Behind the Screens: The Salary Stats in Gamedev

In an industry as dynamic and rapidly evolving as ours, understanding compensation trends is crucial, not only for professionals navigating their career paths but also for companies striving to attract and retain top talents. Our study aimed to explain the patterns and factors influencing salaries in game development.

Cover art by Michael Kroz

80 Level Research surveyed a pool of over 1000 respondents, all actively engaged in various facets of game development. 80 Level readers and industry representatives from the 80 Level Research panel were respondents to this survey. These professionals shared insights, salary brackets, job titles, and factors influencing their compensation, such as years of experience in the industry, level of proficiency, and geographical location.

The income data for game developers paints a multifaceted picture of their financial situations. Salary size cannot be examined in isolation from the socio-economic factors that illustrate the economic diversity within the industry. 

• A small group of respondents (5.8%) finds it difficult to define their financial status, indicating that their financial situation might be complex, unstable, or fluctuating. 
• 7.7% of developers are facing financial challenges in meeting their basic expenses, suggesting they might be in the early stages of their careers or living in high-cost areas.

• The next tier (6.2%) can cover food expenses but struggle to afford clothing. 

• Further up, there’s a bigger group of 17.4% developers who can cover expenses for food and clothes but find it challenging to afford household appliances. The larger portion of developers falls within the middle-income group. 22% can afford food, clothes, and household appliances, but cannot stretch to buying a car. 

• Another substantial group (24.4%) can afford all of the above, including a car, but struggles to buy a place of residence. This could be indicative of senior professionals or those in high-demand specializations.
• Finally, 16.6% can afford everything they want, suggesting they are likely well-established professionals, possibly at senior or executive levels or successful freelancers, who've attained financial stability and comfort in their careers. 

Regional factor influence

In the USA, 36% of surveyed game development professionals earn over $150,000. Our data is backed by other external sources (Source: Pingle Studio research on salaries). The US is a hotspot for game programming, which means game developers there usually earn a good salary, setting the standard for other countries. On average, someone starting in the field can expect to make about $79,799 a year. The average salary for a Game Developer is $101,392 per year in the United States. Salaries estimates are based on 721 salaries submitted anonymously to Glassdoor. 

In contrast, the majority of our respondents from the UK earn between $40,000-$59,999. 36% of game development professionals from the USA have a salary of $150.000+. Based on generalized data from Glassdoor, the average salary for a Game Developer is $50,256 per year in the United Kingdom.

In Canada, no surveyed game development professionals earn less than $40,000, with 19% earning over $150,000 and 40% earning between $100,000-$150,000. The average salary for a Game Developer is $50.785 per year in Canada (source: Glassdoor).

The majority of surveyed game developers from Germany receive a salary between $30,000 and $79,999. According to Glassdoor, the average salary for a Game Developer is $56,000 per year in Germany. These numbers represent the median, which is the midpoint of the ranges

In Spain, 38% of respondents earn between $20,000-$29,999 and 22% earn between $40,000-$49,999. The estimated total pay for a Game Developer is $36,000 per year in the Spain area. (Source: Glassdoor)

More than half (54%) of surveyed Indian game developers earn under $9,999, and 15% earn between $10,000-$19,999. In the US dollars, the average yearly salary for a Game Developer in India is approximately $9,328. (Source: Glassdoor)

In Sweden, 28% of our respondents earn between $50,000-$59,999, with the majority of salaries falling between $30,000 and $79,999. According to Statista, in recent years, the monthly pay for game and digital media developers in Sweden has generally gone up. From 2021 to 2022, men in this field saw a big raise, making an average of about $5,300 a month. However, women in the same jobs made less, around $4,600 a month.

French game developers, for the most part, earn between $20,000-$49,999. Based on generalized Glassdoor data, the average salary in the France area is $44,000 per year.

While in Poland, nearly one-third of the professionals find themselves in the $30,000-$39,999 salary bracket. In the Poland area, the estimated average salary in Gamedev is $2,258 per month. (Source: Glassdoor)

Based on the research conducted by HAYS, almost half (44%) of employers from China expect an increase in their salaries above 3% and less or equal to 6% in 2023, whereas 47% of employees expect an increase of greater than 10%. Based on the data from Salary Explorer, A Game Developer in China typically earns around $3,972 per month. Salaries range from approximately $1,942 (at the lower end) to $6,185 (at the higher end).

In Hong Kong, 41% of employers expect a salary increase of up to 3%, and 25% of employees have the same expectations. Another ⅕ of employees there expect a salary increase of greater than 10% in 2023. An entry-level game developer with 1-3 years of experience earns an average salary of approximately $60,053 in US dollars. On the other hand, a senior-level game developer with 8+ years of experience earns an average salary of around $103,592. (Source)

38% of employees from Japan don’t expect any changes in their pay in 2023, as well as 19% of their employees. However, almost an equal amount of employees (33%) are expecting a salary increase of up to 3%, as well as 41% of employers. In Japan, ⅓ of employees have rather an unoptimistic view on their salaries in 2023, with 38% of workers expecting no increase. According to Glassdoor, in Japan, the estimated total annual pay for a Game Developer is approximately $71,282, with an average salary of about $48,018 per year. 

In Malaysia, 24% of employers also don’t possess a generous deposition to increase salaries in 2023. However, a greater portion of 32% of employers see the salary increase to be from 3 to 6%. An equal amount of questioned employees from Malaysia expect a salary increase of 3-6% and another same portion expect an increase of greater than 10%. According to Glassdoor, in the Malaysia area, the estimated total monthly pay for a Game Programmer is approximately $1,942, with an average salary of around $971 per month.

*All data are represented in US Dollars unless stated otherwise. Click here to have full access to the survey's raw data.