Post 7. GETTING INTO GAME AUDIO in 2026

 

What can you do to maximize your chances of getting into the game audio in 2026?

Breaking into game audio in 2026 isn’t just about being good at sound design anymore. The industry’s more competitive, expectations are higher, and studios are looking for people who can do more than just make things sound good. You need to understand tools, implementation, and how your work fits into a game as a whole. The good news is, there are a few clear things you can focus on that will give you a real advantage, and that’s what this post is about.

Learn Wwise

A lot of university courses still teach FMOD, but the reality is Wwise is much more of an industry standard.

Having Wwise experience is a huge plus and can genuinely increase your chances of getting hired. If you only know FMOD, most studios will assume you’ll still need time to get up to speed before you can properly contribute.

If you have two equal candidates, the one with Wwise will usually win.

(Unless the role is specifically asking for FMOD, which is just less common.)

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Learn Unreal visual scripting (Blueprints)

There was a time when sound designers just made audio assets. That’s not really the case anymore.
Now you’re expected to understand how your audio is actually implemented in the game.
You don’t need to be a programmer, but you do need:

• Basic logic understanding

• Some experience with visual scripting, and the ability to hook your audio up in-engine

This isn’t a “nice to have” anymore, it’s pretty much expected.

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Have a basic understanding of source control (like Perforce)

This is one of those things people overlook, but it matters more than you think. Most studios use some form of source control, and that’s often perforce. You don’t need to be an expert, but it would be an advantage to understand the basics. Creating change lists, checking files in. How unreal and wwise connect to source control. Not understanding perforce and forgetting to check in referenced files is the most common cause of breaking the build. (Everyone has done it, don't worry).

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Be familiar with tools like Jira

Most game studios rely on task management tools to keep everything organised, and one of the most common is Jira. You don’t need deep knowledge, but you should understand how work is tracked, things like tickets, tasks, priorities, and updating progress. A lot of audio work, be it tasks or bugs will come through these systems, so being comfortable using them just makes you easier to work with. It also shows you understand how a real production pipeline runs, not just the creative side of things.

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In conclusion

Breaking into game audio isn’t easy, and there’s no single thing that guarantees you a job. But if you focus on the right areas and actually build practical, usable skills, you’ll put yourself in a much stronger position than most. At the end of the day, studios are looking for people who can contribute without a huge ramp-up so the closer you are to that, the better your chances.

If you’re trying to break into game audio and want a second pair of eyes and ears, I’m happy to help where I can. That could be reviewing your portfolio, giving feedback on your showreel, or taking a look at your CV. Sometimes a few small changes can make a big difference, especially when you’re early on. I can’t promise anything beyond honest feedback, but if you want a bit of direction or a sanity check, feel free to reach out.