Software Engineer Interview Experience - Santa Monica, California
November 1, 2015
Positive ExperienceNo Offer
Process
I applied at a college career fair and completed two rounds of Google Hangout and HackerRank interviews. The first was non-technical, and the second was technical.
I was then invited to fly to Santa Monica for four interviews: one technical, one semi-technical, one non-technical, and one lunch interview.
I was very surprised to receive a very long, descriptive rejection email, as no other companies had done that. They explained all the things that impressed my interviewers and the aspects that gave them pause.
According to them, I performed extremely well on the technical evaluations and impressed them with my knowledge of algorithms and source control systems. However, at Riot Games, they seek engineers who are more than just engineers. They want engineers who can explain their reasoning behind their prioritizations, assumptions, and so on. If they were solely looking for individuals who were smart and could code very well, I likely would have gotten the job. But Riot Games looks for more than that, and I truly respect their decision.
This was one of the few interviews where I genuinely learned a lot and identified areas for improvement.
Questions
NDA. However, 50% of the questions were technical, which I answered extremely easily and well. The other 50% were nontechnical, and they ranged very widely. I performed slightly poorly on these, and that was the reason (as they told me) why I did not get the job.
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Interview Statistics
The following metrics were computed from 6 interview experiences for the Riot Games Software Engineer role in Santa Monica, California.
Success Rate
50%
Pass Rate
Riot Games's interview process for their Software Engineer roles in Santa Monica, California is fairly selective, failing a large portion of engineers who go through it.
Experience Rating
Positive100%
Neutral0%
Negative0%
Candidates reported having very good feelings for Riot Games's Software Engineer interview process in Santa Monica, California.
Riot Games Work Experiences
4.0
Nice People, But Laid Off
Software Engineer • Former Employee
Santa Monica, California, United States
June 24, 2025
Pros: It was pretty good, nice people.
Cons: Got laid off. It wasn't great.
4.0
To be successful, being a good culture fit trumps everything
Software Engineer • Former Employee
Santa Monica, California, United States
August 28, 2014
Pros: - Housing close to the office (5-minute walk), provided by Riot. However, this was not followed up on, leading to many problems with the housing company. Issues included a bad key on move-in and a flood where repairs were not taken care of for weeks.
- Weekly lunches with "bigwigs," which are influential leaders and "faces" of the company. There was great advice and structure here.
- Impactful, meaningful, and challenging work. I built a product that will ship to the masses!
- For the most part, treated like a full-time Rioter. I gave a presentation to an extended team, was able to give input in areas outside of the prescribed work, and received most benefits of full-time Rioters.
- Tons of smart people who are always willing to help.
- Work/life balance was encouraged. Personally, I don't play games during work hours, but it wasn't frowned upon by any means.
- The amount of swag was way too much; it was tough to pack my suitcase going home.
- For an engineer, growth is insane. The amount one can learn is empowering and somewhat overwhelming. Try to take in what is possible, not what is "wanted."
- Floating is encouraged. Sometimes, a quick half-hour wandering around to another team really helps clear your head and gives you a sense of what other Rioters are doing at that point in time.
Cons: - The internship program is pretty new, meaning there are lots of kinks to work out (especially regarding where to go and what to do during off-hours).
- There is a HUGE LACK OF DIRECT FEEDBACK in terms of inter-intern communication.
- It is easy to get off-track in a project when Riot allows you to get involved in other events and projects not directly related to your role.
- Culture fit is everything. Unless you're an all-star in a specific field (I seriously doubt any intern is), Riot will not hesitate to not invite you back if you mess up even once.
- There is a zero-tolerance policy on any kind of non-positive behavior / attitude (reputation is everything).
- The organization is not as "flatly-organized" as originally told; it is actually really top-down when it comes to hiring decisions and overall product strategy / vision.
- There needs to be a dedicated team for the interns, instead of a "part-time project" for people in other teams.
- Events were decent and frequent (once every other week or so), but bigger tech companies definitely have a better grasp on how to keep interns entertained.
- A bigger emphasis is needed when it comes to onboarding interns. Although a separate presentation was made, the lack of follow-up on this onboarding made the intern experience confusing for the most part.
5.0
A great company for the right fit
Software Engineer • Current Employee
Santa Monica, California, United States
August 12, 2014
Pros: The culture here is greatly suited to gamers. You are expected to enjoy games, and you can almost always have a good conversation about games with anyone that works here.
It's not a company that babysits and holds your hand. You're given a lot of freedom to work on things, which is great for engineers. Of course, sometimes this means people end up making mistakes, but Riot is very open to mistakes and owns up to them.
There's tons of room to work on different parts of the company, both in and out of your core competency. An engineer can choose to work on an engineering task that he wants to grow in. An accountant can shadow and attempt to work as an engineer, or vice versa.
