BA (Hons) — 2027 entry Games Art
Character creation. World-building. Interactive storytelling. Learn the art skills studios look for to create the games that players remember. Build your style, push your ideas further and graduate with a portfolio ready for the games industry.
5,767+ people have created a bespoke digital prospectus
Why choose
this course?
- You’ll combine art, design, sound, animation and storytelling to design worlds that people can explore and play.
- Learn from expert tutors with a range of specialisms, such as game audio, music visualisation and 3D-modelling. Our tutors are passionate about games art and immersing you in industry-led teaching.
- Based on our beautiful campus in Guildford, you’ll have the heart of the UK video games industry on your doorstep, including EA, Supermassive and Larian.
- You'll have access to world-class facilities, including a brand-new Games Lab with RTX5090 graphics, and an active games development community.
- You’ll 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.
We’re preparing you for the future by integrating AI into every course, building digital skills, confidence and creativity that employers value in tomorrow’s workplace.
Statistics
Top 20 university
19th in the Complete University Guide 2026
Satisfied students
University of Surrey is ranked 15th in the National Student Survey 2025 for overall satisfaction*
Based in Guildford
The ‘Hollywood of video games’
* Measured by % positivity based on Q1-24 for all institutions listed in the Guardian University Guide league tables.
What you will study
This programme is for you if you’re passionate about the artistic, visual, and creative dimensions of game development. While less focused on coding and systems design than our Games Design BSc (Hons), the Games Art BA (Hons) equips you with the creative and technical skills to work with industry-standard pipelines, producing portfolio-ready assets and immersive interactive worlds.
The Games Art BA offers opportunities to specialise in areas such as:
- 3D-modelling and animation
- Character design
- Level and environment design
- Game prototyping and visual scripting
- Sound design for games
- Cinematics and performance capture
- Narrative design and world-building
- Writing for games
- Visual effects and shaders.
Practice, critical reflection, and your individuality are at the heart of the course. You’ll create, refine, and critically analyse work while collaborating with students from other programmes, building the creative and teamwork skills required in multidisciplinary games studios.
Industry links and partnerships
Guildford is one of the main games industry clusters in the UK and has had a vibrant history of games development going back to the 1980s. The University of Surrey hosted the Games and Innovation Nexus (GAIN) project, which sparked many industry collaborations with local games companies.
The University also hosts the Games Innovation Zone, a space which offers commercial games testing facilities and a regular programme of industry guest talks, workshops and game jams, giving you opportunities to hone your game development skills and network with industry. Our students have taken part in testing for games like Master of Albion by 22cans, and can use the facilities to test their own video game prototypes.
The games course regularly organises trips to events like EGX/MCM Comic Con London, Develop: Brighton and AdventureX. With opportunities for students to showcase the games they’ve designed, plus network with industry professionals at Guildford Games Festival on our University of Surrey stand, there is really no better place to study games.
The academic year is divided into two semesters of 15 weeks each. Each semester consists of a period of teaching, revision/directed learning and assessment.
The structure of our programmes follow clear educational aims that are tailored to each programme. These are all outlined in the programme specifications which include further details such as the learning outcomes.
Please note: The full module listing for the optional Professional Training placement part of your course is available in the relevant programme specification.
Teaching and learning
You’ll learn from staff who bring together real industry experience and expert teaching, so your learning is informed, relevant and inspiring.
The Games Art BA (Hons) degree incorporates established and highly regarded specialisms in Surrey based across Music and Media, Literature and Languages and the Guildford School of Acting, as well as expert teaching staff in the areas of animation, coding, visual arts, technology, motion capture, acting, soundscapes, textual analysis, machine learning and creative writing.
- Group work
- Lectures
- Online learning
- Practical sessions
- Project work
- Seminars
- Simulation learning
- Trips
- Tutorials
- Workshops
Assessment
Our assessments support both your creative development and academic rigour and are designed to enable you to demonstrate your learning in different ways, while also helping you develop the practical, critical and professional capabilities needed for your future employment.
You will be assessed by portfolios, design and production projects, visual artefacts, collaborative studio outputs, presentations, pitches, critical commentaries, reflective statements and a substantial final major project.
General course information
Contact hours
Contact hours can vary across our modules. Full details of the contact hours for each module are available from the University of Surrey's module catalogue. See the modules section for more information.
