Guest Post by Dr James Wootton, CSO at Moth
Game developers work at the frontier of innovation when it comes to what can be achieved with classical computing. Every year, games look better, worlds get bigger and systems get smarter. From the outside, it feels like steady progress without limits.
But when you look at game development through a quantum lens, something else becomes clear: many design decisions are still shaped by technical limits rather than creative ambition.
Worlds are made smaller because bigger ones are harder to test properly. Systems are simplified because every extra rule creates more that can break. And features are sometimes cut late in development because testing every possible interaction takes too long and costs too much.
This is not about a lack of imagination – it’s about the limitations of classical computing and its inability to handle complexity.
The way in which quantum computing can be used to transform game development, and address the limitations imposed by traditional computing, is often misunderstood. People imagine quantum computers running entire games in real time. This is not how it’s used.
Quantum computing won’t power your frame rate or respond to controller input. Instead it exists to solve certain complex problems far more efficiently than conventional machines. The real opportunity is earlier in the process – helping developers explore ideas, pre-render complex systems and check that complex worlds actually work before players ever see them.
Quantum approaches are particularly strong at analysing systems where many variables interact and the number of possible outcomes grows very quickly. In practice, that can mean checking complex game rules across an entire world, understanding how interconnected mechanics behave under different conditions, or calculating detailed material and lighting effects that would otherwise need heavy simplification.
In other words, instead of running the game, quantum helps shape it.
And this shift is closer than many realise – developers don’t have to wait to experiment. Quantum techniques are already being used to explore more complex procedural generation, experiment with new visual techniques and reduce the time spent tracking down hard-to-find bugs. The results are fed back into normal development tools and engines and the final game still runs on standard hardware.
It’s also worth noting that fully fault-tolerant quantum systems are expected within the next few years – about the same length of time it takes to build a major AAA game. That means quantum isn’t a distant future application – Its development lines up with the projects studios are starting today. So though GTA VI might not be co-developed with quantum, GTA VII could be. We’re already demonstrating this approach in practice through projects like Space Moths, where quantum-generated content is integrated into a live multiplayer experience.
The impact of quantum here goes beyond efficiency – it also changes who gets to build ambitious games.
Today, building a large, deeply connected game world requires big teams and long testing cycles. As complexity rises, so does the cost of making everything work reliably – limiting who can attempt to build certain kinds of games.
If the time and expense of testing and validating complexity comes down, the playing field shifts.
Smaller studios can take on more ambitious projects. Developers can pursue bolder design projects without fearing they’ll spiral out of control. Fewer ideas get cut simply because they’re ‘too complicated’ to manage.
That’s where quantum has the potential to democratise game development – enabling more teams to build bigger, braver and more original games.
Quantum computing will not replace developers, designers or testers. It will not suddenly make small teams equal to the largest studios overnight. But by reducing the cost of exploring and checking complex systems, it lowers one of the biggest hidden barriers in game development.
When it becomes easier to test bold ideas, more people try them. When fewer resources are spent fighting technical limits, more time can go into design and creativity.
Developers don’t need to overhaul their workflows overnight – but those who start exploring quantum tools early will be better placed as the technology matures. Now is the moment to rethink what has always been considered “too complex” or “too expensive” to build.
For many years, those assumptions have shaped how games are designed. They were sensible in a world where complexity always meant more cost and more risk.
That world is starting to change.
The next phase of game development will not be defined only by faster machines or bigger memory. It will be shaped by new ways of handling complexity – by tools that allow developers to explore more, test more and compromise less.
Quantum computing won’t run your game – but it may change what you believe is possible to build.
Dr James Wootton has spent over a decade at the forefront of quantum computing, combining acclaimed academic research with industry leadership at IBM Quantum. Recognised as a pioneer in applying quantum systems beyond the lab, he’s now Chief Scientific Officer at Moth, where he works on turning advanced quantum capability into practical tools that can expand creative possibilities in game development, and more broadly across media and entertainment.
February 20, 2026
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