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Game Designer salary
Average game designer salary
$87,645
How much does a game designer make?
The average game designer salary in the United States is $87,645. Game designer salaries typically range between $60,000 and $127,000 yearly. The average hourly rate for game designers is $42.14 per hour.
Game designer salary is impacted by location, education, and experience. Game designers earn the highest average salary in Nevada.
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Where can a Game Designer earn more?
Game Designer salary estimates from across the web
Average game designer salary by state
Highest paying states for game designers
Rank  | State | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $102,106 | $49.09 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $103,903 | $49.95 |
| 3 | Nevada | $105,036 | $50.50 |
| 4 | Maine | $98,477 | $47.34 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $99,633 | $47.90 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $93,396 | $44.90 |
| 7 | California | $96,135 | $46.22 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $88,306 | $42.45 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $92,799 | $44.61 |
| 10 | Delaware | $100,838 | $48.48 |
| 11 | Utah | $85,590 | $41.15 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $92,694 | $44.56 |
| 13 | Idaho | $92,571 | $44.51 |
| 14 | Ohio | $85,285 | $41.00 |
| 15 | Vermont | $90,094 | $43.31 |
| 16 | Indiana | $87,777 | $42.20 |
| 17 | Maryland | $89,940 | $43.24 |
| 18 | New York | $87,153 | $41.90 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $85,977 | $41.34 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $81,888 | $39.37 |
| 21 | Michigan | $78,110 | $37.55 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $85,507 | $41.11 |
| 23 | Oregon | $78,880 | $37.92 |
| 24 | Alaska | $88,065 | $42.34 |
| 25 | Texas | $77,766 | $37.39 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $76,411 | $36.74 |
| 27 | Mississippi | $82,594 | $39.71 |
| 28 | Colorado | $77,525 | $37.27 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $79,472 | $38.21 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $78,554 | $37.77 |
| 31 | Missouri | $76,820 | $36.93 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $77,001 | $37.02 |
| 33 | Virginia | $74,475 | $35.81 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $75,603 | $36.35 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $77,393 | $37.21 |
| 36 | Georgia | $71,107 | $34.19 |
| 37 | Arizona | $73,860 | $35.51 |
| 38 | Montana | $76,917 | $36.98 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $70,722 | $34.00 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $75,218 | $36.16 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $71,227 | $34.24 |
| 42 | Florida | $71,453 | $34.35 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $71,493 | $34.37 |
| 44 | Illinois | $67,566 | $32.48 |
| 45 | Minnesota | $65,956 | $31.71 |
| 46 | Alabama | $67,848 | $32.62 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $67,232 | $32.32 |
| 48 | Kansas | $64,480 | $31.00 |
| 49 | Iowa | $64,497 | $31.01 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $64,159 | $30.85 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $65,285 | $31.39 |
Highest paying cities for game designers
The highest-paying cities for game designers are Reno, NV, San Francisco, CA, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reno, NV | $112,677 | $54.17 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $103,605 | $49.81 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $103,022 | $49.53 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $99,623 | $47.90 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $93,526 | $44.96 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $87,288 | $41.97 |
| 7 | New Orleans, LA | $85,711 | $41.21 |
| 8 | Salt Lake City, UT | $84,908 | $40.82 |
| 9 | Austin, TX | $78,187 | $37.59 |
| 10 | Denver, CO | $77,327 | $37.18 |
| 11 | Arlington, VA | $75,489 | $36.29 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh, PA | $74,360 | $35.75 |
| 13 | Orlando, FL | $71,927 | $34.58 |
| 14 | Duluth, GA | $70,509 | $33.90 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $67,932 | $32.66 |
| 16 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $65,396 | $31.44 |
Game Designer salary details
A game designer's salary ranges from $60,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $127,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a game designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $127,000 | $10,583 | $61 |
| 75th Percentile | $106,000 | $8,833 | $51 |
| Average | $87,645 | $7,304 | $42 |
| 25th Percentile | $72,000 | $6,000 | $35 |
| 10th Percentile | $60,000 | $5,000 | $29 |
Highest paying game designer jobs
The highest paying types of game designers are lead game designer, senior game designer, and video game designer.
| Job Title | Annual Salary | Monthly Salary | Hourly Rate | Job Openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| User Interaction Designer | $82,651 | $6,888 | $39.74 | 54,146 |
| Designer | $66,347 | $5,529 | $31.90 | 52,433 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for Game Designers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Abby Guido
Assistant Professor, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University
Top companies hiring game designers now:
Which companies pay game designers the most?