Timetable
New students will receive their personalised timetable during Welcome Week. In later semesters, at least one week before the start of the semester.
Scheduled teaching can take place on any day of the week (Monday – Friday), with part-time classes normally scheduled on one or two days. Wednesday afternoons tend to be for sports and cultural activities.
View our code of practice for the scheduling of teaching and assessment (PDF) for more information.
Location
This course is based at Stag Hill campus. Stag Hill is the University's main campus and where the majority of our courses are taught.
We offer careers information, advice and guidance to all students whilst studying with us, which is extended to our alumni for three years after leaving the University.
The games people play need to be built, updated and maintained and, as a result, highly qualified game developers are in strong demand all over the world.
The creative industries, of which the video games industries are a significant part, are the fastest growing part of the UK economy, growing at more than 1.5-times the rate of the wider economy over the past decade. Employment in these industries has grown at five times the rate of the rest of the economy since 2011 (source: Department for Culture, Media and Sport) on 13 June, 2023, as part of the official Creative Industries Sector Vision).
With a degree in Games Art, you will be able to progress into a range of professional destinations across games and adjacent creative industries, such as e-sports and creative arts, virtual reality, CGI film sound and visual elements. Roles available to you include:
- Games artist
- Animator
- UX/UI designer
- game writer
- sound designer
- software-related roles.
Other roles open to you will be in broader visual and digital creative work including CGI and film-related pathways.
Our state-of-the-art Games Design Lab is built for the next generation of game creators. Equipped with high-spec gaming PCs featuring just released, top-spec RTX 5090 graphics cards, dual screens, and professional audio monitoring, it’s designed to give you the ultimate development experience. Modelled on an industry-standard games studio, our lab isn’t just about work – it’s about creativity and collaboration.
You'll also have access to professional Rokoko motion capture equipment for performance capture.
Software
You will use the following:
- Game engines: Unity, Unreal
- 3D software: Maya, Blender, Z-Brush, Substance Painter, Character Creator
- VFX software: Houdini
- Digital graphics: Adobe Creative Cloud (Photoshop)
- Audio: ProTools, Adobe Audition, Renoise.
We also give you Adobe Creative Cloud licenses so you can use it on your own computers.
Arcade cabinet
Take a break and challenge your friends on our custom-built arcade cabinet with 35,000+ games, or dive into game design planning with your development team.
Learn more about the qualifications we typically accept to study this course at Surrey.
Typical offer
Overall: BBB.
Please note: A-level General Studies and A-level Critical Thinking are not accepted.
GCSE or equivalent: English Language at Grade 4 (C) and Mathematics at Grade 4 (C).
Overall: DDM.
GCSE or equivalent: English Language at grade 4 (C) and Mathematics at grade 4 (C).
Please see the alternative qualifications guidance if you are taking a mixture of BTECs and A-levels or if you are taking other qualifications types.
Overall: 75%.
GCSE or equivalent: Maths 6 and either English Language (1/2) 6 or English Language (3)7.
Overall: 32.
GCSE or equivalent: English A HL4/SL4 or English B HL5/SL6 and Maths (either course) HL4/SL4.
Overall: QAA-recognised Access to Higher Education Diploma with 45 Level 3 credits including 27 at Distinction and 18 credits at Merit.
Please contact the Admissions team to discuss suitability.
GCSE or equivalent: English Language at grade 4 (C) and Mathematics at grade 4 (C).
Overall: ABBBB.
GCSE or equivalent: English Language Scottish National 5 at grade C and Maths Scottish National 5 at grade C.
Overall: BBB from a combination of the Advanced Skills Baccalaureate Wales and two A-levels.
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.
Overall: Distinction with C in the Core Component.
GCSE or equivalent: English Language at grade 4 (C) and Mathematics at grade 4 (C).
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.
English language requirements
IELTS Academic: 6.5 overall, including 6.0 in writing and 5.5 in each other component.
View the other English language qualifications that we accept.
If you do not currently meet the level required for your programme, we offer intensive pre-sessional English language courses, designed to take you to the level of English ability and skill required for your studies here.
International Foundation Year
If you are an international student and you don’t meet the entry requirements for this degree, we offer the International Foundation Year at the Surrey International Study Centre. Upon successful completion, you can progress to this degree course.
Credit Transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning
View our Code of practice for Recognition of Prior Credit and Prior Learning and further guidance: Credit Transfer and Recognition of Prior Learning - Guide for Applicants (PDF) for more information.
