On this page
- Jobs in the Video Game Industry
- Game Design Jobs Compared
- How Pay Changes From Entry Level to Senior in Games
- Where Game Industry Jobs Are by State
- Game Designer Jobs
- Programming and Art Jobs in Games
- Other Jobs on a Game Team
- How a Game Team Fits Together
- Entry-Level Game Jobs
- Which Degree Leads to Which Game Job
- Which Game Design Career Fits You
- Game Design Skills Outside the Game Industry
- What Game Studio Roles Pay
- What to Know About Game Industry Jobs
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
Jobs in the Video Game Industry
Each card opens a career guide. Pay is the national median for the federal occupation the job is counted in, since BLS doesn't count any of these jobs as an occupation of its own.
- Designer
Video Game Designer
Decides how the game plays: rules, systems, missions and feel.
$104,000 median pay+6% projected growth to 2035Pay counted with web and digital interface designers, BLS May 2025
- Designer
Level Designer
Builds the spaces players move through and the encounters inside them.
$104,000 median pay+6% projected growth to 2035Pay counted with web and digital interface designers, BLS May 2025
- Designer
Narrative Designer
Makes the story something you play: dialogue, quests, branching choices.
$76,910 median pay-0.3% projected growth to 2035Pay counted with writers and authors, BLS May 2025
- Engineer
Game Developer
Writes the software: gameplay, engine, graphics, networking and tools.
$135,980 median pay+10.2% projected growth to 2035Pay counted with software developers, BLS May 2025
- Artist
Animator
Brings characters to life: movement, combat, faces and cutscenes.
$102,030 median pay-0.3% projected growth to 2035Pay counted with special effects artists and animators, BLS May 2025
- Artist
Concept Artist
Draws what the game will look like before anyone builds it.
$55,490 median pay-2.9% projected growth to 2035Pay counted with fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators, BLS May 2025
- Artist
3D Artist
Models and textures the characters, props and worlds players see.
$102,030 median pay-0.3% projected growth to 2035Pay counted with special effects artists and animators, BLS May 2025
- Artist
Technical Artist
Connects art to the engine: shaders, rigs, tools and pipeline.
$102,030 median pay-0.3% projected growth to 2035Pay counted with special effects artists and animators, BLS May 2025
- Support
Game Tester
Finds what's broken, documents it and confirms the fix.
$104,300 median pay+5.7% projected growth to 2035Pay counted with software quality assurance analysts and testers, BLS May 2025
- Support
Game Producer
Plans the work and keeps the team on schedule to ship.
$90,360 median pay+4% projected growth to 2035Pay counted with producers and directors, BLS May 2025
Game Design Jobs Compared
| Job | Median | Growth |
|---|---|---|
| Video game designer | $104,000 | +6% |
| Level designer | $104,000 | +6% |
| Narrative designer | $76,910 | -0.3% |
| Game developer | $135,980 | +10.2% |
| Animator | $102,030 | -0.3% |
| Concept artist | $55,490 | -2.9% |
| 3D artist | $102,030 | -0.3% |
| Technical artist | $102,030 | -0.3% |
| Game tester | $104,300 | +5.7% |
| Game producer | $90,360 | +4% |
Two patterns stand out when you read across the table. The highest national median belongs to game developer, at $135,980, and the lowest to concept artist, at $55,490. And 5 of the 10 jobs are counted in occupations projected to grow faster than the 3.5% for all jobs, with game developer at 10.2% and concept artist at -2.9%. Those projections are for the whole occupation in all industries, not for game studios.
Pay spreadHow Pay Changes From Entry Level to Senior in Games
A median is the midpoint, and half of the people in each occupation earn less. The middle half of workers fall between the 25th and 75th percentile, which is a better picture of what's typical than the median alone.
| Job | 25th percentile | Median | 75th percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Video game designer | $73,290 | $104,000 | $158,820 |
| Level designer | $73,290 | $104,000 | $158,820 |
| Narrative designer | $58,230 | $76,910 | $101,950 |
| Game developer | $105,210 | $135,980 | $171,980 |
| Animator | $75,490 | $102,030 | $139,130 |
| Concept artist | $37,560 | $55,490 | $83,200 |
| 3D artist | $75,490 | $102,030 | $139,130 |
| Technical artist | $75,490 | $102,030 | $139,130 |
| Game tester | $80,310 | $104,300 | $133,180 |
| Game producer | $62,670 | $90,360 | $134,800 |
Read the first column as what a newcomer in that occupation might expect and the last as what experience and a strong specialty can reach. Game studio pay scales differ from these averages, so use the numbers to compare jobs with each other, not to predict an offer.
