On this page
- Game Design Salary by Job
- Why There's No Single Game Designer Salary
- Which Game Jobs Pay the Most
- Pay Ranges Inside Each Game Job
- How Many People Hold These Jobs
- Which Game Jobs Are Growing
- Where Game Jobs Pay the Most
- What a First Game Job Pays
- How to Raise Your Pay in Games
- Pay, Crunch and Job Security in Games
- Which Game Job Page to Read Next
- Weighing Game Design Salaries Against the Cost of a Degree
- How to Read These Salary Figures
- Frequently Asked Questions
- Sources
Game Design Salary by Job
Each card is one game job's national pay: the median, and a bar from what the lowest-paid 10% earn to what the top 10% earn. Several jobs are counted in the same BLS occupation, so they share the same figures. Every bar uses one scale, $30,000 to $220,000, so you can compare the ranges across cards.
- Designer
Video Game Designer
$104,000 median pay$53,750 lowest 10% $201,550 top 10%+6% projected growth to 2035
Counted with web and digital interface designers, BLS May 2025
- Designer
Level Designer
$104,000 median pay$53,750 lowest 10% $201,550 top 10%+6% projected growth to 2035
Counted with web and digital interface designers, BLS May 2025
- Designer
Narrative Designer
$76,910 median pay$44,310 lowest 10% $139,870 top 10%-0.3% projected growth to 2035
Counted with writers and authors, BLS May 2025
- Engineer
Game Developer
$135,980 median pay$82,460 lowest 10% $214,670 top 10%+10.2% projected growth to 2035
Counted with software developers, BLS May 2025
- Production
Game Tester
$104,300 median pay$61,440 lowest 10% $167,010 top 10%+5.7% projected growth to 2035
Counted with software quality assurance analysts and testers, BLS May 2025
- Artist
Animator
$102,030 median pay$58,600 lowest 10% $177,110 top 10%-0.3% projected growth to 2035
Counted with special effects artists and animators, BLS May 2025
- Artist
3D Artist
$102,030 median pay$58,600 lowest 10% $177,110 top 10%-0.3% projected growth to 2035
Counted with special effects artists and animators, BLS May 2025
- Artist
Technical Artist
$102,030 median pay$58,600 lowest 10% $177,110 top 10%-0.3% projected growth to 2035
Counted with special effects artists and animators, BLS May 2025
- Production
Game Producer
$90,360 median pay$45,780 lowest 10% $198,540 top 10%+4% projected growth to 2035
Counted with producers and directors, BLS May 2025
- Artist
Concept Artist
$55,490 median pay$31,630 lowest 10% $144,210 top 10%-2.9% projected growth to 2035
Counted with fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators, BLS May 2025
National annual wages, BLS OEWS May 2025. Growth is projected employment change for the occupation, 2025-35; for all occupations it is 3.5%.
Why no game figureWhy There's No Single Game Designer Salary
The Bureau of Labor Statistics surveys employers about occupations, and its occupations are defined by the work, not by the industry. A programmer at a game studio does the work of a software developer, so that's where BLS counts them. A designer is counted with web and digital interface designers, because O*NET, the Labor Department's job database, files video game designers as a specialty of that occupation.
That has two consequences for you. The federal figure for each game job includes many people who don't work in games, so it describes the market for your skills rather than a studio's pay scale. And the federal data can't say whether studios pay more or less than other employers, because these occupations aren't published at the game industry level. So a precise "game designer salary" quoted elsewhere comes from a private survey or from one of these federal figures under a new label.
The patternWhich Game Jobs Pay the Most
The programming side pays the most at the median: software developers, where game developers are counted, at $135,980. Design, testing and animation sit close together below it. Illustration, where concept artists are counted, pays the least, at $55,490. 7 of the 7 occupations have a median above the $50,980 median for all jobs.
The spread inside each job is as large as the gap between jobs. Across these occupations, the top 10% earn 2.6 to 4.6 times what the bottom 10% do. Where you land depends on your skills, the size of your employer and where you live far more than on the job title. The individual salary pages break each occupation down by state.
If you're deciding between the design and programming tracks, the gap at the median is $31,980 a year in favor of programming. That's real money over a career, but it's not the whole decision. The work is different every day, and a designer who can script or a programmer who understands design is worth more than either alone. The video game designer salary and game developer salary pages compare the two in detail.
