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Game programmer salary
Average game programmer salary
$94,000
Understanding Game Programmer Salaries
As of October 2025, the average game programmer salary is reported at $94,000 per year. This figure can vary based on several factors, including geographic location, years of experience, and the specific industry segment. In states like California and Washington, salaries can exceed this average, reflecting the competitive nature of the tech industry.
Factors Influencing Salary
Game programmers often find positions in diverse sectors such as mobile app development, console gaming, and virtual reality. Each of these sectors may offer different salary ranges. Additionally, programmers with specialized skills in areas like artificial intelligence or graphics programming typically command higher wages.
Job Opportunities
Job seekers can utilize Zippia’s platform to explore numerous listings tailored for game programmers, including entry-level to senior roles. With access to salary data, job trends, and career insights, Zippia equips candidates to make informed decisions about their career paths. As the gaming industry continues to expand, the demand for talented programmers is expected to grow, presenting ample opportunities for aspiring professionals.
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Where can a Game Programmer earn more?
Game programmer salary estimates from across the web
Average game programmer salary by state
The highest-paying states for game programmers are Washington, California, and Massachusetts. The lowest average game programmer salary states are Kansas, Colorado, and Wyoming.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for game programmers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $112,916 | $54.29 |
| 2 | Delaware | $103,249 | $49.64 |
| 3 | California | $108,621 | $52.22 |
| 4 | Massachusetts | $105,537 | $50.74 |
| 5 | Oregon | $100,878 | $48.50 |
| 6 | Rhode Island | $95,959 | $46.13 |
| 7 | New Hampshire | $103,560 | $49.79 |
| 8 | Connecticut | $97,579 | $46.91 |
| 9 | North Carolina | $96,014 | $46.16 |
| 10 | Utah | $89,755 | $43.15 |
| 11 | District of Columbia | $102,064 | $49.07 |
| 12 | Alaska | $96,372 | $46.33 |
| 13 | Vermont | $89,591 | $43.07 |
| 14 | Pennsylvania | $90,307 | $43.42 |
| 15 | Virginia | $90,699 | $43.61 |
| 16 | Maryland | $93,783 | $45.09 |
| 17 | Indiana | $85,781 | $41.24 |
| 18 | Illinois | $88,411 | $42.51 |
| 19 | Arizona | $85,647 | $41.18 |
| 20 | New York | $90,847 | $43.68 |
| 21 | Nevada | $88,723 | $42.66 |
| 22 | New Jersey | $88,544 | $42.57 |
| 23 | North Dakota | $85,144 | $40.93 |
| 24 | Maine | $87,587 | $42.11 |
| 25 | Alabama | $83,546 | $40.17 |
| 26 | Texas | $82,846 | $39.83 |
| 27 | Iowa | $82,473 | $39.65 |
| 28 | South Carolina | $85,746 | $41.22 |
| 29 | Michigan | $82,449 | $39.64 |
| 30 | Idaho | $81,425 | $39.15 |
| 31 | Mississippi | $84,715 | $40.73 |
| 32 | Wisconsin | $81,347 | $39.11 |
| 33 | Nebraska | $81,367 | $39.12 |
| 34 | South Dakota | $81,220 | $39.05 |
| 35 | Minnesota | $81,809 | $39.33 |
| 36 | Oklahoma | $81,140 | $39.01 |
| 37 | Wyoming | $74,878 | $36.00 |
| 38 | Louisiana | $81,420 | $39.14 |
| 39 | West Virginia | $76,895 | $36.97 |
| 40 | Ohio | $77,225 | $37.13 |
| 41 | Florida | $76,686 | $36.87 |
| 42 | Colorado | $74,976 | $36.05 |
| 43 | Montana | $76,818 | $36.93 |
| 44 | Tennessee | $76,448 | $36.75 |
| 45 | Kentucky | $76,598 | $36.83 |
| 46 | Arkansas | $73,836 | $35.50 |
| 47 | Kansas | $75,168 | $36.14 |
| 48 | Missouri | $76,636 | $36.84 |
| 49 | New Mexico | $76,517 | $36.79 |
| 50 | Georgia | $70,431 | $33.86 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $64,301 | $30.91 |
Highest paying cities for game programmers
The highest-paying cities for game programmers are Novato, CA, Seattle, WA, and Quincy, MA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Novato, CA | $119,930 | $57.66 |
| 2 | Seattle, WA | $113,200 | $54.42 |
| 3 | Quincy, MA | $105,623 | $50.78 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $102,088 | $49.08 |
| 5 | Bend, OR | $100,758 | $48.44 |
| 6 | Raleigh, NC | $97,668 | $46.96 |
| 7 | New York, NY | $91,068 | $43.78 |
| 8 | Philadelphia, PA | $90,843 | $43.67 |
| 9 | Salt Lake City, UT | $89,299 | $42.93 |
| 10 | Chicago, IL | $88,720 | $42.65 |
| 11 | Las Vegas, NV | $87,544 | $42.09 |
| 12 | Phoenix, AZ | $85,924 | $41.31 |
