If you're searching for game design schools near Sacramento, start with a plain fact: no ranked program sits inside the metro. The closest ranked one is California State University-Chico, 83 miles out, which lands at 3 of 89 for game and interactive media design. Sierra College, 21 miles from the city center in Rocklin, is the nearest program of any kind, and it's an associate in animation. For a bachelor's degree, most options mean moving or a long commute.
Kevin ToFounder & EditorB.S. in Computer Science, Temple UniversityUpdated
1Game Program Within 25 Milesgame design, programming, simulation and animation, all levelsIPEDS locations
1Game Program Within 50 Milesabout an hour outIPEDS locations
22Game Programs Within 100 Milesat 12 colleges; 4 ranked game bachelor'sIPEDS locations
Nearest top pick: California State University-Chico, 83 miles out.No ranked program sits inside the Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom metro itself. It scores 88.9. It beats the ranking's medians on both counts: 75% of its students finish, against 59%, and aided first-year students pay $15,187, against $26,150.Nearby Programs ›
Software developers earn $139,640 here.The U.S. median for the same job is $135,980. Software development is a smaller share of jobs in the metro than nationally (location quotient 0.64), with about 7,460 people in the occupation. Web and digital interface designers, where BLS counts game designers, earn $112,840 in Sacramento, 9% more than the $104,000 national median.Pay ›
94 software and game publishers in the metro.Concentration 0.60, where 1.00 matches the U.S. Those publishers employ 3,575 people. The metro also has 525 custom programming studios and 65 film, video and animation production companies.Employers ›
In-state tuition starts at $1,104.9 public colleges nearby offer a game-related program. The highest in-state tuition nearby is $6,084, so where you enroll changes the bill a lot.Costs ›
A one-bedroom rents for $1,599 a month.The U.S. median one-bedroom is $1,301. Rent is the big cost in the Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom metro: the median is $1,904 a month, $417 over the U.S. median. The lowest on-campus room and board nearby is $8,000 a year at Sierra College.Living Costs ›
Heads up The top-scoring program in range is 83 miles out, so most ranked options mean moving or studying online.
Nearest to Sacramento
The Nearest Ranked Game Design Programs to Sacramento for 2027
California State University-Chico leads the 7 ranked programs within 100 miles, with a score of 88.9, a school-wide completion rate of 75% and an average net price of $15,187. Miles are straight-line distance from central Sacramento.
Game design, game programming, simulation and animation programs are all scored the same way, on completion, net price and program size. On each card, completion is the school's 8-year award rate and net price its average for aided first-year students, both from IPEDS; grads a year is the program's own average, 2022 to 2024. Miles are straight-line from central Sacramento.
Chico, CA · Public · Game design program · 83 miles
88.9
#3 of 89 nationally
83 miles from Sacramento
Lowest net price near Sacramento
Highest completion near Sacramento
Public
Chico is 83 miles from Sacramento, a drive of roughly an hour and a half, which puts the campus within reach for students in the capital region who want to live near school rather than commute daily. It is a public university in a city setting, with 15,257 students.
For Sacramento-area students, the Bachelor of Science in Computer Animation and Game Development is the closest program with an in-house game studio and a motion capture lab. California residents pay $6,084 in published tuition, and the school-wide net price for aided first-years is $15,187. About 67 graduates finish the major each year, and 75% of students across the university complete within eight years. Students in the capital region can also join game and animation jams held a few times each academic year through the Computer Graphics Club.
San Jose, CA · Private for-profit · Animation program · 84 miles
55.5
#50 of 82 in animation
84 miles from Sacramento
Animation
Private
University of Silicon Valley offers its B.A. in Digital Art & Animation on campus or 100% online, which takes some of the sting out of the 84 miles between Sacramento and San Jose. Courses include 3D modeling, 3D animation, entertainment design and technical art, and graduates assemble a portfolio and can pursue roles such as 3D generalist, concept artist, storyboard artist and technical director.
