How to hire a game developer

How to hire a game developer, step by step

Here's a step-by-step game developer 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 developer job description
• Step 5: Post your job
• Step 6: Interview candidates
• Step 7: Send a job offer and onboard your new game developer
• Step 8: Go through the hiring process checklist

What does a game developer do?

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1. Identify your hiring needs

   The game developer hiring process starts by determining what type of worker you actually need. Certain roles might require a full-time employee, whereas part-time workers or contractors can do others.

   Determine employee vs contractor status

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

   Yes

   No

   Hiring the perfect game developer also involves considering the ideal background you'd like them to have. Depending on what industry or field they have experience in, they'll bring different skills to the job. It's also important to consider what levels of seniority and education the job requires and what kind of salary such a candidate would likely demand.

   Here's a comparison of game developer salaries for various roles:

   Type of Game Developer	Description	Hourly rate
   Game Developer	Software developers are the creative minds behind computer programs. Some develop the applications that allow people to do specific tasks on a computer or another device... Show more	$30-61
   Development Team Member	A development team member performs various support tasks to help complete projects according to client specifications and requirements. In the information technology industry, a development team member writes codes, creates programs, implements test systems, troubleshoots issues, performs repairs and upgrades, maintains records, and presents reports to managers... Show more	$8-18
   Mobile Applications Developer	A mobile application developer is responsible for designing programming applications for mobile devices according to clients' specifications and business demands. Mobile application developers must have excellent knowledge of the technology industry, as well as computer system commands to develop efficient scripts and smooth navigation of operating systems... Show more	$36-62

   Show more

2. Create an ideal candidate profile

   Common skills:

   • Unity
   • Game Development
   • Game Engine
   • Unreal Engine
   • Android
   • IOS
   • UI
   • Windows
   • JavaScript
   • Math
   • Game Design
   • Java
   • Animation
   • Unity3D

   Check all skills

   Responsibilities:

   • Set up and manage Linux servers as well as configured and maintain HTTP servers.
   • Used Jenkins as the continuous integration environment to track code issues and manage tasks.
   • Source control, software life cycle management, and bug tracking are managed through TFS.
   • Manage continuous integration with Jenkins server instance.
   • Analyze and manage the project throughout SDLC, written/review specification documents.
   • Utilize dynamic HTML, CSS, and JavaScript to create website to showcase development of projects.

   More game developer duties

3. Make a budget

   Including a salary range in your game developer job description is one of the best ways to attract top talent. A game developer can vary based on:

   • Location. For example, game developers' average salary in oklahoma is 41% less than in california.
   • Seniority. Entry-level game developers 50% less than senior-level game developers.
   • Certifications. A game developer with certifications usually earns a higher salary.
   • Company. Working for an established firm or a new start-up company can make a big difference in a game developer's salary.

   Average game developer salary

   $91,009yearly

   $43.75 hourly rate

   ---

   Entry-level game developer salary

   $64,000 yearly salary

   Updated December 15, 2025

   Average game developer salary by state

   Rank	State	Avg. salary	Hourly rate
   1	California	$124,996	$60
   2	Nevada	$108,803	$52
   3	Washington	$106,462	$51
   4	Oregon	$101,242	$49
   5	Massachusetts	$98,701	$47
   6	District of Columbia	$98,320	$47
   7	New York	$90,437	$43
   8	New Jersey	$87,492	$42
   9	Utah	$83,402	$40
   10	North Carolina	$82,950	$40
   11	Texas	$82,754	$40
   12	Florida	$82,628	$40
   13	Georgia	$79,902	$38
   14	Ohio	$76,590	$37
   15	Kansas	$76,210	$37
   16	Wisconsin	$75,881	$36
   17	Alabama	$73,680	$35
   18	Illinois	$69,288	$33

   Average game developer salary by company

   Company

   Rank	Company	Average salary	Hourly rate	Job openings
   1	Microsoft	$135,535	$65.16	277
   2	Amazon	$134,524	$64.67	586
   3	Robot Entertainment	$114,785	$55.19
   4	Sony Interactive Entertainment America	$105,419	$50.68
   5	Intel	$103,821	$49.91	12
   6	DoubleDown Interactive	$102,428	$49.24
   7	Randstad North America, Inc.	$101,647	$48.87	56
   8	Globant	$97,794	$47.02	1
   9	Big Fish Games	$97,707	$46.97
   10	Voodoo	$97,380	$46.82	10
   11	Kabam	$97,108	$46.69
   12	Versus Systems	$96,918	$46.60
   13	Rosetta Stone	$95,800	$46.06
   14	ICONMA	$95,509	$45.92	3
   15	Qualcomm	$95,128	$45.73	42
   16	Fuel Services	$94,313	$45.34
   17	Epoch.com	$93,982	$45.18
   18	Heavy Iron Studios	$93,909	$45.15
   19	Tencent	$93,317	$44.86	4
   20	Everi Holdings	$92,458	$44.45

