Domain
Game Development
Skill Profile
Physics engines, collisions, rigid body, ray casting, simulation
Roles
6
where this skill appears
Levels
5
structured growth path
Mandatory requirements
30
the other 0 optional
Game Development
Game Programming
3/17/2026
Choose your current level and compare expectations. The items below show what to cover to advance to the next level.
The table shows how skill depth grows from Junior to Principal. Click a row to see details.
| Role | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| AR/VR Developer | Required | Uses built-in physics in Unity (Rigidbody, Collider) / Unreal (Physics). Configures physical materials and collision layers. Understands the difference between dynamic and kinematic bodies. |
| Game Designer | Required | Understands basic physics systems in games: collision detection, rigidbody, triggers, raycasting. Configures physical parameters for proper game feel: gravity, friction, bounciness. Tests physics in prototypes and iterates for comfortable controls. |
| Game QA Engineer | Required | Tests basic physical interactions: collisions, gravity, ragdoll. Finds clipping bugs, falling through geometry, characters getting stuck in objects. |
| Unity Developer | Required | Uses Unity Physics system: Rigidbody, Colliders, Triggers for basic physical interactions. Configures Physics Layers and Layer Collision Matrix. Understands the difference between Update and FixedUpdate. |
| Unreal Engine Developer | Required | Uses Chaos Physics in Unreal Engine: collision primitives, physics materials, constraints. Configures Physics Assets for Skeletal Meshes. Understands Physical Materials and collision channels. |
| XR Unity Developer | Required | Uses Unity Physics for XR: Rigidbody, Colliders, Physics Layers. Configures physical interactions for VR grab/throw. Understands FixedUpdate and physics timestep for VR. |
| Role | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| AR/VR Developer | Required | Configures physics for VR/AR: precise collisions, Physics.OverlapSphere, raycasting. Optimizes physics computations (broad/narrow phase). Uses joints and constraints for VR interactions. |
| Game Designer | Required | Designs physics systems for gameplay: ragdoll, destruction, vehicle physics, cloth simulation. Configures physics layers and collision matrix for optimization. Creates custom physics for game feel: tweaked gravity curves, coyote time, input buffering for responsive controls. |
| Game QA Engineer | Required | Systematically tests physics engine: checks collision detection on edge cases, tests vehicle physics, destructible environments. Validates physics at different framerates. |
| Unity Developer | Required | Develops physics systems in Unity: ragdoll, vehicle physics, custom physics materials. Uses Physics.Raycast, SphereCast for gameplay mechanics. Optimizes physics through Fixed Timestep and solver iteration tuning. |
| Unreal Engine Developer | Required | Develops physics systems in Unreal: Chaos Destruction for destructibles, Vehicle Movement Component, custom physics sub-stepping. Profiles physics via Unreal Insights. |
| XR Unity Developer | Required | Optimizes physics for XR in Unity: Physics.OverlapSphere, layer-based collision, continuous collision detection. Uses ConfigurableJoint for VR tools. Implements physics-based VR hands. |
| Role | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| AR/VR Developer | Required | Develops custom physics solutions for XR. Implements deterministic physics for multiplayer VR. Optimizes physics timestep for the VR frame budget. Works with soft body and cloth physics. |
| Game Designer | Required | Designs complex physics systems: soft body physics, fluid simulation, custom physics for unique mechanics. Optimizes physics for production: deterministic physics for multiplayer, physics LOD, async physics. Creates physics design guidelines for the team. |
| Game QA Engineer | Required | Designs physics testing strategy: defines test scenarios for soft body, fluid dynamics, cloth simulation. Automates physics system regression through replay tests. |
| Unity Developer | Required | Designs physics systems for complex Unity projects: Unity Physics (DOTS), custom physics for specific genres, deterministic physics for multiplayer. Profiles and optimizes PhysX. |
| Unreal Engine Developer | Required | Designs AAA-level physics systems in Unreal: large-scale destruction, custom Chaos solvers, deterministic physics for competitive multiplayer. Optimizes physics broadphase. |
| XR Unity Developer | Required | Develops custom physics solutions for XR: deterministic physics for multiplayer, custom collision systems. Optimizes Physics.FixedUpdate budget for VR. Uses Unity Physics (DOTS) for large-scale XR scenes. |
| Role | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| AR/VR Developer | Required | Defines the physics engine strategy for the XR project. Establishes performance budgets for physics computations. Coordinates development of physical interactions. |
| Game Designer | Required | Defines physics strategy for the project: physics engine selection, custom vs built-in, simulation fidelity. Establishes physics design guidelines for designers. Coordinates with programmers to achieve target game feel. Mentors the team in physics-based game design. |
| Game QA Engineer | Required | Defines QA approach to physics testing at studio level. Builds library of typical physics bugs, implements fuzzing approaches for stress-testing physics systems. |
| Unity Developer | Required | Defines physics standards for Unity projects. Establishes physics budget (collider counts, solver iterations). Coordinates physics and gameplay teams for optimal game feel. |
| Unreal Engine Developer | Required | Defines physics standards for the Unreal studio. Establishes physics performance budgets: body count, contact pairs. Coordinates physics and gameplay teams. |
| XR Unity Developer | Required | Defines physics strategy for XR project. Establishes physics performance budget. Coordinates optimization of physics systems. |
| Role | Required | Description |
|---|---|---|
| AR/VR Developer | Required | Defines the physics model for XR products. Evaluates new physics engines and their applicability. Shapes standards for physical interactions. |
| Game Designer | Required | Shapes physics vision at the studio level: technology investments, R&D directions, physics-based gameplay innovation. Evaluates new technologies: ML-driven physics, position-based dynamics. Defines physics capabilities for next-generation projects. |
| Game QA Engineer | Required | Shapes enterprise physics testing methodology across genres. Defines physics model validation standards, integrates physics QA into engine pipeline. |
| Unity Developer | Required | Defines physics systems strategy at studio level. Evaluates PhysX 5, Havok for Unity, custom physics solutions. Shapes physics middleware roadmap. |
| Unreal Engine Developer | Required | Defines physics technology strategy for the studio. Evaluates Chaos roadmap, alternative physics solutions. Shapes physics innovation roadmap for next-gen. |
| XR Unity Developer | Required | Defines physics model for XR products. Evaluates Unity Physics roadmap. Shapes physics standards for XR. |