The university is private for-profit and small, with 477 students. School-wide net price for aided first-years is $30,602, against published tuition of $21,480 and a $47,302 cost of attendance. About 27 students a year finish the program. Across the university, 52% of students complete a degree within eight years, 51% of applicants are admitted, and earnings ten years after enrollment average $51,017 across all majors.
San Jose, CA · Private for-profit · Game design program · 84 miles
54.4
#56 of 89 nationally
84 miles from Sacramento
Private
The campus in San Jose is 84 miles from Sacramento, far enough that daily commuting is unrealistic, but the online option fixes that. A Sacramento student can take the Bachelor of Arts in Game Design from home or relocate to Silicon Valley.
Local cost is straightforward: tuition is $21,480, and the school-wide cost of attendance is $47,302 for students who live near the campus. Aided first-years pay a net price of $30,602. In USV Studios, students work on client-driven projects with peers in design, audio and engineering, and the school says they finish with three to five shipped projects. About 22 students complete the degree each year. Career paths listed on the program page include level designer, narrative designer, game writer and producer.
San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit · Animation program · 75 miles
48.6
#66 of 82 in animation
75 miles from Sacramento
Animation
Private
California College of the Arts is 75 miles from Sacramento, in San Francisco, and its BFA in Animation is STEM-designated. Students make 2D, 3D, game, stop-motion and other animation, in a program that treats animators as fine artists: drawing, sculpture, acting and storytelling feed into each student's own film grammar.
The sticker price is the obstacle. Cost of attendance before aid is $87,623, published tuition is $59,376 and school-wide net price for aided first-years is $49,945. About 49 students a year graduate from the program. Across the college, 72% of students complete a degree within eight years, 1,308 are enrolled, 91% of applicants are admitted, and earnings ten years after enrollment average $49,414 across all majors. A student from Sacramento would be relocating, so housing costs come on top.
San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit · Animation program · 74 miles
40.0
#79 of 82 in animation
74 miles from Sacramento
Largest program near Sacramento
Animation
Private
Academy of Art University lets students pick one emphasis within its BFA in Animation and Visual Effects: visual effects, 3D modeling, 3D animation, 2D animation and stop motion, or storyboarding. The degree is available online and on campus, which matters for a Sacramento student, since the San Francisco campus is 74 miles away. About 76 students a year graduate from the program.
Core courses run from Introduction to 3D Production in Unreal to a stop-motion foundation, cinematics, and a senior portfolio course that builds a reel. School-wide net price for aided first-years is $36,591, published tuition is $29,736 and cost of attendance before aid is $67,777. Across the academy, 5,498 students are enrolled, and 26% complete a degree within eight years, a figure to weigh against the low sticker tuition. Earnings ten years after enrollment average $39,008.
San Francisco, CA · Private for-profit · Simulation program · 74 miles
39.9
#82 of 89 nationally
74 miles from Sacramento
Technical track: simulation
Private
Sacramento is about 74 miles from the the university's San Francisco campus, which is too far for a daily commute but workable for a student who moves to the city or takes classes online. The BFA in Game Design is offered both ways.
Core classes include Digital Drawing for Entertainment, Introduction to Maya, Introduction to Game Development and Dice, Rulesets, and Theory, a tabletop design course. Tuition is $29,736, and net price is $36,591 for aided first-years school-wide. About 50 students graduate each year. Across the university, 5,498 students are enrolled and 26% complete within eight years. The cost of attendance before aid is $67,777 school-wide, which a Sacramento family should weigh against the commute or relocation. Students who choose the online route skip the move entirely.
San Francisco, CA · Private nonprofit · Game design program · 75 miles
34.4
#87 of 89 nationally
75 miles from Sacramento
Private
Sacramento is 75 miles from the San Francisco campus of California College of the Arts, so a student from the metro could reach the city in a short drive. The BFA in Game Arts & Design is cross-disciplinary, mixing art and design skills with game prototyping, so students are not limited to a single technical lane.
