Video Game Developer Salary
How much are Game Developers paid? There are many jobs on a video game development team, and “game developer” can refer to any of them: programmers, artists, designers, audio engineers, and more. Game developers are paid well above national average income levels, but some are paid more than others. It depends on job title, years of experience, region, and other job-specific factors discussed below.
The following graphs show average game developer pay, and each section includes links to learn more. The data is pulled from several authoritative sources (see endnote for references), and is updated every 6 months.
Game Designer Salary
Average pay range: $50,000—$100,000/year
The average pay for Game Designers starts around $50,000 per year, which is equivalent to $960/week or $24/hour.
Game Designers are paid based on years of experience and by job title, for example “senior” or “‘lead” game artists are paid significantly more than entry-level “associate” artists.
Artist pay is also influenced by other factors such as the designer’s educational background (artists with a degree are often paid more), company size (larger game companies can usually afford to pay higher artist salaries), and the cost of living where the game studio is located (companies in game development hotbeds pay higher salaries to compete for the best artists).
| Under 3 Years | 3-6 Years | 6+ Years |
|---|---|---|
| Game Designer | ||
| $55,000 | $67,000 | $80,000 |
| Lead Game Designer | ||
| N/A | $72,000 | $105,000 |
More about Game Designer pay
- Game Designer Salary: In Depth
- Game Designer: Job Requirements
- Game Designer: Education Requirements
Game Tester Salary
Average pay range: $18,000—$55,000/year
The average pay for Game Testers starts around $18,000 per year, which is equivalent to $346/week or $8.65/hour.
Game Testers are paid based on years of experience, and by job title. Tester pay is also based on on whether the job is part- or full-time, and contracted or hired, because many game companies rely on outsourcing or contract testers to get the job done.
Game tester pay is also based on the company’s size (larger game companies can afford to pay more), and the cost of living where the game studio is located (more expensive cities need to pay more to keep workers).
| < 3 Years | 3 to 6 Years | 6+ Years |
|---|---|---|
| Game Tester | ||
| $38,000 | $41,000 | [No data] |
| QA Lead (Lead Tester) | ||
| N/A | $50,000 | $58,000 |
More about Game Tester pay
- Game Tester Salary: In Depth
- Book: Land A Job as a Video Game Tester [Amazon]
- Game Tester: Frequently Asked Questions
- Game Tester: Job Requirements
- Game Tester: Education Requirements
Game Programmer Salary
Average pay range: $72,000—$120,000/year
The average pay for Game Programmers starts around $72,000 per year, which is equivalent to $1,380/week or $34.60/hour.
Game Programmers are paid based on years of experience, and by job title. For example, “lead” or “senior” programmers are paid more than entry-level “associate” or “junior” programmers.
Game programmer pay also depends on the programmers’s educational background (many programmers have a bachelor’s degree in computer science), company size, area of specialization (for example tools programmer, graphics programmer, or systems programmer), and the cost of living where the game studio is located. Game companies located in gaming hotbed cities must pay significantly higher developer salaries, in order to compete with other companies for top talent.
| Under 3 Years | 3-6 Years | 6+ Years |
|---|---|---|
| Game Programmer/Engineer | ||
| $72,000 | $80,000 | $105,000 |
| Lead/Senior Game Programmer/Engineer | ||
| N/A | $95,000 | $120,000 |
| Technical Director | ||
| N/A | N/A | $140,000 |
More on Game Programmer pay
- Game Programmer Salary: In Depth
- The Best Game Programming Books (beginner to advanced)
- Learn Game Programming in High School
- How Computer Science is Used for Game Development
Game Artist Salary
Average pay range: $65,000—$105,000/year
The average pay for Game Artists starts around $65,000 per year, which is equivalent to $1,250/week or $31.25/hour.
Game Artists are paid based on years of experience, and by job title. For example, “senior” artists make more than “junior” artists, and artists who manage others are typically paid more.
Game Artist pay also depends on the artist’s educational background, company size (larger companies typically pay more), area of specialty (for example 2D artist, character modeler, concept artist, or environment artist).
Pay also varies between cities, because game studios located in high-cost areas must pay more due to a higher cost of living.
| Under 3 Years | 3-6 Years | 6+ Years |
|---|---|---|
| Game Artist / Animator | ||
| $55,000 | $65,000 | $80,000 |
| Lead Artist / Tech Artist | ||
| N/A | $73,000 | $105,000 |
| Art Director | ||
| N/A | N/A | $110,000 |
Game Audio Engineer Salary
Average pay range: $30,000—$150,000/year
The average pay for Game Audio Engineers starts around $30,000 per year, which is equivalent to $576.90/week or $14.40/hour.
Game Audio Engineers are paid based on years of experience and whether the job is full-time or freelance/contract, because most audio engineer jobs in the game industry are freelance.
Game Audio Engineer pay also depends on the size and scope of the game project (larger/longer projects usually pay more), the engineer’s skill set (engineers who also compose game music are often paid more) and whether or not the engineer retains the rights to the produced audio — engineers may have the option to keep the rights to their work, in exchange for lower pay on the project.
| Low Range | High Range |
|---|---|
| Salaried Employee | |
| $30,000 per year | $150,000 per year |
| Freelance (Indie Games) | |
| $100 per project | $30,000 per project |
| Freelance (Professional Casual Games) | |
| $2,000 per project | $150,000 per project |
| Freelance (Larger/AAA Games) | |
| $10,000 per project | $150,000 per project |
Game Developer Salaries In Depth
There are dozens of different job types in the video game industry, but most of them fall into one of the “job families” below. Read the ones you’re interested in to find out the various job sub-types in the field, how much you’ll get paid starting out, and how much you could get paid with more years on the job as you grow through experience and promotions.
- Video Game Designer Salary – Associate Game Designer, Game Designer, Lead Game Designer, Senior Game Designer
- Video Game Tester Salary – Game Tester, QA Tester, Lead Tester
- Video Game Programmer Salary – Game Programmer, Lead Programmer, Senior Programmer, Technical Director
- Video Game Artist Salary – Game Artist, Animator, Lead Artist, Tech Artist, Art Director
- Video Game Audio Engineer Salary – Game Audio Engineer, Sound Designer, Audio Designer, Sound Lead
- Video Game Community Manager Salary – Game Social Media Manager, Game Community Manager
How to maximize your game developer salary
Did you think that everybody in a given job gets paid the same as everybody else in that job? Not quite! You can make more money, if you play your cards right. Find out how.
- What Are Your Salary Requirements? – When they ask this question in an interview, be ready with the right answer.
- How To Negotiate for A Higher Salary – Don’t settle for what they offer you. Use these tactics to get more.
- Which factors will affect my salary at a video game job? [podcast] – Learn which factors affect your salary most, and how bonus pay works in the game industry.
- Which video game job pays the most? [podcast] – Learn which job family has the highest salaries, and which are the easiest jobs to get.
Sources: Glassdoor.com | Gamasutra.com | Indeed.com
Read my new book!
Making games for a living is an incredibly rewarding career, but it’s hard to break in unless you have insider knowledge. This book levels the playing field.
What is the difference between a game developer and designer??? And what would help me decide which i want to be?
Developer is general anyone who works on the game from lead designer to animators and programmers
You’re right, but it depends on context. Sometimes when people say “developer” they mean “software developer,” which is a term for programmers. But sometimes they mean “game developer” which is a general term for anybody working on the game team.