We recognise that many students enter their higher education course with valuable knowledge and skills developed through a range of professional, vocational and community contexts.
If this applies to you, the recognition of prior learning (RPL) process may allow you to join a course without the formal entry requirements or enter your course at a point appropriate to your previous learning and experience. There are restrictions on RPL for some courses and fees may be payable for certain claims.
Contextual offers
Did you know eligible students receive support through their application to Surrey, which could include a grade reduction on offer?
Fees for the 2027-28 academic year
Explore UKCISA’s website for more information if you are unsure whether you are a UK or overseas student. View the list of fees for all undergraduate courses.
- Standard year
- To be confirmed
- Professional training year
- To be confirmed
See fees for Games Art 2026 entry
- Standard year
- To be confirmed
- Professional training year
- To be confirmed
See fees for Games Art 2026 entry
Professional training placement year fees are approximately 20% of the full-time UK fees of the academic year in which you undertake your placement.
- Fees will increase for each year of your programme as detailed in our tuition fee increases disclaimer.
Payment schedule
- Students with Tuition Fee Loan: the Student Loans Company pay fees in line with their schedule.
- Students without a Tuition Fee Loan: pay their fees either in full at the beginning of the programme or in two instalments as follows:
- 50% payable 10 days after the invoice date (expected to be during October to November of each academic year).
- 50% in January of the same academic year.
- The exact date(s) will be on invoices. Students on part-time programmes where fees are paid on a modular basis cannot pay fees by instalment.
- Sponsored students: must provide us with valid sponsorship information that covers the period of study.
Our award-winning Professional Training placement scheme gives you the chance to spend a year in industry, either in the UK or abroad.
We have thousands of placement providers to choose from, most of which offer pay. So, become one of our many students who have had their lives and career choices transformed.
Statistics
Placement Statistics
92%
of students who did a placement entered into graduate level employment*
80%
of placements are paid, with 60% paying between £18,000 - £30,000
48%
of our students have been offered a graduate role from their placement provider**
*Graduate Outcomes 2025, HESA
**Professional training year returners survey 2024
With our extensive games industry contacts in Guildford, we plan to develop relevant Professional Training opportunities for our students.
Recent placement employers for Music and Media students studying at Surrey include Disney, Dolby and Pinewood Studios.
Applying for placements
Students are generally not placed by the University. But we offer support and guidance throughout the process, with access to a vacancy site of placement opportunities.
Find out more about the application process.
Discover, develop and dive in
Find out how students at Surrey developed their skills in industry by undertaking a placement year.
Discover, develop and dive in
Find out how students at Surrey developed their skills in industry by undertaking a placement year.
Study and work abroad
Studying at Surrey opens a world of opportunity. Take advantage of our study and work abroad partnerships, explore the world, and expand your skills for the graduate job market.
The opportunities abroad vary depending on the course, but options include study exchanges, work/research placements, summer programmes, and recent graduate internships. Financial support is available through various grants and bursaries, as well as Student Finance.
Perhaps you would like to volunteer in India or learn about Brazilian business and culture in São Paulo during your summer holidays? With 140+ opportunities in 36+ different countries worldwide, there is something for everyone. Explore your options via our search tool and find out more about our current partner universities and organisations.
Apply for your chosen course online through UCAS, with the following course and institution codes.
About the University of Surrey
Need more information?
Contact our Admissions team or talk to a current University of Surrey student online.
Terms and conditions
When you accept an offer to study at the University of Surrey, you are agreeing to follow our policies and procedures, student regulations, and terms and conditions.
We provide these terms and conditions at offer stage and are shown again at registration. You will be asked to accept these terms and conditions when you accept the offer made to you.
Disclaimer
This online prospectus has been published in advance of the academic year to which it applies.
Whilst we have done everything possible to ensure this information is accurate, some changes may happen between publishing and the start of the course.
It is important to check this website for any updates before you apply for a course with us. Read our full disclaimer.
Subject to validation
This programme is subject to approval. This means that it has received initial agreement from the University and is currently undergoing a detailed final approval exercise, through the University’s quality assurance processes.
These processes are a requirement for all Higher Education Institutions within the UK, to ensure that programmes are of the highest standard. Occasionally there may be instances where the University may delay or not approve the introduction of the programme.