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Games Design

  • BSc (Hons)
  • 3 Years
  • Full-time
  • 09/2026
  • Undergraduate
Stag Hill
More about University of Surrey

Course options

2026-2027
Apply

Course summary

Why choose this course
-Our Games Design degree is flexible so you can tailor your studies to your own passions, from animation, coding, visual arts, game design, technology, motion capture, prototyping, soundscapes, to textual analysis, machine learning, acting and writing for games.

-You will have the opportunity to take one of our award-winning Professional Training placements that will prepare you for roles in a broad range of games design jobs and games-facing industries.

-This is a brand new and exciting course for September 2025. You’ll develop the technical and design skills to make your mark in the dynamic games industry.
On this hands-on course, we will introduce you to a range of tools so you can bring your ideas into reality. From week one you'll be working on making games with a mix of digital and paper prototyping and planning.

-Our multidisciplinary approach, built around a core coding and game design and animation focus, maximises your options for employability and career routes.

-Studying at the University of Surrey you’ll be in the heart of one of the UK’s largest video games clusters right here in Guildford.

-Benefit from our industry connections and guest lectures with games developers from across the UK and overseas. You’ll gain practical experience through competitions and live projects, making industry connections and building a strong industry-relevant portfolio.

What you will study
The course will focus on game design game narratives, settings, infrastructures and effects, possibilities and scenarios. Students will work on gameplay, interaction and playability as well as designing levels within games, visual effects and soundscapes.

As one of the newest Games Design courses in the UK, we have been able to design the course to respond to and leverage the latest advances in:

Games engines and Realtime Rendering Technologies
Games design
Game art
CGI content creation
Character animation
2D/3D environment design
3D modelling and animation
Realtime VFX
Visualisation and animation
Real-time virtual environments
Performance
Contemporary game and play-focused narrative
Screenwriting and broader creative writing specialisms
Machine-learning and generative-AI techniques
Level design
Gameplay programming
Visual scripting
Music and sound for games.

Industry professionals will visit the course to guest lecture and share their experiences.

Modules

To see the full range of modules for this course please visit our website – the link is under the Course contact details. You will also find full details of the programme, including programme structure, assessment methods, contact hours and Graduate prospects.

Ways to study this course

Campuses

  • Stag Hill

Study options

  • BSc (Hons) • Full-time • 3 Years

Start dates

  • 09/2026

Apply by
14 January

This is the equal consideration deadline. You can still apply after this date, but your application may not receive guaranteed consideration.

Application codes

Course code:
G600
Institution code:
S85
Campus name:
Stag Hill
Campus Code:
-
Points of Entry:
Year 1

University of Surrey has participated in the Teaching Excellence Framework. These ratings were awarded in 2023, for four years.

See why these ratings were awarded
What does this TEF outcome mean?

How to apply

Apply by
14 January

This is the deadline for applications to be completed and sent for this course. If the university or college still has places available you can apply after this date, but your application is not guaranteed to be considered.

Application codes

Course code:
G600
Institution code:
S85
Campus name:
Stag Hill
Campus Code:
-

Points of entry

The following entry points are available for this course:

  • Year 1

International applicants

We are proud to be one of the most culturally diverse universities in the UK, with more than 140 nationalities playing a role in university life. Our International Recruitment team are here to help you throughout the application process – from advising on choosing the right course to applying for a visa and preparing for your first few weeks at Surrey. You can contact them via international@surrey.ac.uk Applicants who require a Student Visa to study in the UK: To apply for a Student Visa, you must have a Confirmation of Acceptance (CAS) for the University you wish to study at. This is a unique number which will enable you to apply for your visa. The University is under no legal obligation to sponsor any individual and exercises caution with respect to issuing a Confirmation of Acceptance for Studies (CAS) to avoid risking its status as a Student sponsor. Confirmation of Acceptance to Study (CAS) will be issued in accordance with the Student Route and CAS Issuing Policy, available at: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/apply/policies

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Entry requirements

Qualification requirements

UCAS Tariff - Not accepted

A level - BBB

Overall: BBB Required subject: Art and Design, Computer Science, Design and Technology, Drama, English Language, English Literature, Film Studies, Media Studies, Music or Performing Arts. We do not include General Studies or Critical Thinking in our offers.

Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diploma (first teaching from September 2016) - DDM

Overall: DDM Required Subject: Art and Design, Creative Media Practice, Creative Digital Media Production, Music Technology, Music Production, Performing Arts Practice or Production Arts Practice.

