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Job outlook for game developers in the United States
Are game developer jobs in demand?
Game Developer job and salary trends over time
Game Developer jobs over time
Game Developer job growth rate over time
| Year | # of jobs | % of population |
|---|---|---|
| 2021 | 700 | 0.00% |
| 2020 | 1,431 | 0.00% |
| 2019 | 1,383 | 0.00% |
| 2018 | 2,671 | 0.00% |
| 2017 | 2,673 | 0.00% |
Average game developer salary over time
Game Developer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $91,009 | $43.75 | +3.4% |
| 2024 | $88,010 | $42.31 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $86,018 | $41.35 | +1.8% |
| 2022 | $84,498 | $40.62 | +1.7% |
| 2021 | $83,079 | $39.94 | +1.9% |
Game Developer jobs by state
Most common states for game developers
| Rank | State | Population | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | District of Columbia | 693,972 | 511 | 74% |
| 2 | Vermont | 623,657 | 174 | 28% |
| 3 | Virginia | 8,470,020 | 2,306 | 27% |
| 4 | Rhode Island | 1,059,639 | 247 | 23% |
| 5 | Massachusetts | 6,859,819 | 1,511 | 22% |
| 6 | Maryland | 6,052,177 | 1,345 | 22% |
| 7 | Delaware | 961,939 | 202 | 21% |
| 8 | Wyoming | 579,315 | 114 | 20% |
| 9 | Utah | 3,101,833 | 599 | 19% |
| 10 | Montana | 1,050,493 | 204 | 19% |
| 11 | Minnesota | 5,576,606 | 1,027 | 18% |
| 12 | Colorado | 5,607,154 | 970 | 17% |
| 13 | Idaho | 1,716,943 | 287 | 17% |
| 14 | New Hampshire | 1,342,795 | 232 | 17% |
| 15 | North Dakota | 755,393 | 130 | 17% |
| 16 | Kansas | 2,913,123 | 470 | 16% |
| 17 | Nebraska | 1,920,076 | 314 | 16% |
| 18 | Pennsylvania | 12,805,537 | 1,889 | 15% |
| 19 | Oregon | 4,142,776 | 641 | 15% |
| 20 | Maine | 1,335,907 | 204 | 15% |
Most common cities for game developers
| Rank | City | # of Jobs | Employment/ 1000ppl | Avg. salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Winston-Salem | 3 | 1% | $81,871 |
| 2 | Los Angeles | 1 | 0% | $110,070 |
| 3 | New York | 1 | 0% | $90,437 |
| 4 | San Francisco | 1 | 0% | $124,996 |
Game Developer job outlook: Expert opinions
Our panel of game developer experts
Southern Illinois University Edwardsville
University of Hawaii at Hilo
Gannon University
Auburn University at Montgomery
Allegheny College
Saint Xavier University
Taylor University
John Brown University
Rider University
Union University
Defiance College
Seminole State College of Florida
Carthage College
Harding University
What will help Game Developers increase their earning potential?
Ahmed Imteaj PH.D.: Research Salary Trends: Before entering the job market, research salary trends for entry-level positions in your field and location. Websites like Glassdoor, PayScale, and LinkedIn Salary can provide valuable insights into typical salary ranges for different roles.
Acquire In-Demand Skills: Identify in-demand skills and technologies in your field and focus on acquiring them through coursework, certifications, internships, or personal projects. Skills such as machine learning, cloud computing, cybersecurity, and data science are highly valued and can command higher salaries.
Gain Relevant Experience: Prioritize gaining relevant experience through internships, co-op programs, part-time jobs, or freelance projects. Practical experience can significantly increase your market value and make you more attractive to employers.Customize Your Resume and Cover Letter: Tailor your resume and cover letter to highlight your relevant skills, experiences, and achievements that align with the job requirements. Highlighting your unique qualifications can increase your chances of landing interviews and negotiating a higher salary.
Prepare for Salary Negotiations: Before entering salary negotiations, research the typical salary range for the position and location, considering factors such as cost of living and industry standards. Practice articulating your value proposition and be prepared to negotiate confidently for a salary that reflects your skills, experience, and market value.
Consider Additional Benefits: In addition to salary, consider other benefits and perks offered by employers, such as health insurance, retirement plans, paid time off, flexible work arrangements, professional development opportunities, and bonuses. These benefits can add significant value to your overall compensation package.
Travis Mandel Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorUniversity of Hawaii at Hilo
Department of Computer Science
What soft skills should all Game Developers possess?
Travis Mandel Ph.D.: Although computer science seems like a highly technical field, soft skills are really what differentiates software engineers. One of the most important qualities of any software engineer is explaining their code clearly at various levels of technical depth and explaining why certain design decisions were made. You could write code that does amazing things, but if that code consists of snippets you pasted from StackOverflow without really fully understanding them, it will be a huge headache for anyone who needs to come into the codebase later and maintain or update it.
