| Ranking | School | State |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | University of Southern California | California |
| 2 | University of California, Santa Cruz | California |
| 3 | DigiPen | Washington |
| 4 | University of California, Los Angeles | California |
| 5 | University of California, Irvine | California |
| 6 | Gnomon | California |
| 7 | University of Washington | Washington |
| 8 | Academy of Art University | California |
| 9 | ArtCenter College of Design | California |
| 10 | California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo | California |
Our 2026 list of the Top 10 Game Design School Programs on the West Coast. For reference, we define the West as California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho, Hawaii, and Alaska. For an explanation of our ranking criteria, click here.
The School of Cinematic Arts (SCA) and Viterbi School of Engineering at University of Southern California (USC) provide more than a dozen paths to study game design. Known as USC Games, this collaboration includes BFA degrees in Game Development and Interactive Design, Game Art, and Themed Entertainment; the Computer Science (Games) BS, and Computer Science (Game Development) MS; the Interactive Media (Games and Health) MFA; the Cinematic Arts (Media Arts, Games, and Health) MA; and the Game Design and Development MS.
Minors include Game Design; Game Studies; Game Audio; Game User Research; Themed Entertainment; Game Entrepreneurism; Computer Science; Technical Game Art; Video Game Production; and Video Game Programming. Many minors can also be taken as specializations.
Across programs, students benefit from integrated curriculums; access to state-of-the-art game development labs and other production facilities; professional internships; and possible participation in the USC Games Expo.
Programs culminate with a final project, thesis, or capstone. USC Games graduates are often recruited by places such as Electronic Arts (EA), Xbox Game Studios, DreamWorks, Activision Blizzard, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Ubisoft, Epic Games, Disney, NVIDIA, Riot Games, Google, Unity, Rockstar Games, Apple, Warner Bros. Games, CBS Interactive, Naughty Dog, ESPN, and Netflix.
University of California, Santa Cruz (UC Santa Cruz) is the first institution in the UC system to launch an undergraduate game major. Today, the school provides multiple paths to study games. Housed in the Jack Baskin School of Engineering (BSOE) and known as Games @ UC Santa Cruz, options include the Computer Science BS (CS BS) (Computer Game Design); the Art and Design-Games and Playable Media BA (BA AGPM); the Computational Media MS with a Games and Playable Media project sequence; a Digital Arts and New Media (DANM) MFA; and PhDs in Computational Media (CM), and Computer Science and Engineering. Programs are available at the main Santa Cruz campus and the school’s Silicon Valley (SVC) location.
Across all programs students have access to state-of-the-art production facilities and centers such as the Advanced Visualization and Interactive Systems Lab; Critical Realities Studio; The Other Lab; Expressive Intelligence Studio; Augmented Design Laboratory (ADL); Ludo Lab; the Center for Computational Experience; and the Critical Realities Studio.
Other Games @ UC Santa Cruz highlights include guest speakers from the game design industry; networking events; game design internships; participation in the Annual Games Showcase; frequent studio tours; and project evaluations by industry professionals.
Depending on the program, culminating experiences include a final project, capstone, thesis, or research project. Games @ UC Santa Cruz alumni have been hired at places such as Riot Games, Ubisoft, Tencent Games, Universal Studios Japan, Amazon, Electronic Arts (EA), Rockstar Games, Blizzard Entertainment, Google, Warner Bros. Games, Apple, Zynga, Intel, NCSoft, Topgolf, NetEase Games, and Hi-Rez Studios.
DigiPen launched the world’s first bachelor’s degree in Video Game Development. Today, this Houdini Certified school has multiple paths to study game design. Options include the Computer Science (CS) and Game Design BS; a BS in CS in Real-Time Interactive Simulation; the Game Design BA; a Computer Science MS; the accelerated five-year Computer Science in Real-Time Interactive Simulation BS/CS MS program; and a Digital Arts MFA with a customized specialization. Across programs, students have opportunities to work in multidisciplinary teams to develop several original video games, create software, complete a final project, and finalize a market-ready portfolio. All activities take place in a real studio environment.
To date, DigiPen graduates have been credited on more than 2,000 commercial video games. Program alumni can be found at 1,500+ companies across the U.S. and abroad. Examples include Epic Games, Electronic Arts (EA), Rockstar Games, Activision Blizzard, Walt Disney Imagineering, DreamWorks Interactive, Ubisoft Shanghai, Insomniac Games, Microsoft, Warner Bros. Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Nintendo, Amazon, Google, Bethesda, Intel, Autodesk, Larian Studios (Belgium), Zynga, NCSoft, Take-Two Interactive, Booz Allen, SpaceX, Sucker Punch Productions, and Bungie.