Where the jobs areWhere Game Industry Jobs Are by State
Jobs cluster in a few states, and the clusters differ by occupation. Moving to one of them can raise your odds of finding work, though it often raises your cost of living too. Remote and hybrid roles loosen this, but many studios still hire near their offices.
| Occupation | Share in top three |
|---|---|
| Video game designer | 49% |
| Game developer | 33% |
| Animator | 52% |
The game design rankings cover programs state by state, so you can look for a school near the market you want to work in.
Design jobsGame Designer Jobs
Design is what most people mean by game design jobs. A video game designer decides how a game plays. On larger teams that splits into specialties: systems, combat, economy, and the two with their own guides here, level designer and narrative designer. O*NET's job titles for video game designers include Design Director, Designer, Environmental Artist, Game Design Consultant, Game Designer, Gamemaster, which gives you a sense of the range.
Design jobs are popular and a design team is often small, so they're hard to land first. The designers who get hired show finished, playable work: levels, small games and design documents that explain the thinking. Some people reach design through QA or level design rather than straight into a design title.
Code and artProgramming and Art Jobs in Games
Programming is the best-paid group by federal figures. A game developer writes the systems everything else runs on, and the skills transfer to the wider software industry, where about 1,687,890 software developers are employed nationally.
Art jobs include concept artists, 3D modelers, animators, environment artists and technical artists, who connect art to the engine. The animator occupation is far smaller, about 19,970 payroll jobs nationally, and BLS projects it to change by -0.3% from 2025 to 2035. Art jobs reward a strong portfolio and, increasingly, a technical skill alongside it.
More rolesOther Jobs on a Game Team
A full team has more roles than the guides above. Audio designers and composers create sound effects and music. UX designers and UI artists make menus, controls and screens clear. Community managers, marketers and live-operations staff keep a released game running and its players engaged. Data analysts study how people play. Each has its own path in, and most of them value the same thing: work you can show that proves you understand how games are made and played.
How teams workHow a Game Team Fits Together
It helps to know who does what before you pick a path. A game moves from an idea through prototyping, building and polishing, then ships and often keeps running with updates. Different jobs matter at different stages.
- Early on, designers and a few programmers and artists test whether the idea is fun. A small team works with rough tools and rough art.
- In full production, the team grows. Programmers build systems, artists make assets, designers fill the game with content, and producers keep the schedule.
- Near release, testers find the bugs, designers rebalance, and everyone cuts what won't make it.
- After release, live games need designers, programmers, community managers and analysts to keep updating them.
The 10 jobs in the table above cover those stages, and they depend on each other. A designer who understands the programmer's limits and an artist who understands the designer's goals are both easier to work with, and that quality shows up in hiring.
Getting inEntry-Level Game Jobs
The most open door is QA. A game tester job doesn't always require a degree, and it teaches you how games are built and how they break. It pays less than most game jobs, so treat it as a way in, not a destination. Testers who move up learn a second skill on the side: scripting, level building, or production work like running stand-ups and tracking tasks.
Other entry points are junior designer, junior programmer and junior artist roles, internships, and contract work. All of them hire on a portfolio. Production usually comes later: a game producer typically moves in after time on a team.
How to Look for Jobs in the Video Game Industry
- Build the portfolio before you apply. Studios rarely hire on a resume alone. Read the game design portfolio guide first.
- Apply to roles, not just titles. The same work may be called a gameplay, systems or content designer. Read the responsibilities.
- Use game jams and small projects. A finished jam game is a credit you can show, and it puts you in touch with people who hire.
- Look beyond the famous studios. Mid-size and small studios, mobile and indie teams, and companies that make training and simulation software all hire game-trained people.
- Keep applying while you learn. The first hire often goes to the person with one more finished project, so keep making things between applications.
Which Degree Leads to Which Game Job
- Game design degree: game, level and narrative design, QA, production, and UX or interface design outside games. See the best game design schools.