Another one is asking the right questions. Imagine you are dropped into a huge codebase and asked to add a new feature (very common!). There's no time to understand everything that is going on, but on the other hand, you need to understand enough of the code to do your task effectively, which involves asking questions. A failure to ask questions will likely result in you wasting a huge amount of time working on something that is ultimately not useful, for instance, re-implementing a complex function that already exists somewhere in the codebase.
How do you envision technology impacting Game Developers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Stephen Frezza Ph.D.: Breadth and depth: Computing is becoming more like engineering; where the value of the product, its lifetime risks, costs, and benefits are more critical than just it's roll-out. So the engineering competencies that have always been a part of computing will become more central. Computing is also expanding; the role of data and the shift of once-research technologies (like machine learning) into production applications will continue to require computing graduates to broaden their base and continue as learners. This will cause shifts in what is considered 'fundamental' and the need for professionals to continue to hone and redevelop their technical skill sets.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Game Developers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Stephen Frezza Ph.D.: Computing is ubiquitous, and with more industries moving to remote work, location is becoming less critical. If the internet reaches a place reliably, computing jobs can be located there.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Game Developers?
Dr. Semih Dinc: I personally think there may be a positive impact of this pandemic for CS graduates in medium/long term. Even if many companies have frozen or slowed down their hiring process now, I believe this is a temporary decision. There is still a big need for new CS graduates in the industry. And to me it is more clear that people realized they can work remotely for many CS related positions. This means that many companies can cut their physical office budgets and hire more remote people. One of the factors for our students is the challenges/expenses of the city they would work. Some of them do not want to move to big cities. I am assuming with more remote working opportunities graduates will have more options.
Oliver Bonham-Carter Ph.D.
Assistant ProfessorAllegheny College
Department of Computer Science and Affiliated Faculty in Integrative Informatics
What are the biggest trends we'll see in the Game Developer job market given the pandemic?
Oliver Bonham-Carter Ph.D.: Pandemic has accelerated social connectivity trends using technology, including technology for remote work, and e-learning, and technology to make e-commerce more comfortable and faster. I foresee these accelerated technology trends to continue, even after the pandemic, and therefore job markets in these areas to continue to grow. Another big surge we have seen is in data analytics, which has been increasing over the last decade, and COVID-19 has spotlighted this field. I expect data analyst jobs to continue to be in demand and to grow. Also, the pandemic showed us the interconnectedness of technology with other areas. As the need to develop better solutions to fight various diseases heightens, for example, I expect jobs in biotech to grow.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Game Developers in the next 3-5 years?
Oliver Bonham-Carter Ph.D.: In the next few years, technologies related to artificial intelligence, data analytics, cloud computing, container-orchestration systems, and cybersecurity will continue to become more important and prominent. These technologies have the foundation to improve the quality of life in terms of health, education, fighting misinformation, creating better connections, fighting climate change, etc. IoT with smart devices connected online will continue to rise, thus producing more data, which will necessitate AI, data analytics, and security solutions. Additionally, I foresee 5G technology to play an essential role in the next few years, as e-commerce expands into autonomous delivery services. In the software engineering field, to enable fast, secure, and connected software development, technologies allowing to automate a part of that process, such as version control, containerization, and Kubernetes, will also become increasingly important.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Game Developers in the next 5 years?
James Vanderhyde: There has been a steady increase in software and IT jobs for the last 20 years, and this is not going to slow down any time soon. In the next 5 years, demand will increase, particularly in software development and cybersecurity. The technology field changes so quickly that beyond 5 years, it is difficult to make predictions. That is why we thoroughly prepare our computer science and information systems students for technology changes and career shifts to discover the best in themselves and to be prepared to meet the demand and excel within the field.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Game Developers to find work opportunities?
James Vanderhyde: Any big city will have lots of opportunities for computing, software, and IT work. Silicon Valley and the rest of the west coast are the most famous, but innovation is happening everywhere around the country and around the world, including here in Chicago. Chicago tech companies have hired our students upon graduation, and likewise, our graduates have found success and gratification in the field.
What are the best companies to work for a Game Developer?
James Vanderhyde: The best companies to work for are companies that respect you as a person and not just a cog in the machine. They are inclusive, and they recognize and appreciate diversity. They have a track record of handling sick leave and family leave as needed. They will not expect you to eat dinner in your office and then go back to work after an already long day. All software companies experience crunch times around release dates, but the best companies do not experience constant crunch. That is a sign of poor management. The best companies will give you challenging problems to work on and reward innovation.