4. Writing a game developer job description

   A good game developer job description should include a few things:

   • Summary of the role
   • List of responsibilities
   • Required skills and experience

   Including a salary range and the first name of the hiring manager is also appreciated by candidates. Here's an example of a game developer job description:

   Game developer job description example

   Voodoo is a tech company that creates mobile games and apps. With 6 billion downloads and over 300 million monthly active users, Voodoo is the #2 mobile publisher worldwide in terms of downloads after Google.
   
   The company is one of the most impressive examples of hypergrowth in the ecosystem, having raised over $1B and backed by Goldman Sachs, Tencent, and GBL. Deciding to expand its portfolio of products further, Voodoo has more recently announced that it will invest $200M in blockchain gaming studios, to lead the transformation of mobile gaming.
   
   Voodoo is now a team of over 700 employees worldwide, we're looking for talented individuals from across the globe to come and entertain the world with us.
   
   This is a fully remote position, but the studio is in the UK and our business hours are based on the UK timezone. As such, we are looking for someone that has no more than +2/-2 hours difference in timezone.
   Applicants from other countries who are willing to work to set hours may also be considered.
   
   Team
   
   This is your chance to join a new venture, backed by Voodoo and operated by a tight-knit team of mobile game development veterans. It's an opportunity to learn from the best and make games that can be enjoyed by millions of people.
   We believe deeply in remote working and feel that the best games are made when the team is able to work flexibly and without unnecessary meetings or tiresome commutes. We're light on meetings and feel that the best work happens when you're given the space to work undisturbed.
   As part of a small team, you'll have opportunities every day to participate in ideation, take the initiative on new gameplay features, and voice your unfiltered opinions. You will be heard.
   If you want to do good work and are hungry for success, we'll welcome you with open arms. Let's go!
   RoleCreate hyper-casual games as part of a small, focused team Develop new gameplay mechanics and build levels with genuine autonomy. Forget about lengthy documents or endless review meetings Implement technology to help us monetize and scale our games Deploy the game on iOS and Android platforms Debug and resolve issues Play and deconstruct other games to increase your knowledge and bring fresh ideas to the team
   ProfileA proven experience with the Unity game engine with proficiency in C#You love to make games and work with other game-makers Someone who can work at a fast pace and is able to prioritize “done” over “perfect”You are eager to learn new skills and enjoy solving problems Previous experience in game development (as part of a game development team or otherwise) A genuine interest in mobile games, especially hyper-casual and casual titles An ability to work autonomously, can be trusted to deliver against timelines Can speak and write English to a good standard
   Benefits: competitive package

   Copy this example

   

5. Post your job

   To find game developers for your business, try out a few different recruiting strategies:

   • Consider internal talent. One of the most important talent pools for any company is its current employees.
   • Ask for referrals. Reach out to friends, family members, and your current work to ask if they know any game developers they would recommend.
   • Recruit at local colleges. Attend job fairs at local colleges to recruit entry-level game developers with the right educational background.
   • Social media platforms. LinkedIn, Facebook, and Twitter have more than 3.5 billion users, and they're a great place for company branding and reaching potential job candidates.

   Post your job online:

   • Post your game developer job on Zippia to find and recruit game developer candidates who meet your exact specifications.
   • Use field-specific websites.
   • Post a job on free websites.

6. Interview candidates

   Recruiting game developers requires you to bring your A-game to the interview process. The first interview should introduce the company and the role to the candidate as much as they present their background experience and reasons for applying for the job. During later interviews, you can go into more detail about the technical details of the job and ask behavioral questions to gauge how they'd fit into your current company culture.

   Remember to include a few questions that allow candidates to expand on their strengths in their own words. Asking about their unique skills might reveal things you'd miss otherwise. At this point, good candidates can move on to the technical interview.

   If your interviews with game developer applicants aren't enough to make a decision, you should also consider including a test project. These are often the best, most straightforward, and least bias-prone ways of determining who will likely succeed in the role. If you don't know how to design an appropriate test, you can ask someone else on the team to create it or take a look at these websites to get a few ideas:

   • TestDome
   • CodeSignal
   • Testlify
   • BarRaiser
   • Coderbyte

   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 developer

   Once you've decided on a perfect game developer 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 developer. 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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