Heavy feedback culture. People tell you what they think of you, which leads to great improvements in both your professional and personal life.
You're never counting down the hours until the end of the day. Most days I look at the clock and say, "Damn... I wish I had more time today!"
Cons: - Sometimes things get lost in the shuffle.
All the freedom people get tends to lead to inefficiencies in some areas.
- Heavy meeting culture. This is not true for all teams within Riot, but it's generally agreed upon that this is the case. Sometimes entire days are booked with meetings, and it's hard to find time to work on the things you want to work on.
- Work-life balance is something that is unique to each individual, so I can only judge based on my own experience. You spend and take on as much responsibility as you choose to. That being said, it's always expected for the person to raise the bar on their own accord, which leads to issues of spending too much time in the office working. Of course, this is something that is not always the case and can be managed.
- 4.0Nice People, But Laid OffSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeSanta Monica, California, United StatesJune 24, 2025Pros: It was pretty good, nice people.Cons: Got laid off. It wasn't great.
- 4.0To be successful, being a good culture fit trumps everythingSoftware Engineer • Former EmployeeSanta Monica, California, United StatesAugust 28, 2014Pros: - Housing close to the office (5-minute walk), provided by Riot. However, this was not followed up on, leading to many problems with the housing company. Issues included a bad key on move-in and a flood where repairs were not taken care of for weeks. - Weekly lunches with "bigwigs," which are influential leaders and "faces" of the company. There was great advice and structure here. - Impactful, meaningful, and challenging work. I built a product that will ship to the masses! - For the most part, treated like a full-time Rioter. I gave a presentation to an extended team, was able to give input in areas outside of the prescribed work, and received most benefits of full-time Rioters. - Tons of smart people who are always willing to help. - Work/life balance was encouraged. Personally, I don't play games during work hours, but it wasn't frowned upon by any means. - The amount of swag was way too much; it was tough to pack my suitcase going home. - For an engineer, growth is insane. The amount one can learn is empowering and somewhat overwhelming. Try to take in what is possible, not what is "wanted." - Floating is encouraged. Sometimes, a quick half-hour wandering around to another team really helps clear your head and gives you a sense of what other Rioters are doing at that point in time.Cons: - The internship program is pretty new, meaning there are lots of kinks to work out (especially regarding where to go and what to do during off-hours). - There is a HUGE LACK OF DIRECT FEEDBACK in terms of inter-intern communication. - It is easy to get off-track in a project when Riot allows you to get involved in other events and projects not directly related to your role. - Culture fit is everything. Unless you're an all-star in a specific field (I seriously doubt any intern is), Riot will not hesitate to not invite you back if you mess up even once. - There is a zero-tolerance policy on any kind of non-positive behavior / attitude (reputation is everything). - The organization is not as "flatly-organized" as originally told; it is actually really top-down when it comes to hiring decisions and overall product strategy / vision. - There needs to be a dedicated team for the interns, instead of a "part-time project" for people in other teams. - Events were decent and frequent (once every other week or so), but bigger tech companies definitely have a better grasp on how to keep interns entertained. - A bigger emphasis is needed when it comes to onboarding interns. Although a separate presentation was made, the lack of follow-up on this onboarding made the intern experience confusing for the most part.
- 5.0A great company for the right fitSoftware Engineer • Current EmployeeSanta Monica, California, United StatesAugust 12, 2014Pros: The culture here is greatly suited to gamers. You are expected to enjoy games, and you can almost always have a good conversation about games with anyone that works here. It's not a company that babysits and holds your hand. You're given a lot of freedom to work on things, which is great for engineers. Of course, sometimes this means people end up making mistakes, but Riot is very open to mistakes and owns up to them. There's tons of room to work on different parts of the company, both in and out of your core competency. An engineer can choose to work on an engineering task that he wants to grow in. An accountant can shadow and attempt to work as an engineer, or vice versa. Heavy feedback culture. People tell you what they think of you, which leads to great improvements in both your professional and personal life. You're never counting down the hours until the end of the day. Most days I look at the clock and say, "Damn... I wish I had more time today!"Cons: - Sometimes things get lost in the shuffle. All the freedom people get tends to lead to inefficiencies in some areas. - Heavy meeting culture. This is not true for all teams within Riot, but it's generally agreed upon that this is the case. Sometimes entire days are booked with meetings, and it's hard to find time to work on the things you want to work on. - Work-life balance is something that is unique to each individual, so I can only judge based on my own experience. You spend and take on as much responsibility as you choose to. That being said, it's always expected for the person to raise the bar on their own accord, which leads to issues of spending too much time in the office working. Of course, this is something that is not always the case and can be managed.
Riot Games Interview Questions
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