The rangesPay Ranges Inside Each Game Job
A median alone hides how far apart the best- and worst-paid workers in a job are. This table shows the middle of each range and both ends of the upper half. The widest spread between the 10th and 90th percentiles belongs to producers and directors, at $152,760.
| BLS occupation | 25th | Median | 75th | 90th |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Software developers | $105,210 | $135,980 | $171,980 | $214,670 |
| Software quality assurance analysts and testers | $80,310 | $104,300 | $133,180 | $167,010 |
| Web and digital interface designers | $73,290 | $104,000 | $158,820 | $201,550 |
| Special effects artists and animators | $75,490 | $102,030 | $139,130 | $177,110 |
| Producers and directors | $62,670 | $90,360 | $134,800 | $198,540 |
| Writers and authors | $58,230 | $76,910 | $101,950 | $139,870 |
| Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators | $37,560 | $55,490 | $83,200 | $144,210 |
The gap between the highest and lowest median here is $80,490. Inside design alone, the middle half of workers earned $85,530 apart, from $73,290 to $158,820. For a reader choosing a path, that means two things. The job you pick sets a range, and your skills, your employer and your location decide where in the range you land.
Job countsHow Many People Hold These Jobs
Pay is only half of a career choice. The other half is how many seats exist. Together these occupations employ about 2,210,210 people, and software developers is the largest, at 1,687,890. Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators is the smallest, at 11,220.
| BLS occupation | Jobs | Openings a year |
|---|---|---|
| Software developers | 1,687,890 | 95,300 |
| Software quality assurance analysts and testers | 186,740 | 10,700 |
| Producers and directors | 143,120 | 12,100 |
| Web and digital interface designers | 113,330 | 8,300 |
| Writers and authors | 47,940 | 11,900 |
| Special effects artists and animators | 19,970 | 4,200 |
| Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators | 11,220 | 2,200 |
These counts cover every industry, and game studios employ only part of each occupation. A small occupation with many applicants is harder to enter than a large one, even when it pays the same. Weigh the pay figure against how many people want the same seat.
OutlookWhich Game Jobs Are Growing
BLS projects faster than average growth from 2025 to 2035 for software developers (10.2%), web and digital interface designers (6%), software quality assurance analysts and testers (5.7%), producers and directors (4%), against 3.5% for all jobs. It projects declines for writers and authors (-0.3%), special effects artists and animators (-0.3%), fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators (-2.9%).
The pattern is clear: the technical and design occupations are growing, and the art and writing occupations are flat or shrinking. That doesn't mean art jobs in games will disappear, since openings come from people leaving too. It means competition for them is tighter, which is a reason to keep your education costs low and to pair an art skill with a technical one.
LocationWhere Game Jobs Pay the Most
California has the highest median of any state for 4 of the 7 occupations here, and it employs the most people in 7 of them. None of the state figures are adjusted for living costs, and the states that pay the most are expensive ones. Each salary page has a full state table you can sort.
Starting outWhat a First Game Job Pays
BLS doesn't publish pay by experience, so the bottom of each range is the closest guide to a first salary. For web and digital interface designers, the lowest-paid 10% earned under $53,750, for software developers, under $82,460, and for software QA analysts and testers, under $61,440. Testing is a common first step, and the game tester salary page explains why the QA median overstates what an entry-level testing job pays.
Your degree's cost matters more than usual in a field where first jobs can take a while to land. The best game design schools ranking weighs net price heavily for that reason, and the game design jobs guide explains what each role does.
Raising your payHow to Raise Your Pay in Games
No page can promise a raise, but the figures above point to what moves a game salary. These are the levers that tend to matter across every job on this page.
- Add a technical skill. Programming pays $31,980 more than design at the median. Designers who script and artists who build tools sit between the two.
- Ship something. A released game, a finished mod or a polished prototype shows an employer what you can do, which counts more than a course list.
- Specialize. A clear specialty, such as level design, animation or QA automation, gives you a sharper pitch than a general interest in games.
- Choose your location with care. State medians differ widely, but so do living costs.
- Keep costs low. Net price is the part of the equation you control before your first paycheck.
