Junior Quality Analyst in Southampton, England at Kinetic Games

About Kinetic Games

We’re an independent games studio best known for creating Phasmophobia, enjoyed by millions of players worldwide. Our team is passionate, creative, and collaborative and we’re looking for someone equally enthusiastic about games to join our growing team.

We’re a small but fast growing, friendly team that values creativity, openness, and personal growth. Whether you’re helping various departments or talking about your favourite horror game, you’ll be part of a supportive environment where passion and curiosity are celebrated. You’ll be joining a small but ambitious team where your ideas are valued, your growth is supported, and your development truly matters.

About the role:

We're looking for a Junior QA Games Tester to join our QA team and help us deliver the best possible experience for our players. This is an excellent opportunity for someone looking to begin or develop their career in games quality assurance.

Working closely with QA, developers and other disciplines, you'll be responsible for testing new features, identifying and documenting bugs, verifying fixes and helping ensure our games meet a high standard of quality. You'll play an important role in improving the player experience by providing clear, accurate feedback throughout development.

We're looking for someone who is curious, detail-oriented and passionate about games, with a willingness to learn. Whether you're testing against defined test plans or exploring gameplay to uncover unexpected issues, you'll have the opportunity to build your skills while contributing to the development of our games in a collaborative and supportive environment.

The successful candidate should be located within a reasonable commuting distance of the office and, while not essential, access to a vehicle would be advantageous due to the office location.

This role is hybrid, based in the Southampton area. At this time, we are unable to provide visa sponsorship. Applicants must have the right to work in the UK.

Your responsibilities will include:

• Test new features, gameplay systems and content across multiple development builds.
• Identify, reproduce and document bugs clearly using our bug tracking tools.
• Verify bug fixes and carry out regression testing.
• Follow test plans while also using exploratory testing to uncover new issues.
• Help ensure the game meets quality, usability and gameplay expectations.
• Accurately record testing results and provide clear feedback to the development team.
• Reproduce player-reported issues where required.
• Work closely with developers and designers to help resolve issues efficiently.
• Support testing during milestone deliveries and release periods.
• Maintain a high level of confidentiality around unreleased game content.

What We're Looking For:

• A genuine passion for video games and the games industry.
• Excellent attention to detail.
• Strong written and verbal communication skills.
• Good problem-solving and analytical thinking.
• Ability to follow processes and work methodically.
• Comfortable working independently and as part of a collaborative team.
• Good organisational skills and the ability to manage multiple tasks.
• Eagerness to learn and develop within a QA career.

Nice To Have:

While not essential, we'd love to see any of the following:

• Familiarity with Phasmophobia and an understanding of its gameplay mechanics, player experience and core game loop.
• Experience testing games, whether personal projects or beta testing.
• Knowledge of different gaming platforms (PC, console or VR).
• Familiarity with bug tracking software such as Jira, or similar.
• Basic understanding of game development pipelines.
• Qualification in Games Development, Computer Science or a related subject.

What Success Looks Like:

In this role you'll:

• Consistently identify high-quality, reproducible bugs.
• Produce clear and accurate bug reports.
• Demonstrate curiosity and attention to detail when testing new content.
• Collaborate effectively with the wider development team.
• Continue developing your technical knowledge and QA skills.

Benefits & Perks

💰Comprehensive Reward Package

💼 Enhanced Employer Match Pension Scheme

💸 Annual Bonus

🍽️ Weekly Free Team Lunches

🎉 Regular Social Events

🏠 Hybrid & Flextime Working

⚽ Access to Southampton Football Club Tickets - subject to availability and sponsor allocation

📦 Relocation Package (within the UK only)

🚗Electric Vehicle Car Scheme

🏅 Employee of the Month Vouchers

🧘 ♀️ Personal Wellbeing Allowance

🤝 Recruitment Referral Scheme

🎓 Training & Development Budget

🚀 Training & Career Development

💚 Vitality Health Insurance

🛡️ Aviva Life Insurance

🎂 30 days Holiday in Total

🎄 Christmas Studio Shutdown