Dr. Jonathan Geisler
Associate ProfessorTaylor University
Department of Computer Science and Engineering
What are the best companies to work for a Game Developer?
Dr. Jonathan Geisler: The best companies to work for are the ones that are responsive to both their customers' and employees' needs. They are the ones that have tried to be proactive during the pandemic and not just survive until everything got "back to normal." They know that a damaged workforce leads to a damaged company, and so they provide good management, encouraging everyone to be healthy mentally and physically.
Will there be an increase or decrease in demand for Game Developers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Jonathan Geisler: There will be a continued increase in demand for computer engineering
graduates as computers become more heavily integrated into the fabric
of our lives. Things like self-driving cars, the Internet of Things, and
mobile computing will become more commonplace and increase the demand for engineering talent; the long-term trend of using smartphones and web-based applications will not slow, leading to an increase in the
demand for computing talent.
Are there any particularly good places in the United States for Game Developers to find work opportunities?
Dr. Ted Junseok Song: Due to COVID-19, people have more choices on location as more companies allow their employees to work remotely.
How do you envision technology impacting Game Developers in the next 5 years?
Dr. Ted Junseok Song: The question is not whether technology will advance or not. It is, rather, how it will advance. Professionals in the industry need to be equipped to see the customers' demand and where our society is headed. I would recommend college students to be interested in broad topics apart from topics in their major. Well-rounded people will have more opportunities to impact the future.
Dr. Howard Rees
Adjunct Assistant Professor of Information SystemsRider University
Information systems
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Game Developers?
Dr. Howard Rees: We're moving into a volatile time for the economy, and planning for an uncertain future is what big companies are concerned with. In many ways, the pandemic and concerns over future pandemics that we now know can be globally devastating will be a boon for CS and IT graduates. Face to face business interactions and transactions will be dramatically reduced, both in the short term and in the long run, as there will be a need to hedge against future pandemics. Everything changes from production and operations to supply chain and risk management and diversification to the nature of "office work." And all of that must be underpinned by computer technology: communications, security, data analytics. These are trends that have been developing for the past few decades but the pandemic will accelerate them, and that's all useful, if you're a CS or IT graduate with a broad base of knowledge, which provides you the freedom to adapt.
What general advice would you give to a Game Developer?
Brian Glas: Build relationships: Different technologies will interest and challenge you, but throughout your career, you'll find that it's the relationships that are the most important. This is harder to grasp earlier in your career, but much easier to understand after 15-20 years.
Gain different perspectives: Spend time with people in other roles that your job interacts with, and gain a solid understanding of how they view things; this is most valuable for career progression and understanding of how your work fits into the big picture.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Game Developers?
Aaron Napierala: I think the pandemic's lasting impact on graduates will be decisive in preparing them for careers in technology. A recent graduate of mine just completed training for a new position with a company, completely remote. It was the first time the company had ever done anything like this before. It was a success, and the graduate raves at the entire process. The pandemic is forcing companies to scrutinize how they operate, to ensure the best possible outcome, for whatever it is they are doing. Once they see the success of being able to accomplish something more efficiently, or they are more cost-effective, they may continue on this path. Why would a company post their ad locally and interview a handful of candidates, when they can open up access globally and draw from a much larger pool? So for graduates just now entering the workforce, they have a distinct advantage: having access to technology for the majority of their lives and just coming out of situations that were forced on them to communicate remotely.
Craig Tidwell Ph.D.
Professor/Program ManagerSeminole State College of Florida
Center for Information Technology
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Game Developers?
Craig Tidwell Ph.D.: Many I.T. employees already have the option to work remotely (telecommute), but this will become even more important with the Coronavirus challenges. Employees must be able to work remotely and be organized and self-directed. Employers are looking for teleworkers that can work on a task from anywhere.
What technology do you think will become more important and prevalent for Game Developers in the next 3-5 years?
Perry Kivolowitz: While some technologies continually come to the fore, including new technologies invented all-together, CS is a field that enjoys continuous utility and opportunity for existing technologies. Witness the demand for COBOL programmers, for example. Infrastructure, once built and paid for, goes away slowly. One trend that I predict will see an increase is Game Development, but not for games. The same learning necessary to portray an Orc swinging a Two-Handed Sword will prepare one for representing surgery simulations. Training and simulation will be growth fields.
Will there be an enduring impact of the coronavirus pandemic on Game Developers?
Frank McCown Ph.D.: Many companies have changed their hiring practices. It's not unusual for a new graduate to jump straight into remote work. I predict the move from in-person work to remote work is only going to accelerate as we get more comfortable with it. Once the pandemic dies down, and economic uncertainties start to go away, companies that had been on hiring freezes will likely jump back in, creating a strong market for graduates.