Access to HE Diploma - D: 27 credits M: 18 credits

Overall: QAA-recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits overall including 27 at Distinction and 18 credits at Merit. Required Subjects: Please contact the Admissions team to discuss suitability.

Scottish Higher - ABBBB

Overall: ABBBB including relevant subjects GCSE or equivalent: English Language Scottish National 5 at grade C Maths Scottish National 5 at grade C.

Scottish Advanced Higher - BBB

Overall: BBB Required Subjects: Art and Design, Computer Science, Design and Technology, Drama, English Language, English Literature, Film Studies, Media Studies, Music or Performing Arts. GCSE or equivalent: English Language Scottish National 5 at grade C Maths Scottish National 5 at grade C.

International Baccalaureate Diploma Programme - 32 points

Overall: 32 Required Subjects: HL5/SL6 in English Literature A, English Language and Literature A, Computer Science, Design Technology, Digital Society, Dance, Film, Music, Theatre, or Visual Arts. GCSE or equivalent: English A HL4/SL4 or English B HL5/SL6 and Maths (either course) HL4/SL4.

WJEC Level 3 Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales

Overall: Pass overall with BBB from a combination of the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales and two A-levels. Required subject: A-level in Art and Design, Computer Science, Design and Technology, Drama, English Language, English Literature, Film Studies, Media Studies, Music or Performing Arts. Please note: A-level General Studies and A-level Critical Thinking are not accepted. GCSE or equivalent: Please check the A-level dropdown for the required GCSE levels.

Extended Project - A

Applicants taking the Extended Project Qualification (EPQ) will receive our standard A-level offer, plus an alternate offer of one A-level grade lower, subject to achieving an A grade in the EPQ. The one grade reduction will not apply to any required subjects. This grade reduction will not combine with other grade reduction policies, such as contextual admissions policy or In2Surrey.

GCSE/National 4/National 5

English Language at Grade 4 (C) and Mathematics at Grade 4 (C).

T Level - M

Overall: Merit Required Subject: Craft and Design; Digital Production, Design and Development or Media Broadcast and Production. GCSE or equivalent: English Language at grade 4 (C) and Mathematics at grade 4 (C).

Applications are considered on an individual basis, taking into account qualifications achieved, predicted grades, personal statement and academic reference. Conditional offers are specified in terms of required grades; we do not make offers in terms of overall UCAS tariff.

We understand that predicted grades are an estimate and will consider applicants who have predicted grades that are a little lower than our published requirement. Any offers we make will align with the grades shown above unless a grade reduction can be offered under our Contextual Admissions policy or our In2Surrey scheme. Details can be found here: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/schools-colleges/contextual-admissions-policy

Applicants with a mixed qualification profile (e.g. those taking A-levels and BTEC qualifications) are encouraged to contact admissions@surrey.ac.uk for guidance on the grades accepted.

Additional entry requirements

Portfolio
We normally make offers in terms of grades. If you are not studying a relevant qualification, you will be asked to provide a portfolio of relevant work to support your application.

English language requirements

TestGradeAdditional details
IELTS (Academic)6.56.5 overall with 6.0 in Writing and 5.5 in each other element.

View the other English language qualifications that we accept: https://www.surrey.ac.uk/apply/international/english-language-requirements

Historical entry grades data BETA

This section shows the range of grades students (with UK A-Levels or Pearson BTEC Level 3 National Extended Diplomas) who received offers were previously accepted with (learn more). It is designed to support your research but does not guarantee whether you will or won't get a place. Admissions teams consider various factors, including interviews, subject requirements, and entrance tests. Check all course entry requirements for eligibility.

Not enough data available

We are unable to show previous accepted grades for this course. This could be because the course is new, it's a postgraduate course, there isn't enough historical data, or the provider has opted out of sharing their entry grades data for this course - learn more.

Student Outcomes

Operated by the Office for Students

75 Employment after 15 months (Most common jobs)

95 Go onto work and study

The number of student respondents and response rates can be important in interpreting the data – it is important to note your experience may be different from theirs. This data will be based on the subject area rather than the specific course. Read more about this data on the Discover Uni website.

Fees and funding

Tuition fees

No fee information has been provided for this course

Tuition fee status depends on a number of criteria and varies according to where in the UK you will study. For further guidance on the criteria for home or overseas tuition fees, please refer to the UKCISA website.

Additional fee information

Please see our website for up-to-date information on our fees for 2026/27:

https://www.surrey.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/tuition-fees/undergraduate-2026-entry

Sponsorship information

The University of Surrey offers a range of scholarships and bursaries to support our students, please visit https://www.surrey.ac.uk/fees-and-funding/scholarships-and-bursaries for more details.

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