The game development degrees and best animation schools rankings cover the technical and art routes. For the design route, start with the game design portfolio article.
Trade-offsPay, Crunch and Job Security in Games
Federal wages don't capture everything that decides whether a game job is a good one. Studios often work long hours near a release. Projects get canceled, teams shrink after a launch, and layoffs happen even at successful companies. Salaried staff may not be paid for extra hours, and contract workers may have no benefits. These are general facts about the industry, not figures BLS measures, but they change what a salary is worth.
Ask about hours, contract length and benefits in every interview. Compare a game offer with a non-game offer in the same occupation, since the federal data shows these skills are paid in many industries. The is game design a good career article covers the trade-offs in more depth.
Go deeperWhich Game Job Page to Read Next
Each link goes to the salary page for that job when there is one, and to the career guide when there is not.
- Salary Video Game Designer $104,000 national median pay
- Salary Level Designer $104,000 national median pay
- Salary Narrative Designer $76,910 national median pay
- Salary Game Developer $135,980 national median pay
- Salary Game Tester $104,300 national median pay
- Salary Animator $102,030 national median pay
- Salary 3D Artist $102,030 national median pay
- Salary Technical Artist $102,030 national median pay
- Salary Game Producer $90,360 national median pay
- Salary Concept Artist $55,490 national median pay
For a side-by-side view of the four most common routes, compare the $104,000 designer median with $135,980 for software developers, $104,300 for QA analysts and testers, and $102,030 for special effects artists and animators.
Pay vs. costWeighing Game Design Salaries Against the Cost of a Degree
The salary figures matter most when you set them against what the degree costs. Among the colleges in the best game design schools ranking, the median average net price is $16,282 a year at public schools and $30,450 at private ones. Over four years, that's roughly $65,000 against $122,000, before any increases.
Put that next to the $104,000 median for the occupation game designers are counted in, or the $53,750 that marks its lowest tenth. A public-school degree at the median net price costs less than one year of median pay. A private one costs more than that, and a first salary near the bottom of the range takes longer to pay either one back. That arithmetic is why the rankings weigh net price so heavily, and why it's worth running every school's net price calculator before you apply.
Net price is an average for first-year students who got grant aid. Your own figure could be higher or lower, and borrowing adds interest on top. None of that changes the direction of the comparison.
Reading the figuresHow to Read These Salary Figures
The median is the middle: half of workers in the occupation earned more and half less. The 10th and 90th percentiles mark the edges, with 10% earning less than the first and 10% more than the second. The figures are annual wages for employees on a payroll, in May of the survey year. They leave out self-employed and freelance workers, overtime, and the value of benefits.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Is the Average Game Design Salary?
BLS has no game designer occupation. BLS counts video game designers with web and digital interface designers, whose national median wage was $104,000 in May 2025.
Which Game Job Pays the Most?
By the federal figures, the programming side: software developers, where game developers are counted, had a median of $135,980. Fine artists, including painters, sculptors, and illustrators, where concept artists are counted, had the lowest, $55,490.
How Much Do Game Designers Make Starting Out?
BLS doesn't publish pay by experience. For web and digital interface designers, the lowest-paid 10% earned under $53,750, the closest federal guide to a first job.
Are Game Industry Salaries Lower Than Other Tech Jobs?
The federal wage survey doesn't publish these occupations at the game industry level, so it can't compare studios with other employers. The figures here are for each whole occupation, inside games and out.
Which Game Jobs Are Growing?
BLS projects faster than average growth, above the 3.5% for all jobs, for software developers (10.2%), web and digital interface designers (6%), software quality assurance analysts and testers (5.7%), producers and directors (4%) from 2025 to 2035.
Do Game Designers Need a Degree to Earn These Salaries?
No license is required, and studios hire on portfolio. A degree is the most common way people build that portfolio with structure and feedback, and the rankings on this site compare programs on cost and completion.
Sources
- 1 BLS, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 National and state wages for the 7 occupations on this page. National figures checked against api.bls.gov. Accessed .
- 2 BLS, Employment Projections 2025-35 Projected employment change, and the median wage and growth for all occupations. Accessed .
- 3 O*NET OnLine, 15-1255.01 Video Game Designers Where video game designers are filed, which decides the designer figure. Accessed .