How to hire a game artist

How to hire a game artist, step by step

Here's a step-by-step game artist hiring guide:

• Step 1: Identify your hiring needs
• Step 2: Create an ideal candidate profile
• Step 3: Make a budget
• Step 4: Write a game artist job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new game artist
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a game artist do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   First, determine the employments status of the game artist you need to hire. Certain game artist roles might require a full-time employee, whereas others can be done by part-time workers or contractors.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

   Is the person you're thinking of hiring a US citizen or green card holder?

   Yes

   No

   A game artist's background is also an important factor in determining whether they'll be a good fit for the position. For example, game artists from different industries or fields will have radically different experiences and will bring different viewpoints to the role. You also need to consider the candidate's previous level of experience to make sure they'll be comfortable with the job's level of seniority.

   This list presents game artist salaries for various positions.

   Type of Game Artist	Description	Hourly rate
   Game Artist	Multimedia artists and animators create animation and visual effects for television, movies, video games, and other forms of media.	$26-63
   Visual Merchandiser	A visual merchandiser is responsible for arranging product displays at retail outlets, attracting customers to purchase the items. Visual merchandisers should be updated with the latest trends in the market to prioritize retail displays and floor plans... Show more	$12-25
   Visual Designer	A visual designer is someone who creates designs for a variety of platforms such as Internet and intranet sites, games, and wearables. The duties of visual designers depend on the specific project or industry in which they are working... Show more	$24-68

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Animation
   • Maya
   • Sketch
   • UI
   • Unity
   • Concept Art
   • Graphic Design
   • Game Engine
   • VFX
   • FX
   • Game Design
   • Adobe Photoshop
   • Game Art
   • Character Design

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Create many MEL scripts to help automate routine daily tasks and improve overall productivity.
   • Work include background art, character design, user-interface design and art, award art, buttons and flash FX.
   • Create 3d models, and texture paintings.
   • Conceptualize the look of different levels and stages for PC games.
   • Model, rig, and texture hero and enemy characters for an untitle project.
   • Ensure that all assets fit the art style of the game and are ready for animation hand off.

   More game artist duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your game artist job description is a great way to entice the best and brightest candidates. A game artist salary can vary based on several factors:

   • Location. For example, game artists' average salary in south carolina is 69% less than in nevada.
   • Seniority. Entry-level game artists earn 58% less than senior-level game artists.
   • Certifications. A game artist with a few certifications under their belt will likely demand a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for a prestigious company or an exciting start-up can make a huge difference in a game artist's salary.

   Average game artist salary

   $86,932yearly

   $41.79 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level game artist salary

   $56,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 16, 2025

   Average game artist salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	Nevada	$140,632	$68
   2	California	$115,470	$56
   3	Washington	$92,820	$45
   4	New York	$90,379	$43
   5	North Carolina	$85,890	$41
   6	Illinois	$85,862	$41
   7	Massachusetts	$78,334	$38
   8	Texas	$57,399	$28

   Average game artist salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Amazon	$124,803	$60.00	4
   2	Vicarious	$112,830	$54.25
   3	Qualcomm	$102,131	$49.10
   4	DoubleDown Interactive	$99,036	$47.61
   5	TinyCo	$95,000	$45.67
   6	Jam City	$93,465	$44.94	3
   7	Voodoo	$91,790	$44.13	24
   8	Lumos Labs	$91,782	$44.13
   9	Breaktime Studios	$91,419	$43.95
   10	Activision Blizzard	$91,347	$43.92	14
   11	Tencent	$91,166	$43.83	5
   12	Kabam	$90,862	$43.68
   13	ironSource	$88,501	$42.55
   14	Protingent	$85,441	$41.08
   15	Perkins&Will	$80,935	$38.91
   16	Rpc	$70,443	$33.87

4. Writing a game artist job description

   A game artist job description should include a summary of the role, required skills, and a list of responsibilities. It's also good to include a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager. Below, you can find an example of a game artist job description:

   Game artist job description example

   The primary responsibility of the Sr Game Artist is to Create 2D and 3D art assets for the collection of live online casino gaming products. This position is a foundational part of a rapidly growing team, and plays a key role in the end-to-end product development process.
   
