Game Developer Annual Salaries in the U.S. and Around the World
The pandemic has impacted businesses all over the world causing them to look for more IT specialists. Consequently, the increased demand has triggered an increase in salaries. Therefore, programmers today, including game developers, get more money per hour of their work. Let's see how much money such specialists make in different countries.
Average Game Developer Salary
The pay of game developers, as well as any other IT specialists, depends on their level of experience. Their responsibilities typically include coding and creating game elements, as well as the development of visuals and concepts. Globally their average salary is about $102,000 per year.
Keep in mind that game developers have a lot of growth potential, so their salaries are often higher than average. The highest salary can also be more than $200,000 per year. Novice game developers get from $35 thousand a year.
In addition to the level of experience, it also depends on the region where the specialist works. Say, in America, the pay will be much higher than, say, in India. This is primarily due to the standard of living.
Freelance Game Developer Salary
Commonly, freelancers offer somewhat cheaper services. This is partly true, if you order, say, a project from a specialist in India or Europe, rather than in the U.S. Also, such services will be cheaper if you are looking for a specialist on an exchange, where they mostly have candidates with little experience.
In other cases, freelance game developer salaries are not much different from game designers working for a company. With that said, let's take look at average annual salaries in the U.S.:
Trainee - $18;
Junior - $32K;
Middle - $93K;
Senior - $133K;
Lead - $166K.
Average Game Developer Salary By Country
Considering the fact that software developers income is largely influenced by the country where they work, you should know how much money game developers make in the USA, Europe, Asia, and Africa. We will not go through all the regions - only those where you can find talented professionals.
Ukraine
In Ukraine, game developer salary is on average $17 thousand per year. In Kyiv (the capital), the figure rises to $22 thousand per year. On average, salaries may reach $44 thousand a year in this country.
Russia
The average game developer salary in Russia is $20.7 thousand per year. And the highest can reach $45+ thousand dollars.
Sweden
In Stockholm, the capital of Sweden, game developers make approximately $62 thousand per year. The highest salary, according to Glassdoor, is $73 thousand a year.
Austria
In Vienna, the average salary of a game developer is $44.5 thousand. Salaries of such specialists here may jump as high as $99 thousand per year.
China
In China, the average annual salary of a game developer is about $27,000. Senior-level professionals make $48,000 a year or more.
India
Indian game developers have an average annual salary of just $7 thousand. However, true professionals can later double their salaries and, consequently, make $14 thousand a year.
South Africa
Experts from North Africa earn $59,000 a year on average. Entry-level professionals earn an average of $33,000, while the maximum pay can reach $123,000.
United States
The average salary of game designers in the United States is approximately $72,000. Entry-level specialists here will make $56,000 a year.
However, in some states, the average salary is even higher. Say, in California, game developers make an average of $100,000 per year, the situation is almost the same in Washington, D.C.
In Oregon, for example, ordinary game developers make from $70,000 to $83,000 per year on average. Experienced professionals working in the state will make about $157K per year.
Brazil
Game developers in Brazil earn $17,000 a year on average. The smallest salary here is about $7,000 and the biggest is $28,000.
Canada
In Canada, young specialists will make about $66,000 per year, but the average salary is $80,000.
Average Game Developer Salary By Company
It's no secret that well-known companies attract the best talents from all over the world. That's why such employers offer not only high salaries but also appealing benefits and compensation.
We are talking about firms like Riot, Blizzard, Sony, and others. The average annual salary for these companies is a little over $147,000. Of course, the amount of pay here will depend primarily on the experience of a specialist, but the growth prospects are impressive.
Now, let's take a closer look at their offers and how much developers in such companies can make per year.
Riot Games Developer Salary
The employers of Riot offer the average annual salary for developers in the amount of $146,000. The salary here starts at $38,000 and can go up to $230,000.
Ubisoft Games Programmer Salary
The average rate of a game developer at Ubisoft is $118 thousand and can go up to $150 thousand. The minimum wage is around $90 thousand.
Juego Studio Game Developer Salary
Juego is a game development company registered in India that offers salaries of about $5 thousand. The maximum salary here is $26 thousand, and young Juego professionals make $4 thousand.
Activision Software Engineer Salary
In Activision, developers make $108 thousand per year on average. The salaries vary from $93 thousand to $135 thousand.
EA Game Developer Salary
Game developers in EA make $132 thousand on average. The minimal salary is $66 thousand, and the maximal one is $189 thousand.
Rockstar Game Developer Salary
Standard Rockstar game developer salary is between $67,000 and $72,000. Pay range varies from $36,000 to $108,000 per year.
Blizzard Game Developer Salary
Blizzard game developer salaries start from $23 thousand for newcomers. Top-class developers here can make as much as $150 thousand per year. The average pay at Blizzard is $102 thousand per year.
Epic Games Programmer Salary
Game developers working for Epic Games receive $135 thousand on average. Junior specialists make around $93 thousand, seniors - over $188 thousand.
Infinity Ward Game Developer Salary
Developers at Infinity Ward earn $122 thousand per year on average, however, their salary can go up to more than $218 thousand.
Sony Game Developer Salary
Game developers working for Sony make $115K on average, starting from $65K and up to a maximum of $165K.
PUBG Corp. Game Developer Salary
On average here the specialists get $95 thousand, and the maximum salary for PUBG game developers can be $166 thousand.
Bethesda Game Developer Salary
Game developers at Bethesda earn $96 thousand dollars per year on average. The highest salary in the company is $178 thousand.
Average Salary by Language
In job postings, you can often notice companies looking for game development specialists, working with a specific programming language to join their team. And there's a special pay rate for each of such candidates. The most popular programming languages in this area are C++ and Python. Let's take a look at their annual salaries.
C++ Game Developer Salary
In the USA, specialists who work with C++ language make $127 thousand on average. The salaries here range from $26 thousand (for beginners) to $164 thousand (for top developers).
Python Game Developer Salary
In the U.S., Python developers typically make $100k on average. Young developers here earn from $19K to $33K, and experienced developers make $170K+.
Average Game Developer Salary by Software
Unreal Engine Developer Salary
Unreal Engine developers make an average of $60 thousand per year. The maximum annual salary in the U.S. is approximately $123K.
Unity Game Developer Salary
Entry-level professionals make from $90,000 per year, and leading specialists make up to $145,000. The average annual salary for such specialists is, however, $114 thousand.
Roblox Game Developer Salary
Mobile game developers working for Roblox get $50,000 per year on average, and the maximum pay can be more than $70,000 in the U.S. By the way, game developers here earn money whenever players make virtual purchases within their games.
Minecraft Developer Salary
Minecraft developers get approximately $60K per year, and the maximum salary is $140K.
Average Game Developer Salary by Genre
RPG Programmer Salary
RPG game developers usually receive $80 thousand per year for their work. However, their pay can be as high as $125 thousand.
Conclusions
We hope that our review has clearly shown you the situation with game developer salaries around the world so you can make the right hiring decision and find the best employees for your company.
