Scale Engineer

Software Engineer

Software EngineerP2Medium to Hard

This interview process is for a Software Engineer (P2 level) at Riot Games, focusing on assessing technical skills, problem-solving abilities, and cultural fit within the company.

Rounds·3

Timeline·~14d

Experience·2 - 5 yrs

Comp band·US$110000 - US$150000

Interview time·150 min

Evaluation

What they measure.

  • Technical Proficiency (Coding, Algorithms, Data Structures)
  • Problem-Solving Skills
  • System Design and Architecture
  • Communication Skills
  • Teamwork and Collaboration
  • Cultural Fit (Riot Values)

Preparation

How to prepare.

Tips

  1. Review fundamental computer science concepts: data structures, algorithms, operating systems, databases.
  2. Practice coding problems on platforms like LeetCode, HackerRank, or Coderbyte, focusing on medium to hard difficulty.
  3. Study system design principles and common architectural patterns.
  4. Prepare for behavioral questions using the STAR method (Situation, Task, Action, Result).
  5. Research Riot Games' values, mission, and recent projects.
  6. Understand the specific technologies and languages mentioned in the job description.
  7. Prepare questions to ask the interviewer about the role, team, and company culture.

Study plan

Fig · Study plan — 04 phases

01 / 04
01

Phase 01 of 04

Data Structures and Algorithms Fundamentals

Weeks 1-2: Data Structures & Algorithms (Core Concepts). Solve 10-15 medium problems/week.

Weeks 1-2: Focus on core data structures (arrays, linked lists, trees, graphs, hash maps) and algorithms (sorting, searching, dynamic programming, graph traversal). Practice implementing these from scratch and analyze their time and space complexity. Solve 10-15 medium-difficulty problems per week.

Questions

Commonly asked.

  • Tell me about a challenging technical problem you faced and how you solved it.
  • Describe a time you had to work with a difficult team member. How did you handle it?
  • How would you design a system to handle millions of concurrent users for an online game?
  • What are your thoughts on test-driven development (TDD)?
  • Explain the difference between a process and a thread.
  • How do you stay updated with the latest technologies in software development?
  • What are your favorite features in our games, and why?
  • If you were given a feature request that seemed technically infeasible, how would you approach it?
  • Describe a situation where you had to mentor a junior engineer.
  • What are the trade-offs of using a microservices architecture?

Locations

Regional differences.

Fig · Regions — 03 locations

01 / 03

Location

Los Angeles, USA

Interview focus

Understanding of distributed systems and scalability, especially in the context of live services.Experience with performance optimization and profiling.Familiarity with cloud technologies (AWS, Azure, GCP) and containerization (Docker, Kubernetes).Ability to work with large-scale data and databases.

Common questions

  • How would you handle a sudden surge in player traffic on a game server?
  • Describe a time you had to optimize a piece of code for performance. What was the outcome?
  • What are your thoughts on microservices vs. monolithic architecture for a game backend?
  • Tell me about a challenging bug you encountered and how you debugged it.

Tips

  • Research Riot's specific tech stack and infrastructure.
  • Be prepared to discuss your experience with high-availability systems.
  • Highlight any experience with real-time communication protocols.
  • Emphasize your understanding of game development lifecycles and challenges.

Rounds

Round-by-round.

Expand a step for evaluation criteria, sample questions, and prep notes.

DSA

Coding questions at Riot Games.

Frequently reported on Riot Games loops

View all at Riot Games

Other guides

More at Riot Games.