A senior thesis project course produces finished student games, and a board game by students came out of a course called Animal Games. Tuition is $59,376, and aided first-years pay a net price of $49,945 school-wide. Earnings ten years after entry average $49,414 across all majors, and the college admits 91% of applicants. About two students finish the program each year. The college is private, and tuition does not change for students from outside the city or state.
The rest of the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro and the nearby areas are covered on the California page.
StateCalifornia11 ranked game bachelor's · 78 programs in allView the California guide ›
More ways in
Other Game Programs in Sacramento
One more program inside the Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom metro offers a way into game work without a ranked bachelor's. These associate, graduate and certificate programs aren't in the bachelor's ranking, so they carry no score. Grads a year is the program's IPEDS average, 2022 to 2024, and admission is the college's fall 2024 rate (College Scorecard).
Game jobs in the Sacramento metro pay close to the national level but well under the rest of California. Software developers, the group covering game programmers and engine developers, come in at a metro median of $139,640. Nationally that's a $3,660 edge, but California's own median is $34,770 higher. About 7,460 work here, with typical pay running $126,650 to $170,240.
Graphic designersWhere many art and UI graduates start
$74,680
$59,030–$91,670$59k–$92k$59,030 to $91,670
920
$75,130
$62,960
Computer programmersProgramming roles outside software development
$102,600
$84,010–$130,980$84k–$131k$84,010 to $130,980
580
$116,760
$100,390
Art directorsSenior art leads; rarely a first job
$106,390
$74,240–$146,530$74k–$147k$74,240 to $146,530
310
$137,780
$114,850
Annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025, for the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metropolitan area. The middle half earns between the 25th and 75th percentile.
The creative side tells a similar story. Game designers and UI designers are counted among web and digital interface designers, whose metro median is $112,840, beating the national median by $8,840 while trailing the state's by $23,270. Special effects artists and animators earn $122,880, but BLS counts only 70 of them in the metro, so don't expect a deep local market. Graphic designers earn $74,680, computer programmers $102,600 and art directors $106,390, the one group that falls below the national median, by $8,460.
Prices here run above average. Overall prices in the metro score 106.7, while housing alone scores 130.2, against a national average of 100, so those salaries get spent faster than the raw figures suggest.
Software development is a smaller share of jobs in the Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom metro than nationally (location quotient 0.64), with about 7,460 people in the occupation. Web and digital interface designers, where BLS counts game designers, earn $112,840 in Sacramento, 9% more than the $104,000 national median. Prices in the Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom metro run 6.7% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget.
Census doesn't count game studios as their own industry, and most are counted under software publishers. In the Sacramento metro that category has 94 businesses and 3,575 employees, at 60% of the national concentration. Contract and co-development shops, counted as custom programming, are far more numerous at 525 businesses with 4,130 employees, at 69% of the national concentration.
Industry
What it covers
Businesses
Employees
Concentration
Software and game publishers
Software publishers (game publishers and studios are filed here)
94
3,575
0.60
Custom programming studios
Custom computer programming services (contract and co-development studios)
525
4,130
0.69
Film, video and animation production
Motion picture and video production (animation and VFX studios)
65
184
0.20
Graphic design firms
Graphic design services
78
197
0.68
Establishments and March payroll employees in the Sacramento-Roseville-Folsom, CA metro, County Business Patterns 2023. Concentration is the industry's share of metro employees divided by its share nationally: 1.00 matches the U.S., 2.00 is twice as concentrated.
The art side is thin. Film, video and animation production has 65 businesses but only 184 employees, at 20% of the national concentration, while graphic design firms reach 68% with 197 employees. If you're aiming for an animation studio, plan on working remotely or relocating.
Every occupation we track is less common here than nationally. Software developers have a location quotient of 0.64, web and digital interface designers 0.61, special effects artists and animators 0.53 and graphic designers 0.67. The nearest to even are computer programmers at 0.90 and art directors at 0.84. Sacramento is a place to work in general software, not a concentrated game market.
