Game Designer (Player Character) - RuneScape Dragonwilds

Location: Cambridge, UK – (Remote available within the UK with team onsite days in the Cambridge office approx. 4 times per year)

Are you a game designer who crafts responsive, satisfying gameplay and would love to shape the player experience in RuneScape’s newest game? As a Game Designer (Player Character) on RuneScape: Dragonwilds, our open-world survival crafting game in early access and developed in Unreal Engine 5, you’ll focus on the gameplay systems that define how it feels to move, fight, and explore in the world. You’ll work closely with the Senior Designer responsible for player systems, supporting the design, implementation, and tuning of core mechanics such as traversal, combat, and spellcasting. This is a highly collaborative and hands-on role, ideal for someone who is detail-oriented, responsive to feedback, and thrives in a cross-discipline team environment. If you’re excited by the opportunity to shape the moment-to-moment feel of a game that millions of players will explore, this is the role for you.

What you’ll be doing:

• Support the Senior Designer in developing and refining player mechanics including traversal, combat, and spellcasting.
• Set up and balance a range of player weapons, including melee, ranged, and magic, ensuring they feel distinct, responsive, and satisfying.
• Implement and iterate on gameplay features in Unreal Engine 5 using Blueprints and data-driven tools.
• Tune player movement, animations, responsiveness, and timing to achieve a high level of polish and control.
• Collaborate with animators, engineers, and VFX/audio teams to bring player abilities and weapons to life.
• Contribute to balancing stamina, cooldowns, and other player resources across various weapon and ability types.
• Maintain and improve weapon and ability data setups to support scalability and easy iteration.
• Participate in playtests, gather feedback, and iterate based on team insights and direction.
• Communicate clearly across disciplines and keep documentation up to date and aligned with team goals.
• Work within technical and project constraints while advocating for great-feeling gameplay.

What we’re looking for:

• Proven experience working on player-facing gameplay features, ideally in action, adventure, or survival games.
• A strong understanding of combat feel and pacing, especially across melee, ranged, and magic weapon types.
• Familiarity with Unreal Engine 5 and Blueprint scripting, with an eye for clean, reusable setups.
• A detail-oriented mindset when it comes to balancing and tuning weapons and abilities.
• Ability to follow creative direction while bringing thoughtful ideas and problem-solving to the table.
• Good communication and documentation habits, especially when working with cross-discipline teams.
• Comfortable with iteration and feedback-driven development.
• A genuine love of great-feeling gameplay and delivering experiences players will remember.

What we offer:

When you join Jagex you can look forward to a generous Perks & Benefits package including: Employee Assistance Programme & onsite Counselling, Life Insurance, Discretionary annual performance bonus, Enhanced family leave policies from day 1, 25 days annual leave + Bank holidays & the option to buy/sell holidays + so much more!

About Jagex:

Jagex is a leader in developing and publishing deep, engaging online games that connect millions of players worldwide. Best known for the RuneScape franchise, which includes two of the world’s longest running and most successful MMORPGs, in Old School Runescape and Runescape, and the open-world survival crafting game, Runescape: Dragonwilds; we have proven success in delivering immersive Forever Games and fostering strong player communities. We strive to foster an inclusive workplace built on trust, autonomy, and a shared passion for creating forever games. Our values guide everything we do: We Embrace Fellowship by collaborating and sharing openly. We Hone our Craft by always learning and improving; we Honour our Vows by being honest and transparent; we are our Customers’ Heroes by striving to understand our team & player needs, and we Seize The Day by making the most of every opportunity. With over two decades of experience, and over 400 people in our team, we continue to innovate in live game development, leveraging data-driven insights, and a commitment to player-first game design. We have a diverse and talented team where creativity, collaboration, and community-driven game development drives everything we do. As part of Jagex, you’ll have the opportunity to work on a globally successful franchise, contribute to exciting new projects, and be part of a company that hugely values both our employees and our players.