| 13 | Indianapolis, IN | $85,643 | $41.17 |
| 14 | Austin, TX | $83,626 | $40.20 |
| 15 | Minneapolis, MN | $81,814 | $39.33 |
| 16 | New Orleans, LA | $80,982 | $38.93 |
| 17 | Gainesville, FL | $78,290 | $37.64 |
| 18 | Columbus, OH | $77,060 | $37.05 |
| 19 | Kansas City, MO | $76,046 | $36.56 |
| 20 | Denver, CO | $74,750 | $35.94 |
Game programmer salary details
A game programmer's salary ranges from $65,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $134,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a game programmer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $134,000 | $11,167 | $64 |
| 75th Percentile | $113,000 | $9,417 | $54 |
| Average | $94,000 | $7,833 | $45 |
| 25th Percentile | $77,000 | $6,417 | $37 |
| 10th Percentile | $65,000 | $5,417 | $31 |
Highest paying game programmer jobs
The highest paying types of game programmers are lead programmer, software development engineer, and senior programmer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Web Design/Development | $69,901 | $5,825 | $33.61 | 184,573 |
| Web Application Developer | $85,840 | $7,153 | $41.27 | 229,802 |
| Applications Developer | $89,205 | $7,434 | $42.89 | 279,877 |
| PHP Developer | $91,010 | $7,584 | $43.75 | 166,706 |
| Software Development Engineer | $109,147 | $9,096 | $52.47 | 356,971 |
| Interactive Developer | $89,875 | $7,490 | $43.21 | 169,948 |
Top companies hiring game programmers now:
Which companies pay game programmers the most?
Game programmer salaries at Meta and Obsidian Entertainment are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average game programmer salary at companies like Magic Leap and Roblox are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $161,641 | $77.71 |
| 2 | Obsidian Entertainment | $124,280 | $59.75 |
| 3 | Magic Leap | $109,989 | $52.88 |
| 4 | Roblox | $108,755 | $52.29 |
| 5 | PlayStation | $106,858 | $51.37 |
| 6 | Rockstar Games | $106,256 | $51.08 |
| 7 | Sony Interactive Entertainment America | $105,759 | $50.85 |
| 8 | Sucker Punch Productions | $103,319 | $49.67 |
| 9 | 2k | $103,206 | $49.62 |
| 10 | Epic Games | $103,067 | $49.55 |
| 11 | Gearbox Software | $102,736 | $49.39 |
| 12 | Sanzaru Games | $101,752 | $48.92 |
| 13 | Sony Electronics | $100,955 | $48.54 |
| 14 | ArenaNet | $100,941 | $48.53 |
| 15 | Ready At Dawn Studios | $100,598 | $48.36 |
| 16 | Electronic Arts | $99,985 | $48.07 |
| 17 | Take-Two Interactive Software | $99,813 | $47.99 |
| 18 | Tencent | $99,592 | $47.88 |
| 19 | Insomniac Games | $99,235 | $47.71 |
| 20 | ZeniMax Media | $98,999 | $47.60 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Game programmer salary trends
The average game programmer salary has risen by $17,436 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average game programmer earned $76,564 annually, but today, they earn $94,000 a year. That works out to a 12% change in pay for game programmers over the last decade.
Compare game programmer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average game programmer salary over time
Compare game programmer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Game programmer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | $94,000 | $45.19 | +3.3% |
| 2024 | $90,900 | $43.70 | +2.3% |
| 2023 | $88,800 | $42.71 | +2.4% |
| 2022 | $86,700 | $41.68 | +2.9% |
| 2021 | $84,200 | $40.46 | +0.4% |
Recently added game programmer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Naughty Dog | Senior Gameplay Programmer | Santa Monica, CA | 06/09/2025 | $160,300 |
| Playstation | Senior Gameplay Programmer | Santa Monica, CA | 05/12/2025 | $160,300 |
| Naughty Dog | Senior Gameplay Programmer | Santa Monica, CA | 05/12/2025 | $160,300 |
| Sony Playstation Network | Senior Gameplay Programmer | Santa Monica, CA | 05/09/2025 | $160,300 |
| Gunfire Games | Senior Gameplay Programmer | Austin, TX | 05/08/2025 | $100,000 |
| Epic Games | Senior Gameplay AI Programmer, Uefn | Cary, NC | 04/18/2025 | $166,195 |
| Gunfire Games | Senior Gameplay Programmer | Austin, TX | 04/17/2025 | $100,000 |
| Gunfire Games | Gameplay Programmer (Mid/Senior) | Austin, TX | 02/22/2025 | $70,000 |
| Zenimax Media, Inc. | Senior Gameplay Programmer | Rockville, MD | 02/19/2025 | $100,000 |
| Gamecompanies | Gameplay Programmer | San Diego, CA | 02/18/2025 | $147,311 |
Game programmer salary FAQs
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