Video Game Developer salaries vary depending on location, experience and skill set. To get a sense of average salaries, users can search the Indeed Salary Search Tool and select the “video game development” filter.
Salary and compensation packages for video game developer jobs vary significantly depending on a number of factors, such as experience and location. As of 2012, the Bureau of Labor Statistics reports that the average salary range for highly paid workers in this field – specifically those who make a median annual wage of anywhere between $86,300 and $134,300 – is $76,000 to $128,000. On the low end, video game developers with less than two years of experience usually earn between $45,000 and $65,000 per year (this figure reflects an average hourly wage of around $15), while those with up to 10 or more years of experience can expect to make between $82,500 and $137,500 annually.
Salary For Video Game Developer Overview
Game developer salary is a topic that many people are curious about, but it’s not always easy to get a clear answer. That’s because the amount of money you can make as a game developer depends on your experience, the type of work you do, and where you live.
On average, video game developers make $100,000 per year in the United States. But these numbers might be misleading because they include all kinds of jobs within the industry—from entry-level positions to senior management roles.
If you’re looking for more specific information about how much money game developers make, here are some helpful guidelines:
Game developers who have just graduated from college or university will probably earn anywhere from $50-$60 per hour. If you’re working as an intern at this stage in your career, then expect to earn around $15-$20 per hour working full-time hours during regular business hours (Monday through Friday).
If you’ve been working as a game designer for at least five years and have experience with multiple titles under your belt (or even one really successful title), then your hourly rate will be closer to $90-$100 per hour—and that doesn’t include benefits like health insurance or retirement plans!
What is a Video Game Developer?
Video game developer is a broad term that can refer to any individual who creates video games for a living. If you are interested in gaining such a position, your job will most likely be to design, develop and test the software used in video games. However, you will probably work with a team of video game programmers and designers who are each trained to develop a certain aspect of a game. It is up to you to determine your specific role within such a team.
For example, you might choose to become an audio system developer, a coding programmer, a visual artist, a game producer or a game designer. Each of these different positions can be correctly labeled as a video game developer, although each has different specific job duties. You should determine where your skills and interests lie before you choose a specific role within the video game development field.
Working As A Video Game Developer
If you love computer and video games, and have some experience in programming, a career as a game developer may be a rewarding one. A game developer is a person who specializes in developing and programming all the creative aspects of a video or computer game, and is a vocation that requires computer programming knowledge, creative thinking, and problem-solving skills. A game developer brings concepts to life, they program the game world using mechanics, computers graphics, and artificial intelligence (AI) to build the game world, and they ensuring that all aspects of the game are in line with the game designer’s specifications.
Game developers are adept at various computer and graphic programming languages, and possess strong analytical and creative skills. Most of these individuals have prior experience with video and computer games, and typically work in an office environment or remotely. These individuals also work as game testers as well, and are responsible for finding bugs or mistakes, and have the technical aptitude to fix these issues. Game developers should possess strong communication skills, and be able to work with other team members, clients, and upper management.
Although many game developers have a bachelor’s degree in computer science, IT, web design, or a comparable field, an advanced degree is not necessarily a requirement if the individual has comparable experience. The average annual salary for a game developer in the US is $101,000, and the career field is expected to grow 11% over the next several years.
What Does a Video Game Developer Do?
As a video game developer, you’ll combine your interests of software engineering, programming and designing. These professionals are responsible for using software and codes to create the visual effects and animations for video games. They may begin their projects by researching the topic of the game, developing storyboards and meeting with clients or other people involved on the project. Video game developers may then work as a team or individually to complete various parts of the project. They edit animations based on suggestions from clients or directors, and work closely with other animators or programmers. Learn about the possible career paths of a video game developer, along with training requirements and salary expectations in the chart below.
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).
What influences a salary?
The salary of a Video Game Developer is determined by a number of factors, including education, experience, and job location. In this article, we will take a closer look at how these factors impact salary.
Years of experience
Salary increases are generally tied to your experience level. In general, the more years you spend working as a video game developer, the more you can expect to earn. Here’s how experience can impact your video game developer salary, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the National Compensation Survey.
| Level of experience | Salary |
|---|---|
| Entry-level (less than 1 year) | $42,189 |
| Early career (1 to 4 years) | $54,633 |
| Mid career (5 to 9 years) | $73,550 |
| Experienced (10 to 19 years) | $97,152 |
| Late career (20+ years) | $132,187 |
