Resume template · Updated October 2026
Game developer resume template
Short answer
Catalyst suits a game developer whose studio and shipped titles carry the application: it skips the summary and opens on the current job. The fictional sample is a Montreal gameplay programmer who built combat and AI systems in C++ and Unreal Engine for a console action game, after three years making mobile puzzle games in Unity, with game jam projects and a shipped titles list.
Download the game developer sample
Nathan is a fictional gameplay programmer. Replace every detail with your own before you send it.
The files are made in your browser by Resumity's own exporters, from this sample. The builder opens it as your own resume: click any line to replace it. Free plan, no watermark.
Why Catalyst suits a game developer resume
Catalyst goes from the header straight into work experience, so a lead programmer sees your studio, your systems and your shipped game before anything else. Projects print after skills, a natural place for game jam entries and personal prototypes, and the shipped titles list prints last as a quick record of platforms and release years.
Second choice: FAANGPath. FAANGPath adds a summary and puts skills above experience; pick it if you are a student or switching from general software work and your languages lead the case.
What goes in each section, in Catalyst's order
Catalyst prints its sections in a fixed order, the same in the PDF and the Word file. Here is that order for this sample, and what to put in each section.
- Work Experience. Studio, game and your systems: combat, AI, physics, UI, networking, tools, engine. Give one result per system (designers creating content without code, milliseconds saved, crash rate, bugs closed in certification) and the platforms it shipped on.
- Skills. Languages and specialisms on Technical (C++, C#, gameplay, AI, rendering, multiplayer), engines and tools on Tools (Unreal, Unity, Perforce, profilers). Leads check engine versions and console experience here.
- Projects. Game jams, prototypes and personal engines with one line each and a playable link. For students and juniors this section does the work of experience; for seniors two entries are enough.
- Education. Degree, school and year. Name a game programming specialisation or capstone game if you have one.
- Shipped titles. A "Shipped titles" list: game, platforms and year, including mobile, indie and DLC releases. Studios read it to see that you have finished games, not only started them.
The sample resume as text
The same content as the files above, so you can copy a line or compare it with your own.
Nathan Kowalczyk
Gameplay Programmer, C++ and Unreal Engine, Console and Mobile
Montreal, QC | nathan.kowalczyk@example.com | (514) 555-0177 | portfolio.example.com/nathan-kowalczyk | github.com/sample-nathan-kowalczyk
Experience
Gameplay Programmer, Lanterne Rouge Studio, Montreal, QC (09/2021 to Present)
- Program combat and enemy AI in C++ for a third-person action game released on PC, PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S.
- Built a data-driven ability system that designers used to create about 80 abilities without code changes.
- Cut average frame time in large fights by about 4 ms on base consoles after profiling with Unreal Insights and moving AI updates to worker threads.
- Fixed about 300 bugs during platform certification and launch, including two crashes found in submission.
Game Developer, Pixel Harbour Games, Montreal, QC (06/2018 to 08/2021)
- Built gameplay and UI in Unity and C# for three mobile puzzle games.
- Added analytics events showing where players quit, which led to a redesigned tutorial.
- Shipped weekly live updates as one of six developers.
Projects
Tidebound (48-hour game jam): A co-op boat puzzle game built in Unreal Engine 5 with two artists and a sound designer.
- Wrote all gameplay code and the local co-op input
- Placed third of 120 entries
Shipped titles
- Ashen Vow (PC, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S), 2024
- Tile Tide, Gem Garden and Puzzle Port (iOS, Android), 2019 to 2021
Education
BSc, Computer Science, Game Development option, Université du Mont-Royal (05/2018)
Skills
C++, C#, Gameplay systems, Enemy AI and behaviour trees, Performance profiling, Multiplayer replication, Unreal Engine 5, Unity, Perforce, Visual Studio, RenderDoc, Working closely with designers, Clear bug reports
How to make the sample yours
Name your engine and version
Unreal Engine 5, Unity 6 or a proprietary engine: say which and what you built inside it (gameplay framework, tools, editor extensions).
Credit team work precisely
Games are made by large teams. Write "built the ability system" for what you built and "worked on" for systems you contributed to.
Respect unannounced projects
For a game still under NDA, describe the genre, platforms and your systems without the title or story details.
Show performance work with numbers
Frame time saved, memory reduced, load times cut, on which hardware. Leads remember a candidate who can profile.
Make projects playable
Link an itch.io page, a build or a short video for each project. A playable link beats a paragraph.
Keywords to keep where they are true
Terms this kind of resume is usually searched for. Use the posting's exact wording, and only for work you have done.
- game developer
- gameplay programmer
- C++
- C#
- Unreal Engine
- Unity
- gameplay systems
- game AI
- performance profiling
- multiplayer networking
- Perforce
- console development
- shipped titles
- debugging
- tools programming
Mistakes to avoid
- A list of games you like instead of games you shipped or built.
- Unannounced titles, story details or footage under NDA.
- Claiming a whole game when you built one system in it.
- Engine buzzwords with no system or result behind them.
How the sample PDF reads in text extractors
We exported this sample with Resumity's PDF exporter in Chrome on 2026-10-29 and read the file back with three open-source text extractors. This shows whether software that turns a PDF into text can recover it; it is not a test of any commercial applicant tracking system. How we test templates.
| Extractor | Name, email, phone | Headings | Bullets intact |
|---|---|---|---|
| pdf.js 4.10.38 | All found | 5 of 5 | 9 of 9 |
| pdftotext (Xpdf) 4.00 | All found | 5 of 5 | 9 of 9 |
| pypdf 6.13.0 | All found | 5 of 5 | 9 of 9 |
Frequently asked questions
How do I write a game developer resume with no shipped games?
Lead with projects: game jams, a vertical slice, mods or tools, each with a playable link and the systems you built. Catalyst prints projects after skills, so a template with a summary such as FAANGPath can help frame a first application.
Should a game programmer include a portfolio?
Yes. A short page with videos or builds and a code sample for each project, linked in the header, lets a lead check your work in minutes.
Do I need a games degree?
No. Studios hire programmers from computer science, engineering and self-taught paths. Shipped or playable work and solid C++ matter more.
How do I show console experience?
Name the platforms you shipped or developed on and what you handled: certification bugs, platform services, performance on base hardware. Keep platform holder details within your NDA.
Is a game developer resume one page?
One page for most programmers under ten years in. The shipped titles list and project links carry the detail.
Will applicant tracking systems read this Catalyst PDF?
The sample PDF read back with its contact details, all 5 section headings and all 9 bullets intact in three open-source text extractors (pdf.js, pdftotext and pypdf). Commercial systems such as Workday, Greenhouse or Taleo were not tested, and each employer configures its own.
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