Game designer salaries at Meta and Microsoft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average game designer salary at companies like Amazon and Sony Electronics are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $150,736 | $72.47 |
| 2 | Microsoft | $123,529 | $59.39 |
| 3 | Amazon | $119,229 | $57.32 |
| 4 | Sony Electronics | $101,967 | $49.02 |
| 5 | Maximum Games | $100,094 | $48.12 |
| 6 | Skillz | $98,568 | $47.39 |
| 7 | The Walt Disney Company | $97,145 | $46.70 |
| 8 | Epic Games | $95,093 | $45.72 |
| 9 | Nintendo | $94,984 | $45.67 |
| 10 | 2k | $94,642 | $45.50 |
| 11 | Gearbox Software | $93,689 | $45.04 |
| 12 | Ready At Dawn Studios | $93,573 | $44.99 |
| 13 | Bungie | $93,491 | $44.95 |
| 14 | Sony Interactive Entertainment America | $93,287 | $44.85 |
| 15 | ArenaNet | $93,151 | $44.78 |
| 16 | Rockstar Games | $92,472 | $44.46 |
| 17 | Electronic Arts | $92,404 | $44.42 |
| 18 | ZeniMax Media | $91,760 | $44.12 |
| 19 | Jam City | $91,726 | $44.10 |
| 20 | PlayStation | $91,716 | $44.09 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Game Designer salary by industry
The average game designer salary varies across industries:
- The average game designer salary in the technology industry is $89,462, the highest of any industry.
- The average game designer salary in the finance industry is $88,467.
- Game designers in the education industry earn an average salary of $74,548, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for game designers
| Rank | Industry | Average Salary | Hourly Rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $89,462 | $43.01 |
| 2 | Hospitality | $88,467 | $42.53 |
| 3 | Finance | $88,070 | $42.34 |
| 4 | Start-up | $87,081 | $41.87 |
| 5 | Education | $74,548 | $35.84 |
High Paying Game Designer Jobs
Game Designer salary trends
The average game designer salary has risen by $14,347 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average game designer earned $73,298 annually, but today, they earn $87,645 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for game designers over the last decade.
Compare game designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average game designer salary over time
Compare game designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
- National Average
- Columbus, OH
Game Designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. Salary | Hourly Rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $87,600 | $42.14 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $84,800 | $40.75 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $82,800 | $39.83 | +1.9% |
| 2022 | $81,200 | $39.05 | +2.3% |
| 2021 | $79,400 | $38.17 | +1.5% |
Recently added game designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date Added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| International Game Technology PLC | Game Designer IV (Igaming) | Las Vegas, NV | 12/16/2024 | $76,179 |
| Finalstrike | Technical Gameplay Designer | Bellevue, WA | 12/16/2024 | $80,000 |
| Techrepublic, Inc. | KIT: 3D Game Designer | Ione, OR | 12/16/2024 | $299 |
| Infinity Ward Inc. | Game Designer-Infinity Ward | Ione, CA | 12/16/2024 | $62,213 |
| International Gaming Technology Inc. | Game Designer IV (Igaming) | Las Vegas, NV | 12/16/2024 | $76,179 |
| American Society of Interior Designers | Game Designer IV | Ione, CA | 12/15/2024 | $146,090 |
| Actalent | Game Designer IV | Sausalito, CA | 12/14/2024 | $146,090 |
| Mission Bit | Spring 2025 TA-Intro To Game Design (In-Person at JOC HS) | San Francisco, CA | 12/11/2024 | $48,001 |
| Iamag | Unity Game Designer | New York, NY | 12/11/2024 | $41,740 |
| Lightspeed Studios | Gameplay Designer | Ione, CA | 12/11/2024 | $62,640 |
Game Designer salary FAQs
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