   All duties are to be performed in accordance with departmental and Las Vegas Sands Corp.'s policies, practices, and procedures. All Las Vegas Sands Corp. Team Members are expected to conduct and carry themselves in a professional manner at all times. Team Members are required to observe the Company's standards, work requirements and rules of conduct.
   Essential Duties & Responsibilities
   Concepting and development and production of 2D and 3D assets, including game environments Collaboration with designers, artists, developers and stakeholders to establish and refine the style and feel of the games Participation and presentation in design reviews, team meetings, and brainstorming sessions Optimization and preparation of source files and production assets for delivery and implementation to development teams, with supervision through product launch Provide leadership and mentorship to junior artists Producing prototypes for testing Maintaining production documentation Curating and cataloguing of asset library, and informing and curating the design system Work with Art and Design leads to establish and educate technical best practices Perform job duties in a safe manner. Attend work as scheduled on a consistent and regular basis. Perform other related duties as assigned.
   
   Minimum Qualifications
   At least 21 years of age. Proof of authorization to work in the United States. High school diploma or equivalent or equivalent experience Must be able to obtain and maintain any certification or license, as required by law or policy. 5+ years of experience as a Game Artist or VFX Artist at a game, design or VFX studio Strong communication skills, particularly in conveying technical concepts in a manner that is easy for non-technical collaborators Excellent documentation skills Experience with graphics software, including Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator Experience with motion and effects software, including Adobe After Effects or equivalent Experience in High Poly/Low Poly modelling, Texture Painting, and basic animation in 3D software such as Blender, 3D Studio Max, Maya or other Working experience with of game engines such as Unreal, Unity, or other ideal Working experience with frameworks such as React Native ideal Advanced animation skills ideal Experience producing assets or designs for casino gaming experiences ideal Jira Experience ideal Ability to communicate clearly and effectively, both in spoken and written form.
   
   Physical Requirements
   
   Must be able to:
   Physically access assigned workspace areas with or without reasonable accommodation. Work remotely as necessary Work indoors and be exposed to various environmental factors such as, but not limited to, CRT, noise, and dust. Utilize laptop and standard keyboard to perform essential functions of the job.

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find the right game artist for your business, consider trying out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important sources of talent for any company is its existing workforce.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and current employees and ask if they know or have worked with game artists they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit game artists who meet your education requirements.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook and Twitter now have more than 3.5 billion users, and you can use social media to reach potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your game artist job on Zippia to find and recruit game artist candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites such as dribbble, authentic jobs, working not working, coroflot.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Your first interview with game artist candidates should focus on their interest in the role and background experience. As the hiring process goes on, you can learn more about how they'd fit into the company culture in later rounds of interviews.

   It's also good to ask about candidates' unique skills and talents to see if they match your ideal candidate profile. If you think a candidate is good enough for the next step, you can move on to the technical interview.

   The right interview questions can help you assess a candidate's hard skills, behavioral intelligence, and soft skills.

7. Send a job offer and onboard your new game artist

   Once you've decided on a perfect game artist candidate, it's time to write an offer letter. In addition to salary, it should include benefits and perks available to the employee. Qualified candidates may be considered for other positions, so make sure your offer is competitive. Candidates may wish to negotiate. Once you've settled on the details, formalize your agreement with a contract.

   It's also good etiquette to follow up with applicants who don't get the job by sending them an email letting them know that the position has been filled.

   After that, you can create an onboarding schedule for a new game artist. Human Resources and the hiring manager should complete Employee Action Forms. Human Resources should also ensure that onboarding paperwork is completed, including I-9s, benefits enrollment, federal and state tax forms, etc., and that new employee files are created.

8. Go through the hiring process checklist

   • Determine employee type (full-time, part-time, contractor, etc.)
   • Submit a job requisition form to the HR department
   • Define job responsibilities and requirements
   • Establish budget and timeline
   • Determine hiring decision makers for the role
   • Write job description
   • Post job on job boards, company website, etc.
   • Promote the job internally
   • Process applications through applicant tracking system
   • Review resumes and cover letters
   • Shortlist candidates for screening
   • Hold phone/virtual interview screening with first round of candidates
   • Conduct in-person interviews with top candidates from first round
   • Score candidates based on weighted criteria (e.g., experience, education, background, cultural fit, skill set, etc.)
   • Conduct background checks on top candidates
   • Check references of top candidates
   • Consult with HR and hiring decision makers on job offer specifics
   • Extend offer to top candidate(s)
   • Receive formal job offer acceptance and signed employment contract
   • Inform other candidates that the position has been filled
   • Set and communicate onboarding schedule to new hire(s)
   • Complete new hire paperwork (i9, benefits enrollment, tax forms, etc.)

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How much does it cost to hire a game artist?