How Common Game-Adjacent Jobs Are in Sacramento
Occupation
Jobs per 1,000
Location quotient
Software developers
6.91
0.64
Web and digital interface designers
0.45
0.61
Special effects artists and animators
0.07
0.53
Graphic designers
0.85
0.67
Computer programmers
0.54
0.90
Art directors
0.29
0.84
BLS OEWS May 2025. Jobs per 1,000 of all metro jobs; a location quotient above 1.00 means the occupation is more common in the metro than nationally.
Talent pipeline
How Many Game Graduates Sacramento Produces
Across the 100-mile radius, game-related programs turn out 560 graduates annually, and 304 of those hold bachelor's degrees. The largest single program is Sierra College's associate in animation, at 24 graduates a year.
The 10 largest game-related programs within 100 miles of central Sacramento by graduates a year, IPEDS completions averaged 2022 to 2024:
Colleges inside the metro graduate 27 a year, a ratio of 0.3% against 8,010 core jobs inside the metro. Those core jobs cover software developers, interface designers and animators, and the large majority sit outside games. People relocate after graduating too, so a small ratio tells you the local pipeline is thin, not how many game jobs are open.
Cost near Sacramento
Paying for School in Sacramento
Every public college within range is in California, so a California resident pays the in-state rate everywhere. Sierra College is the cheap entry point at $1,380 a year with a net price of $6,970. The ranked public option is Chico, at $6,084 for residents and $18,684 for non-residents, a premium of $12,600, with a net price of $15,187. Community colleges farther out charge out-of-state students far more than residents, for example $9,008 extra at Diablo Valley College.
The public colleges within 100 miles that offer a game-related program, all in California. Tuition is the published undergraduate rate for 2023-24 (IPEDS IC), before aid; net price is the school-wide average for aided first-year students, 2022-23 (IPEDS SFA).
Cal Grant, from the California Student Aid Commission, is the state grant to look up if you live in California. If you're coming from another state, ask whether the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE) applies to the college you're considering.
State Aid in California
California's main need program for undergraduates is the Cal Grant, run by the California Student Aid Commission. In its own words: "Students attending a Cal Grant eligible institution and who meet eligibility criteria can qualify for the Cal Grant award." The California page covers state aid and public college costs in more detail.
Tuition Exchanges
California belongs to the Western Undergraduate Exchange (WUE). In the program's own words, "WUE enables eligible students to enroll as nonresidents in 170 participating public colleges and universities and pay 150% (or less) of the enrolling institution’s resident tuition."
Living costs
Living in Sacramento as a Student
Renting in Sacramento costs more than the national norm. The metro median is $1,904, $417 more than the country pays. Expect $1,599 a month for a one-bedroom, or $19,188 over twelve months, and splitting a two-bedroom gets you to $953 per person. Housing prices are 130.2 against a national average of 100.
Monthly rent
Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom metro
U.S.
All rentals, median
$1,904
$1,487
One bedroom, median
$1,599
$1,301
Two bedrooms, median
$1,905
$1,490
Median gross rent (rent plus utilities the tenant pays), American Community Survey 2024 1-year estimates, tables B25064 and B25031.
College housing is mixed. Six of the 13 colleges report on-campus room and board, from $8,000 at Sierra College to $23,746 at Academy of Art University. California State University-Chico is $16,020. Diablo Valley College, Berkeley City College, Santa Rosa Junior College, College of Marin, Butte College, Ohlone College, plus Canada College, have no campus housing, so you'd rent off campus there.
Rent is the big cost in the Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom metro: the median is $1,904 a month, $417 over the U.S. median.
Each college's own yearly estimates for a full-time undergraduate, 2023-24 (IPEDS IC). Off-campus is for a student not living with family.
The mix is lopsided toward design. Of the four ranked game bachelor's programs in range, three are game design programs and one as modeling, virtual environments and simulation, which is the closest thing to a technical track. If you want to be an engine programmer, check the course list at each school before you commit, because nothing on this page tells you what a program teaches.
