Best Freelance Game Designer Portfolio Examples to Inspire Your Own

A strong game design portfolio is not a gallery. It’s a decision-making document.

Hiring managers and clients aren’t just asking, “Can you design?” They’re asking: Can you think clearly, communicate constraints, collaborate, and ship? The best portfolios prove that fast with scannable case studies, real outcomes, and just enough personality to be memorable.

Below are game designer portfolio examples, plus the exact patterns worth borrowing.

What the best game designer portfolios do differently

Before the examples, here’s what you’ll notice repeated across the strongest sites:

• A clear speciality upfront (level design, systems, narrative, UX, tech design)
• Projects framed as problems solved, not “stuff I made”
• Your contribution is explicit (what you owned vs. what the team owned)
• Process artefacts are visible: blockouts, diagrams, docs, spreadsheets, before/after
• Proof of shipping: released titles, updates, mods, jams, prototypes, playtests

You’ll see those themes show up in different ways depending on the discipline.

Best Game Designer Portfolio Examples

1) Sean Gorman

Sean Gorman’s portfolio reads like a clean project log: shipped titles, role context, and separate sections for personal work and training. It’s especially strong at presenting multiple “project types” (studio titles plus a curated course collection) without muddling the story.

Steal this:

• Split navigation by Shipped Work vs Personal Work
• Include a short “what I did” line per project (role, studio, release)
• Use banner images consistently to keep scanning easy

2) Yoann Pierkot

Yoann Pierkot’s site is a great example of a newer designer presenting themselves like a professional: a clear “About,” a structured skills list (metrics, pacing, playtests), and experience bullets that describe outcomes and responsibilities, including freelance level design work.

Steal this:

• A dedicated “My skills” section that mirrors real job descriptions
• Experience bullets that include verbs like designed, iterated, playtested, gathered feedback
• Tagging projects by style (FPS, multiplayer, blockout) so viewers can filter mentally

3) David Shaver

David Shaver’s homepage nails the fastest credibility move: a tight statement of scope (two decades), current role, and shipped indie work. If you’re targeting higher-budget clients, this is how you frame seniority without a wall of text.

Steal this:

• A short hero paragraph that answers: who you are, what you do, what you’re known for
• One or two proof points that show range (AAA + indie, or shipped + tools)

4) Daniel Leafe

Daniel Leafe’s portfolio demonstrates a simple but effective format: a clear list of shipped titles and roles over time. It’s not flashy, but it’s immediately legible and credibility-forward, which often matters more than design polish in hiring flows.

Steal this:

• A “Shipped Titles” section that’s easy to skim
• A timeline or chronological structure for progression

5) Gerlogu (Germán López)

Gerlogu’s portfolio is a strong example of specialization-first positioning: the first thing you learn is the focus area (gameplay and systems), plus multi-engine experience and platforms shipped to. That’s exactly what systems-heavy clients want to see quickly.

Steal this:

• Put your speciality in the first two lines
• Mention engines/tools only in the context of outcomes (what it enabled you to ship)
  

6) Lucas Zakaria

Lucas Zakaria’s case study is a perfect “systems designer” pattern: role, timeline, a clear task (“new economic system”), and then the most important part: deliverables you can inspect (documentation and an economy spreadsheet).

Steal this:

• Add a “Role | Timeline | Tools” header to every case study
• Show at least one real working artifact (spreadsheet model, tuning table, sim outputs)
• Write the brief in one sentence so people understand the constraints instantly

7) Bobby Brace (BobbyBee)

Bobby Brace’s project page does something many designers forget: it lists “My Contributions” and “Technologies used” in straightforward language, making scope and ownership unambiguous.

Steal this:

• A reusable block:
  • My Contributions
  • Constraints
  • Tools/Tech
  • Result

8) Maxime Argon

Maxime Argon’s portfolio communicates technical design value in a hiring-friendly way: tool creation focus, a list of responsibilities (engine tools, technical docs, C++ in Unreal), and a skills section that mixes prototyping and gameplay design.

Steal this:

• List “what you build” (tools, scripts, workflows) and “who it helps” (designers, production)
• Include technical documentation as first-class work, not an afterthought

9) Tom Martin

Tom Martin’s Carrd portfolio shows how minimal can still be professional: a single page that clearly states role (narrative designer/writer), includes a portfolio section, and provides easy contact routes. Great for freelancers who want speed, clarity, and low maintenance.

Steal this:

• If you’re early-stage or busy, a one-page portfolio is enough if it includes:
  • Positioning
  • 2 to 4 strongest samples
  • Contact
  • One “what I’m looking for” sentence
    

10) Katherine Forrister Priest

Katherine Forrister Priest’s narrative portfolio leads with a clear statement of identity and the kind of storytelling they care about, which is useful because narrative hiring often prioritizes voice and intent alongside craft.

Steal this:

• Open with your narrative “lens” (tone, themes, formats you excel in)
• Make it easy to find writing samples quickly

(If you prefer a document-forward narrative approach, Leonardo Andrade’s narrative design page explicitly points visitors to a writing sample document and playable pieces.)

11) Anna Parmentier

Anna Parmentier’s site clearly positions them as a game UI/UX designer and calls out accessibility and design systems, which are increasingly valuable signals in UI/UX hiring and freelance work.

Steal this:

• Put your UX values up front (accessibility, clarity, systems thinking)
• Separate navigation into Video Games, UI/UX, Illustration (or your equivalents)
  

12) Raja Kabierski

Raja Kabierski’s portfolio supports scanning with categories (game UI/UX, productions, etc.) and includes redesign-type work (like a Dragon Age UI redesign project), which is a strong way to demonstrate UX thinking even without NDA access to studio files.

Steal this:

• Add category filters so reviewers can jump to what they care about
• Use “UI redesign challenge” case studies to show process when shipped assets are restricted

The “steal this” case study template (works for every specialty)

Use this structure on every project page. It’s simple and it reads like a professional handoff:

1) One-line pitch: what the project is
2) Your role + team context: what you owned
3) The problem: what wasn’t working or what needed to be achieved
4) Constraints: engine, timeline, platform, scope limits, NDA notes
5) Process artifacts: blockouts, flowcharts, tuning tables, scripts, docs
6) Result: what changed, what shipped, what you learned, next iteration

If you can only add one thing this week, add “My Contribution” to every project. It’s the fastest trust upgrade.

How to turn your portfolio into freelance work (not just admiration)

A portfolio that converts includes two frictionless paths:

1. A “Hire me” page that states services clearly
   • Example services: systems design support, level blockout, combat tuning, narrative barks, UI flow audits
2. A visible pipeline for work
   • Availability, typical turnaround, preferred tools, how you collaborate async

When you’re ready to pair your portfolio with real opportunities, Twine can help on both sides:

• Find verified freelance game projects on the Twine
• Build your profile and get discovered by clients hiring globally:

Conclusion

The best freelance game designer portfolios don’t try to impress everyone. They make it easy for the right person to say yes.

Use the examples above as pattern libraries: specialization-first headlines, contribution clarity, real artifacts, and scannable case studies. Borrow the structure, keep your personality, and ship an update this week.

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