Environment Artist - Freelance - UE5 / VR / Sci-fi

JOB TITLE: Senior Environment Artist
LOCATION: Remote (UK)
DEPARTMENT: Art
REPORTS TO: Lead Artist / Art Director
TYPE: Freelance contract to 30th Jan 2026
Applicants must be UK based, no Visa sponsorship is available

This game developer is an award-winning immersive studio creating emotionally rich experiences across VR, MR, and interactive storytelling. They’re a creative-driven team passionate about redefining what games can be, blending story, innovation, and technology in bold new ways.
Their current project is their most ambitious VR title yet, a groundbreaking, immersive narrative experience that blends emotional storytelling, cutting-edge gameplay, and cinematic world-building. Developed for next-generation VR and MR platforms, it’s an opportunity to help shape the future of immersive entertainment.

About You:
As a Senior Environment Artist, you will play a key role within the art team, producing high-quality environments for VR and multi-platform projects using Unreal Engine 5. You’ll ensure your work aligns with both artistic direction and technical constraints while helping to mentor and inspire the wider art team.
You’ll be joining an experienced and passionate group with a proven record of delivering quality products. The ideal candidate demonstrates an exceptional eye for detail, creative flair, and a drive for excellence, someone who thrives on building immersive, believable worlds that draw players in and elevate the gameplay experience.

Key Responsibilities

• Create visually compelling and optimised 3D environments for VR using Unreal Engine 5.
• Work closely with the Art Director, Art Lead, and Level Design team to define the visual identity, layout, and storytelling of game environments.
• Produce high-quality environment models in their entirety, respecting concept art, gameplay needs, and technical limitations.
• Build modular kits, trim sheet textures, hero assets, and set dressing.
• Deliver clean and optimised low-poly assets with efficient UV layouts, LODs, and collision meshes that meet performance goals.
• Implement baked lighting and lightmaps to create atmospheric, performant environments that align with the project’s art direction and level design goals.
• Optimise textures, materials, and lighting setups after integration to ensure the best balance of visual quality and performance.
• Collaborate closely with VFX, Tech Art, Design, and Code teams.
• Plan and deliver milestones in collaboration with production and leads, ensuring assets meet high-quality standards on schedule.
• Mentor junior artists, providing guidance, feedback, and support to maintain consistency and artistic excellence across the team.
• Participate in regular art reviews, offering constructive feedback and driving continual visual improvement across the project.

Requirements:

• 5+ years of professional experience as an Environment Artist in the games industry.
• Strong proficiency in Unreal Engine.
• Experience creating environments for VR or highly optimised real-time projects.
• Excellent knowledge of 3D modelling software such as Blender, Maya, or 3ds Max  (Blender preferred).
• Experience of hard surface modelling.
• Skilled in Substance Painter/Designer, Photoshop, and other 2D/3D tools.
• Deep understanding of PBR workflows, modular environment design, and trim sheet texture techniques.
• Strong grasp of composition, lighting, scale, and environment storytelling.
• Experience creating LOD models, managing optimisation, and using profiling tools.
• Working knowledge of 3D sculpting packages (ZBrush or Mudbox).
• Demonstrated ability to balance visual fidelity and technical performance, particularly in VR contexts.
• Experience mentoring or supporting other artists and maintaining consistent quality standards.
• Familiarity with source control tools (Perforce, Git)
• A strong portfolio showcasing high-quality, real-time environments.

This is a freelance role, immediate start, initially running until 30th Jan 2026, day rate to £300 day DOE