles focused on creating and refining gameplay systems and features.
• Experience shipping at least one title, ideally on Xbox or PlayStation.
• Knowledge of mobile devices and the associated development workflow.
• Deep familiarity with multithreaded synchronization primitives.
• Professional experience with game design or scripting work.
• A public portfolio showcasing code samples.
• Exposure to scripting languages such as C#, Python, or Lua.

How to apply

Applicants should submit a CV and cover letter that clearly show how their background matches the requirements. A recruiter will contact shortlisted candidates to outline the next steps in the hiring process.

Equal opportunity and accommodations

Rockstar Games is committed to a workplace built on equal opportunity, dignity, and respect. Reasonable accommodations are available for qualified applicants with disabilities during recruitment, and applicants who need support should inform their recruiter during the interview process. Applications are welcomed from all qualified candidates regardless of age, disability, gender identity, sexual orientation, religion, belief, race, or other protected characteristics.