It’s that time of the year! Riot’s US Summer Internship Program for 2025 will soon be accepting applications. In early September we open our intern roles, sometimes in batches, most often starting with software engineering for the upcoming summer program.

For information about our current roles, eligibility, and timelines, make sure to visit our internships page. You can also follow our Life@Riot and Riot Games social media channels so you know when new roles go live.

This study guide focuses specifically on the Technical Assessments that are often tied to software engineering roles. So, if you’re looking for some other resources to help with your application, check out our first three study guides: 

Volume 4:  Technical Assessment Tips & Advice

If you’re studying software engineering and you want to break into the industry, a technical assessment or coding test will almost certainly be part of the process. This guide’s here to help. 

What is a Technical Assessment?

Technical assessments are used to assess the craft skills that are needed for a specific role. For software engineering roles, they are an opportunity during the interview process for the candidate to demonstrate their problem-solving abilities, coding skills, and understanding of computer science fundamentals. These tests are often assigned to candidates to complete on their own time within a set time limit and by a specific deadline.  

Five Tips to Help You Prep for Riot’s Software Engineering Intern Technical Assessment: 

  • Coding Language: Make sure you’re fluent but still picking the right language for the job. You can use any object oriented programming language of your choice but it’s best to use the one that aligns with the role you’re applying for. For example, it may not be the best to use Javascript if you want to work on a gameplay team. Instead, try completing the test in C++.
     

  • Linear Questions: Cleanliness is next to Aurelion Soliness–or something like that. Linear questions build upon each other so be prepared to answer while considering the cleanliness and maintainability of your code.
     

  • Practice: HackerRank is your friend. Practice solving coding problems within a time limit. This will help you read problem statements, plan your approach, optimize your code, and manage time effectively during the actual test. 
     

  • Set-Up: What’s your version of the lofi girls’ room? Minimize distractions and disruptions by setting aside a block of time to complete the test. Find a quiet location with a steady internet connection. 
     

  • Learnings & Takeaways: Perfection is overrated–and no technical assessment will be perfect anyway. Review the problems you struggled with and understand your mistakes. There is always more to learn and ways to improve!

Software Engineering Internships at Riot

So what do software engineering interns at Riot work on anyway? In the past Riot interns have worked on live games like League, VALORANT, and TFT, in addition to contributing to features on unreleased titles like 2XKO–not to mention tools, services, and infrastructure that support many teams at Riot.

Some were even kind enough to share their projects and experiences with future interns. Check out the articles and video below for in-depth looks at some projects previously completed by Riot interns.

Technology Interns in 2024 Working on League, VAL, and TFT

Technology Interns in 2020 - League, VAL, and TFT

Technology Interns in 2020 - General Game Tech & Tooling / Infrastructure

Even More Technology Interns at Riot Games
 


Advice from Previous Riot Interns:

Kabi B., Software Engineering Intern: “Focus on structured and organized code.” 

Jason C., Software Engineering Intern: “ I would focus on writing easy to read and maintainable code, so that a reader can easily understand what's going on and you can easily explain and make it make sense.” 

Sophie L., Software Engineering Intern: “Watch the time and think through your logic carefully! Breaking it down and isolating each step helped me, as well as debug printing. Also make sure you're passing all the public tests before submitting!” 

Jake T., Software Engineering Intern: “Take your time and make sure you can explain your code to someone who doesn't know what's going on!”

Ming Z., Software Engineering Intern: “Be comfortable using the essential data structures (hash tables, binary trees, etc.), and don't psych yourself out.” 

Jody Z., Software Engineering Intern: “Start with a working solution first before optimizing it. Don't stress too much, you have the skills, so focus on doing your best and leave no regrets. Good luck future Rioters! 👊”

Each year the Riot Games US Summer Internship applications open in the fall with the internship program beginning the following summer. While the roles available may change, usually they cover software engineering, design, art, production and more. For the full info on all the available roles and the eligibility requirements, check out our internships page.