Jobs / United States / Riot Games INC
Staff Software Engineer, Engine Performance - Central Technology, Unreal Ecosystem
Riot Games INC · 🇺🇸 Los Angeles, USA
Sponsorship verdict
Sponsorship possible
One solid signal, not two — worth applying, and worth asking about sponsorship early.
- Employer is on a government sponsor recordThe US Department of Labor certified 64 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 33 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
- The posting doesn’t mention sponsorshipSilence isn’t a refusal — ask the recruiter before investing much time.
- No salary bar for this routeH-1B has no fixed salary bar: the employer must pay at least the prevailing wage for the role and area. Cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level. Source: https://www.federalregister.gov/documents/2025/12/29/2025-23853/weighted-selection-process-for-registrants-and-petitioners-seeking-to-file-cap-subject-h-1b, rules effective 2026-02-27.
- What Riot Games INC paid sponsored hires in similar roles21 certified filings for “Software Engineer II” (Software Developers) in CA: $158k–$185k, median $185k. Most were filed at wage level IV (58%) — 4 lottery entries, ≈61% projected selection odds for cap-subject employers. Source: US Department of Labor LCA disclosure data (Oct 2025 – Jun 2026).
- Confirmed live todayWhen a source last listed this job as open.
US H-1B: cap-subject employers enter a lottery weighted by wage level — Level I gets 1 entry, Level IV gets 4 (DHS projected selection odds ≈15% at Level I to ≈61% at Level IV). Universities and non-profit research employers are cap-exempt. The $100,000 fee for new petitions from abroad is currently blocked by a court order (appeal pending).
A verdict summarises public evidence; it is not legal advice and never a guarantee — the employer and the immigration authority decide. Sign in to factor in where you can already work.
Or apply yourself on the official page →
Sponsor Radar — Riot Games INC
The US Department of Labor certified 64 H-1B/E-3 labor condition applications for this employer between Oct 2025 and Jun 2026 (latest Jun 2026) — the step every H-1B hire needs first. USCIS also records 33 H-1B approvals in FY2023. Source: LCA disclosure data (US Department of Labor (OFLC)).
Past sponsorship or register membership never guarantees sponsorship for this vacancy or for you. Full Sponsor Radar for Riot Games INC →
About the role
Riot engineers bring deep knowledge of specific technical areas but also value the opportunity to work in a variety of broader domains. We work with both new and current technology, creating innovative solutions to overcome high-volume obstacles and to deliver player value. As a Staff Software Engineer, you’ll drive important features and provide other engineers with a clear illustration of extraordinary engineering. The UnEco (or Unreal Ecosystem) team has an impact on a wide array of topics, including audio, test automation, runtime performance, tooling, and CI/CD. As a Staff Software Engineer on the UnEco team, you’ll gain organizational alignment by building a strong engineering vision and offering creative solutions to technical problems. You will also serve as a mentor for your fellow engineers, helping guide their performance and finding growth opportunities delivering compelling player experiences. As a specialist in Performance, you will be leveraging your deep experience and expertise in profiling, benchmarking, optimization, and performance analysis to help game teams solve complex challenges hands-on and deliver central solutions. Responsibilities: • Be hands-on in development, writing excellent code that sets a high standard for other engineers. • Work with leadership on prioritization of work efforts and identifying opportunities for impact. • Partner with game teams to diagnose issues and improve player-facing performance. • Partner with infrastructure teams to analyze and drive recommendations around bandwidth optimization, server density, resource utilization, etc. • Improve and optimize the developer experience, including improving cook and build times, editor load times, and understanding and fixing developer pain points. • Lead the technical execution of multi-month to year-plus work efforts across the business unit, holding teams to established standards. • Help teams navigate ambiguity and complexity by breaking down problems, identifying risks, and clearly communicating trade-offs. • Work on a range of tech stacks including underlying infrastructure, build and test automation, release pipelines, and developer tooling for internal teams leveraging the Riot Unreal Ecosystem. • Work with stakeholders across the organization to address their pain points and exceed their expectations for how optimization and performance improvements can be realized without sacrificing quality. • Be a standard-bearer and role model of Riot values for your team and others. • Be a force multiplier for your team • Mentor senior engineers on your team and enable them to deliver complex projects. Required Qualifications: • 5+ years of software engineering experience • Expertise with C++ • Experience working with modern video game engines • Experience working with large game teams • Experience working with large code bases • Experience debugging, profiling and optimizing complex projects • Strong knowledge of common game and software design patterns • Experience collaborating with teammates across multiple disciplines • Experience shipping games across multiple platforms • Experience with profiling tools like Unreal Insights or Pix Desired Qualifications: • Experience with Unreal Engine 5 • Experience building online games • Experience with rendering in Unreal Engine titles For this role, you'll find success through craft expertise, a collaborative spirit, and decision-making that prioritizes the delight of players. We will be looking at your past studies, experience, and your personal relationship with games. If you embody player empathy and care about players' experiences, this could be your role! Our Perks: Riot focuses on work/life balance, shown by our open paid time off policy and other perks such a