The Departments of Design Media Arts (DMA) and Computer Science (CS) at University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) provide two paths to study game design—the DMA BA and CS BS. The DMA BA is a multidisciplinary studio-based program that enrolls approximately 22 students per course. Examples include Game Design; Worldbuilding; Game Engine; 3D Modeling and Motion; Collaborative Game Lab; and Interactive Animation.
The CS BS has a Graphics and Vision area that explores rendering, motion capture, artificial life modeling, and animation for the games and film industries. Course examples include Digital Design Project Laboratory; Software Engineering; Programming Languages; and Computer Systems Architecture. Students in both programs can take additional courses to fulfill elective requirements or enhance the degrees.
In addition, UCLA extension provides a number of single courses that are open to all majors. Examples include Intro to Game Development with Godot 4; Developing Video Game Narratives; Composing Music for Video Games; Unity I: 3D Game Design and Game Engines; Immersive Experience Design; Drawing from Videogame Styles; and Blender Foundations for Spatial Media.
All DMA BA and CS BS students may participate in the UCLA Game Lab. Supported by the School of the Arts and Architecture (UCLA Arts), and the School of Theater, Film and Television, the UCLA Game Lab hosts workshops, guest speaker events, and visiting artists. Examples of Game Lab sponsors include National Endowment for the Arts, NVIDIA, ZBrush, HP, Unity, and HTC.
Graduates of the DMA BA and CS BS programs at UCLA can be found at places such as Activision Blizzard, Riot Games, Electronic Arts (EA), Ubisoft, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), DreamWorks, Mattel, Nickelodeon, Warner Bros. Games, Pixar, Google, Microsoft, Walt Disney Imagineering, Cisco Systems, Amazon, Apple, NBCUniversal, Zynga, Mattel, and Oracle.
The Donald Bren School of Information and Computer Sciences (ICS) at University of California, Irvine (UCI) is home to the Department of Informatics, which houses several programs for game designers. Options include the Game Design and Interactive Media (GDIM) BS; and the Computer Science (CS) BS, MS, and PhD. The CS BS has games-related specializations in Algorithms (computer games, graphics, artificial intelligence, computer vision, and information retrieval); Visual Computing (virtual reality, computer graphics, advanced 3D computer graphics); and general computer science (customized coursework with two project courses).
Students in the CS MS program can select from research areas such as Networks/Multimedia; Scientific and Visual Computing; Systems Software; Artificial Intelligence; Data Structures and Algorithms; and Architecture/Embedded Systems. The CS PhD provides access to games courses, and any CS MS research area.
Other highlights across programs include courses taught by industry experts; partnerships with major studios such as Electronic Arts (EA), Cartoon Network, Disney, Tencent Games, Blizzard Entertainment, and Riot Games; mentorships; and internship opportunities. The GDIM BS culminates with the Capstone Game Project. The CS BS culminates with the Capstone Project course—any focus area. The culminating experience for the UCI CS MS is a research-based thesis project or the comprehensive examination. Thesis students typically advance to the PhD program. The CS PhD culminates with a dissertation defense and final examination.
Graduates of the GDIM and CS programs at UCI have been hired at places such as Boeing, Google, SAP, Blizzard Entertainment, Northrop Grumman, Bungie, Amazon, Microsoft, RTX, Adobe, and Meta.
Gnomon is often called the MIT of Visual Effects. For students interested in studying games, the school houses a Digital Production BFA program with Game Art and Visual Effects Animation concentrations, and a Digital Production for Entertainment (DPE) certificate that focuses on the 3D production pipeline in games, visual effects, and film. Certificate students can also select from five concentrated areas including Games; Character and Creature Animation; Visual Effects Animation; Modeling and Texturing; and 3D Generalist.
All programs provide hands-on experiences in a real studio environment, along with rigorous training in industry-standard software such as Houdini, Nuke, Maya, Unreal Engine, After Effects, ZBrush, V-Ray, Designer, Marmoset Toolbag, and Substance 3D Painter.
The Digital Production BFA and DPE certificate culminate with the creation of a market-ready demo reel. To date, Gnomon has helped more than 900 graduates land roles at places such as Epic Games, MPC, Nickelodeon Animation Studio, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Electronic Arts (EA), DNEG, Reel FX, Blur Studio, Blizzard Entertainment, Marvel Studios, Walt Disney Animation Studios, Weta FX, DreamWorks, Sony Pictures Imageworks, Amazon Game Studios, Riot Games, Digital Domain, BioWare, Framestore, and Naughty Dog.