- Game development or computer science degree: gameplay, engine, graphics and tools programming, and technical design. See the game development degrees.
- Animation or game art degree: 3D art, animation, technical art and concept art. See the animation schools.
- Writing degree: game writing and narrative design, with game projects on the side.
Which Game Design Career Fits You
Match the job to what you actually enjoy doing for hours, not to the title that sounds best.
- You like rules, numbers and testing ideas: start with video game designer or level designer.
- You like writing and structure: look at narrative designer, and learn the tools.
- You like code and solving puzzles: game developer has the widest set of outside options.
- You like both art and code: technical artist is the bridge role.
- You like finding what's broken: game tester is the easiest entry and a path to other jobs.
- You like organizing people and plans: game producer, usually after a few years on a team.
If you're still deciding, the what is game design article explains the field, and game design vs. game development helps you choose between the two main degree paths. In O*NET's survey of video game designers, 55% said a new hire needs a bachelor's degree, and O*NET lists 8 job titles for the occupation, which shows how many shapes a design job can take.
Beyond studiosGame Design Skills Outside the Game Industry
A game design degree doesn't only lead to game studios. The occupation game designers are counted in, web and digital interface designers, employs about 113,330 people nationally, and most of them design websites, apps and software interfaces. The skills overlap: understanding how people interact with a system, prototyping, and testing with real users. Interactive training, education and simulation work use the same skills too.
That matters if game hiring is slow the year you graduate. A portfolio that shows design thinking, not only games, opens those doors as well, and the game jobs will still be there when you're ready to go back.
PayWhat Game Studio Roles Pay
10 of the 10 jobs above are counted in occupations whose median is higher than the $50,980 median for all jobs. The spread inside each occupation is wide, and none of these figures is game-specific, because federal wage data counts occupations rather than industries. The game design salary hub has every figure side by side, and each salary page breaks it down by state.
The honest partWhat to Know About Game Industry Jobs
Game jobs are popular, and there are more people who want them than openings, especially in design. Studio hiring rises and falls with projects, and hours can run long before a release. None of that is a reason to stay away. It's a reason to keep your education costs low, to build a portfolio of finished work, and to develop at least one skill, like scripting or QA automation, that's useful outside games too.
What This Means for Your Plan
- Keep costs low. A smaller loan makes a slow first year survivable. The best game design schools ranking weighs net price for this reason.
- Finish things. A short finished game beats a long unfinished one.
- Have a second skill. Scripting, interface design or production work all open doors outside games.
- Treat the first job as a start. Many people move between studios and roles, and the second job is easier to land than the first.
For the degree side, the game development degrees and best animation schools rankings cover the programming and art routes.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Jobs Can You Get With a Game Design Degree?
The most direct are game designer, level designer and narrative designer. Game design graduates also work as QA testers, producers and technical designers, and in UX and interface design outside games, where the same design skills are paid.
What Are the Main Jobs in the Video Game Industry?
Design (game, level, narrative), programming (gameplay, engine, tools), art (concept, 3D, animation, technical art), QA testing, production, and audio, plus business roles like marketing and community management.
Which Game Job Pays the Most?
By the federal figures, programming: software developers, the occupation game programmers are counted in, had a median of $135,980 in May 2025, against $104,000 for the occupation game designers are counted in.
What Is the Easiest Job to Get in the Game Industry?
QA testing is the most open entry point, because it doesn't always require a degree or a portfolio. It pays less than most game jobs, so treat it as a way in and keep building skills for the next role.
Are Game Design Jobs Hard to Get?
Yes, more than most. Design roles are a small part of most teams and they're popular. A portfolio of finished, playable work is what gets you hired, more than the degree itself.
Do You Need a Degree to Work in Video Games?
Not for every role. In O*NET's survey of video game designers, a bachelor's degree was the most common answer for what a new hire needs, but testing and some art roles hire on skill and portfolio.
Sources
- 1 BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 National wages and employment for the occupations each game job is counted in. Accessed .
- 2 BLS, Employment Projections 2025-35 Projected employment change, and the median wage for all occupations. Accessed .
- 3 O*NET OnLine, 15-1255.01 Video Game Designers Sample job titles and education survey. Accessed .