Select your current position

Pick a role and level — we'll show the growth path, skills and gap analysis.

Development path

Junior

0-2 years

Current

Responsibility: Completing tasks under the guidance of senior colleagues. Learning the codebase, standards, and team processes. Writing code to spec, fixing simple bugs, writing tests.

Key skills:

Game Performance Optimization Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need

Middle

2-5 years

Next

Responsibility: Independently developing features from decomposition to deployment. Participating in code review. Optimizing performance. Mentoring junior developers. Taking part in architecture discussions.

Key skills:

Game Performance Optimization Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need

Senior

5-8 years

Responsibility: Designing the architecture of components and services. Solving complex technical problems. Managing technical debt. Code review as a quality gatekeeper. Mentoring middle developers. Choosing technologies for new tasks.

Key skills:

Docker Need
E2E Testing Need
Game Mechanics Design Need
Game Performance Optimization Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need
Git LFS Need
GitHub Actions / GitLab CI Need
Runbook & Playbook Writing Need
TDD & BDD Need
Unit Testing Need
Unity Engine Need
Unreal Engine C++/Blueprints Need
Integration Testing Need
Mobile Testing Need
Structured Logging Need
Accessibility Testing Need
Test Pyramid & Strategy Need
Test Data Management Need
Test Environment Management Need

Lead / Staff

7-12 years

Responsibility: Technical leadership of a team or area. Designing system architecture. Coordinating with other teams. Establishing standards and best practices. Participating in hiring. Planning the technical roadmap.

Key skills:

Docker Need
E2E Testing Need
Game Mechanics Design Need
Game Performance Optimization Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need
Git LFS Need
GitHub Actions / GitLab CI Need
Runbook & Playbook Writing Need
TDD & BDD Need
Unit Testing Need
Unity Engine Need
Unreal Engine C++/Blueprints Need
Integration Testing Need
Mobile Testing Need
Structured Logging Need
Accessibility Testing Need
Test Pyramid & Strategy Need
Test Data Management Need
Test Environment Management Need

Principal

10+ years

Responsibility: Technical strategy at the company or domain level. Cross-organizational influence. Solving systemic business problems through technology. Mentoring lead engineers. Publicly representing the company.

Key skills:

Docker Need
E2E Testing Need
Game Mechanics Design Need
Game Performance Optimization Need
Game Physics Need
Game Testing & QA Need
Game UX & UI Design Need
Git LFS Need
GitHub Actions / GitLab CI Need
Runbook & Playbook Writing Need
TDD & BDD Need
Unit Testing Need
Unity Engine Need
Unreal Engine C++/Blueprints Need
Integration Testing Need
Mobile Testing Need
Structured Logging Need
Accessibility Testing Need
Test Pyramid & Strategy Need
Test Data Management Need
Test Environment Management Need

Gap analysis: skills to develop

To reach the next level you'll need to develop:

Game Performance Optimization

Conducts systematic performance testing: profiles CPU/GPU through built-in engine tools (Unity Profiler, Unreal Insights). Identifies memory leaks and draw call spikes.

Game Physics

Systematically tests physics engine: checks collision detection on edge cases, tests vehicle physics, destructible environments. Validates physics at different framerates.

Game Testing & QA

Independently conducts full cycle of functional and regression testing of game builds. Classifies defects by severity/priority, verifies compliance with TRC/TCR requirements from Sony/Microsoft.

Game UX & UI Design

Conducts UX review of game flow: evaluates onboarding, game feel, control responsiveness. Analyzes playtest session data, identifies frustration points and progression drop-off.