University of Washington (UW) is home to the School of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) and the Paul G. Allen School of Computer Science and Engineering (CSE). Both provide paths to study games. STEM programs include an Interactive Media Design BA and the Game Design Certificate (GDC). Allen School options include the ABET-accredited Computer Engineering (CE) and Computer Science (CS) BS and BS/MS programs with the option to specialize in Graphics, Vision, Games, and Animation.
Across programs, students have access to the Center for Game Science; the Animation Research Labs (ARL); UW Graphics and Imaging Lab (GRAIL); and UW Reality Lab; GRAIL provides opportunities to work with researchers from places such as Adobe, Google, Microsoft, and Intel. The multidisciplinary ARL provides opportunities to interact with artists from places such as Pixar, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Disney, Xbox Game Studios, and Bungie.
Other program benefits include internships, workshops, and study abroad experiences. Programs culminate with a capstone project and showcase. Graduates can be found at places such as Epic Games, Disney, Boeing, Nintendo, Xbox Game Studios, Amazon, Electronic Arts (EA), Adobe, The Pokémon Company International (TPCi), Bungie, Google, ArenaNet, Oracle, Microsoft, Apple, and Meta.
The School of Game Development at Academy of Art University (Academy of Art) provides multiple paths to study games. Options include the Game Development AAS, MA, and MFA; the Game Design AA and BFA; the Game Art BFA; and a Game Programming BS. This STEM-certified school highlights hands-on learning in The Studio, where students will collaborate with peers across the Animation, Illustration, and Music programs; internships with partner studios such as Riot Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), and Zynga; access to state-of-the-art facilities, labs, and the Game Lounge.
Programs culminate with the creation of a professional portfolio of the student’s best games. Graduates are routinely hired at places such as NASA, Epic Games, Industrial Light & Magic (ILM), Riot Games, Blizzard Entertainment, Hasbro, Insomniac Games, DreamWorks, Electronic Arts (EA), Pixar, Lucasfilm, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Nickelodeon, Disney, Google, Amazon, NBCUniversal, Illumination, DNEG, Xbox Game Studios, Digital Domain, Apple, Weta FX, Zynga, Naughty Dog, and Bungie.
The Entertainment Design BS program at ArtCenter College of Design (ArtCenter) launched in 2018. Today, faculty from places such as Nickelodeon, DreamWorks, Marvel, and Disney lead the program. With courses that emphasize immersion and hands-on experience with programming, the production process, and user experience, the BS provides three track options including Game Design, Animation, and Concept Design.
Other program benefits include internship opportunities at places such as Blizzard Entertainment, Mattel, Warner Bros., Apple, and Titmouse; study abroad experiences at partner universities such as Tama Art University in Tokyo, Japan or ArtCenter Berlin; and access to state-of-the art production facilities such as the 31,000 square feet Creative Hub, specialized labs such as Bruce Heavin Media Production Studio, and the 908 Shops.
During the last two terms of the Entertainment Design BS program, students will complete an individual game project, an advanced game project, and the Portfolio and Career Preparation course. The program culminates with the Grad Show, highlighting students’ final digital portfolios.
Graduates have secured roles at places such as Riot Games, Marvel Studios, Blizzard Entertainment, DreamWorks, Pixar, Insomniac Games, Sony Interactive Entertainment (SIE), Disney, Xbox Game Studios, LEGO, Titmouse, Warner Bros., Naughty Dog, Mattel, Netflix, Amazon, Microsoft, Apple, and Google.
The College of Engineering (CENG) at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo (Cal Poly) houses the Department of Computer Science and Software Engineering (CSSE). Within the department is a Game Development concentration for Computer Science (CS) BS, MS, and BS/MS students. A Computer Science minor and Computing for Interactive Arts (CIA) minor, jointly offered by the Department of Art and Design, are also available.
All programs highlight hands-on learning in a collaborative, studio-like environment. Courses are project-based, with access to state-of-the-art production facilities and labs. Other program highlights include professional internships and co-op experiences; participation in weekend-long Hackathons; individual and group projects; and the chance to study abroad in one of over 75 countries.
Programs culminate with a final project and presentation. Graduates go on to land positions at places such Tencent Games, Electronic Arts (EA), Riot Games, Blizzard Entertainment, Rockstar Games, Disney, DreamWorks, Apple, Naughty Dog, Take-Two Interactive, NVIDIA, Google, Microsoft, and Amazon.
