From Portfolio to Pitch: How to Land Your First Game Dev Role
Breaking into the game development industry can feel like navigating a boss battle without enough power-ups. You’ve got the passion, the skills, and maybe even a few personal projects under your belt, but standing out in a competitive field takes more than just a good GPA or a degree. It’s about showing—not just telling—studios what you can do.
Whether you’re aiming for a role at a AAA studio or a small indie team, your portfolio and application materials are your first chance to make an impression. Studios want to see evidence of your skills, your problem-solving process, and how well you can contribute to a team. Here's how to go from a hobbyist or student dev to someone studios want on their team.
Portfolio
Build a Relevant Portfolio That Speaks for You
Your portfolio is the core of your application. It’s not just a collection of projects—it’s a demonstration of how you think, solve problems, and bring ideas to life. Think of it as your personal storefront. Recruiters and hiring managers often spend only a few minutes reviewing portfolios, so make it count.
What to include:
Playable demos or videos of your games or features, ideally hosted on a personal website or platforms like Itch.io
Source code samples (hosted on GitHub or GitLab) that showcase clean, well-documented programming practices
Short descriptions for each project, explaining your specific role, tools and languages used (e.g., Unity, Unreal Engine, C++, C#, JavaScript), and any challenges you faced and how you solved them
If you’re applying for a gameplay programmer role, lead with your best physics system, enemy AI, or unique gameplay mechanic. If your dream is to work in VR or AR, elevate your Unity XR project to the top of your portfolio.
Keep in mind that it’s okay to be selective. One or two polished, in-depth projects that align with the role you’re applying for are far more impactful than a long list of unfinished or unrelated work. Quality over quantity always wins.
Also, be sure to include a short bio or “About Me” section that adds context to your background—how you got into game dev, your interests in the industry, and what kind of team culture you’re drawn to. These small touches help humanize your application.
Cover Letter
Craft Your Personal Pitch: From Cover Letter to Communication
This is where many talented developers fall short. A strong cover letter is your chance to provide context that your resume can’t fully capture. It connects your experience, your motivations, and your passion to the studio’s goals and mission.
Think of it as your opening narrative. Studios aren’t just looking for someone who can code—they want someone who believes in their vision and is eager to be part of the creative journey.
Tips for writing a great one:
Speak their language. Mention the engines and tools they use and how you’ve used them in real projects
Tell a story. Describe a personal or team project that challenged you, what you learned from it, and how it shaped your approach to game development
Be specific. Reference a game they’ve developed that inspired you or aligned with your creative goals
Avoid generic phrases like “I am passionate about game development.” Instead, show your passion through examples—talk about that time you stayed up all night fixing a gameplay bug before a game jam deadline, or how you designed a prototype after reading a GDC talk that sparked an idea.
Beyond your cover letter, communication matters throughout the hiring process. From interviews to email exchanges, your ability to express your ideas clearly and collaborate respectfully is just as important as technical chops.
Game development is inherently collaborative. It involves working with designers, artists, sound engineers, and producers. Studios want to know you can:
Receive and act on feedback
Document your work for others to understand
Explain complex technical concepts in simple terms
If you’ve worked on a team—through a university course, game jam, or indie project—talk about how you navigated roles, disagreements, or creative challenges. What did you learn? How did the project evolve through collaboration?
And if you’ve contributed to open-source tools, modding communities, or forums, don’t hesitate to include those experiences. They show initiative, curiosity, and community involvement—all traits studios respect.
The last piece of your pitch? Keep growing. The game industry is one of the fastest-changing fields out there. Tools evolve, platforms shift, and design paradigms are always in motion. Stay active in dev communities like GitHub, Reddit, Discord groups, or local meetups. Attend (or watch) GDC talks, read dev blogs, and follow studios you admire.
This mindset of constant learning will not only improve your skills but also give you more stories and projects to share when the next application opportunity comes around.
And when applying? Don’t get discouraged if the first few don’t pan out. Every pitch you send is practice for the next one, and persistence often makes all the difference.
Ready to Apply? Start Strong.
To help you stand out, we’ve created a Game Developer Cover Letter Template you can easily customize for your next role. It highlights technical skills, project experience, and your passion for game development—all in a professional, easy-to-follow format.
Download the template now and give your application the extra polish it deserves.