Public versus private is mostly a price question here. Chico is the only public school with a ranked game bachelor's, and its net price is $15,187. University of Silicon Valley is $30,602, Academy of Art University $36,591 and California College of the Arts $49,945. Those net prices and the completion rates (75% at Chico, 52% at University of Silicon Valley, 72% at California College of the Arts and 26% at Academy of Art University) are school-wide figures, not the game programs' own.
Decide early whether you'll commute or move. Sierra College is the only program close enough to commute to from Sacramento, and miles are straight-line, so the real trip is longer. Everything ranked is at least 74 miles out, which realistically means living near campus. A common plan is to start at Sierra College, then transfer to a bachelor's program.
Admission is rarely the hard part here: 2 of the 5 colleges on this page admit anyone with a high school diploma, and among the rest fall 2024 admission ran from 51% at University of Silicon Valley to 93% at California State University-Chico. None requires SAT or ACT scores.
FAQ
Frequently Asked Questions
Where Should I Look for the Best Game Design Schools Near Sacramento?
California State University-Chico is the top-ranked game design school near Sacramento, scoring 88.9 and ranked 3 of 89 nationally, 83 miles from the city center. It beats the ranking's medians on both counts: 75% of its students finish, against 59%, and aided first-year students pay $15,187, against $26,150. With about 67 graduates a year, it is one of the larger programs in the ranking, so expect big cohorts and several sections of core courses. University of Silicon Valley is next at 55.5, one of 7 ranked programs within 100 miles. See the ranked programs.
What Do Game Developers Make in Sacramento?
Software developers, the BLS occupation that counts game programmers, earn a median of $139,640 in the Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom metro, against $135,980 nationally (BLS May 2025). Web and digital interface designers, where game designers are counted, earn $112,840 in the Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom metro, 9% more than the $104,000 national median. Prices in the Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom metro run 6.7% above the U.S. average on BEA's index, which takes a bite out of both pay and a student budget. See what game jobs pay in Sacramento.
How Much Does Chico Cost for a California Resident?
In-state tuition at public colleges near Sacramento starts at $1,104 a year, at Berkeley City College, and runs up to $6,084 at California State University-Chico. Nonresidents pay $9,744 at Berkeley City College. 9 public colleges within 100 miles offer a game-related program, and private colleges charge every student the same tuition. After grants, Canada College has the lowest average net price nearby, $3,845, under the $13,240 public average in the median state. See paying for school in Sacramento.
What Should a Student Budget for Housing in Sacramento?
Median rent in the Sacramento, Roseville and Folsom metro was $1,904 a month in 2024, $417 above the U.S. median of $1,487 (Census ACS). A one-bedroom runs $1,599. On-campus room and board at nearby colleges starts at $8,000 a year at Sierra College, which bundles meals and avoids a lease. Housing is the expensive part: BEA puts it at 130.2 against a U.S. average of 100. See living in Sacramento as a student.
How Competitive Is Admission Around Sacramento for Game Programs?
Admission is rarely the hard part here: 2 of the 5 colleges on this page admit anyone with a high school diploma, and among the rest fall 2024 admission ran from 51% at University of Silicon Valley to 93% at California State University-Chico. None requires SAT or ACT scores. Starting at an open-admission college and transferring after two years is the most reliable way in. The nearest open-admission option is Sierra College, 21 miles from central Sacramento. The median published rate among them is 91%. Each program card shows its college's admission rate where one is reported. See how to choose a program.
Keep exploring
Related Pages
CitySan Francisco, CA77 mi from Sacramento · 17 programs within 50 miles · 3 ranked game bachelor'sView the San Francisco guide ›
CitySan Jose, CA90 mi from Sacramento · 21 programs within 50 miles · 4 ranked game bachelor'sView the San Jose guide ›
2NCES, IPEDS Outcome Measures 2023 The completion factor: the share of all entering students, full-time, part-time and transfer, who earned an award within eight years. School-wide.
