Explore jobs
Find specific jobs
Explore careers
Explore professions
Best companies
Explore companies
Naughty Dog salaries
Naughty Dog salary estimate
$83,832yearly
Naughty Dog Salary Overview
At Naughty Dog, the average salary is approximately $83,832 annually. This figure reflects the company's commitment to attracting and retaining top talent in the gaming industry. The salary structure varies significantly across departments, with engineering and art/design roles often commanding higher pay. For example, positions in engineering not only require specialized skills but also contribute directly to the development of high-quality games, which justifies their competitive compensation.
Highest Paying Jobs
Some of the highest paying jobs at Naughty Dog include lead designers and senior engineers, with salaries exceeding the average mark. Employees in these roles typically benefit from a combination of experience, expertise, and the successful execution of projects that enhance the company’s reputation. Evaluating job offers based on location and department can provide a clearer picture of potential earnings.
Highest paying jobs at Naughty Dog
The highest paying jobs at Naughty Dog are quality assurance lead, technical director, research engineer, and database manager. Quality assurance lead jobs at Naughty Dog earn an average yearly salary of $122,826, Naughty Dog technical director jobs average $120,143, and Naughty Dog research engineer jobs average $118,482.
The lowest paying Naughty Dog roles include quality assurance tester and line cook. Naughty Dog quality assurance tester average salary is $24,237 per year. So while the average Naughty Dog salary is $83,832 there is a big variation in pay depending on the role.
Highest paying jobs at Naughty Dog
| Rank | Job title | Average Naughty Dog salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quality Assurance Lead | $122,826 | $59.05 |
| 2 | Technical Director | $120,143 | $57.76 |
| 3 | Research Engineer | $118,482 | $56.96 |
| 4 | Database Manager | $110,565 | $53.16 |
| 5 | Information Scientist | $107,458 | $51.66 |
| 6 | General Manager | $106,330 | $51.12 |
| 7 | Game Programmer | $98,566 | $47.39 |
| 8 | Animator | $95,555 | $45.94 |
| 9 | Senior Production Artist | $92,375 | $44.41 |
| 10 | Game Designer | $91,630 | $44.05 |
| 11 | Senior Artist | $91,183 | $43.84 |
| 12 | Computer Programmer | $85,801 | $41.25 |
| 13 | Designer/Illustrator | $84,836 | $40.79 |
| 14 | Operations Coordinator | $54,044 | $25.98 |
| 15 | Internship | $37,281 | $17.92 |
| 16 | Line Cook | $34,717 | $16.69 |
| 17 | Quality Assurance Tester | $24,238 | $11.65 |
Rate Naughty Dog's promotion and raise policies.
Do you work at Naughty Dog?
Did Naughty Dog's compensation package meet your expectations?
Naughty Dog salaries by department
Salaries at Naughty Dog vary depending on the department you work in. Naughty Dog salaries in the research & development department are the highest with an average salary of $113,982. Employees in the it department at Naughty Dog receive relatively high salaries as well, with an average salary of $112,023 per year. Departments that don't pay as well at Naughty Dog include the plant/manufacturing and the art/design organizational functions, with employees earning average salaries of $34,032 and $87,591, respectively.
Average Naughty Dog salary by department
| Rank | Department | Average Naughty Dog salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Research & Development | $113,982 | $54.80 |
| 2 | IT | $112,023 | $53.86 |
| 3 | Engineering | $100,183 | $48.16 |
| 4 | Art/Design | $87,592 | $42.11 |
| 5 | Plant/Manufacturing | $34,033 | $16.36 |
How much does Naughty Dog pay by department?
Best paying Naughty Dog art/design salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Naughty Dog salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senior Production Artist | $92,375 | $44.41 |
| 2 | Senior Artist | $91,183 | $43.84 |
| 3 | Designer/Illustrator | $84,836 | $40.79 |
Best paying Naughty Dog engineering salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Naughty Dog salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Senior Programmer | $125,104 | $60.15 |
| 2 | Game Programmer | $98,566 | $47.39 |
| 3 | Game Designer | $91,630 | $44.05 |
| 4 | Sound Designer | $84,220 | $40.49 |
Best paying Naughty Dog plant/manufacturing salaries
| Rank | Position | Average Naughty Dog salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Quality Assurance Analyst | $38,858 | $18.68 |
| 2 | Line Cook | $34,717 | $16.69 |
| 3 | Quality Assurance Tester | $24,238 | $11.65 |
Naughty Dog competitors’ average salaries
Average salaries at Naughty Dog competitors, like Vicarious, Zynga, and Daybreak Game, vary. Vicarious employees earn the highest salaries, with an average yearly salary of $114,138. The average salary at Zynga is $110,645 per year, and the average salary at Daybreak Game is $101,117 per year.
Highest paying Naughty Dog competitors
| Rank | Company name | Zippia score | Average salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Vicarious | 4.1 | $114,138 |
| 2 | Zynga | 4.7 | $110,645 |
| 3 | Daybreak Game | 4.3 | $101,117 |
| 4 | Glu Mobile | 4.6 | $99,820 |
| 5 | Epic Games | 4.8 | $94,607 |
| 6 | WayForward | 3.0 | $93,591 |
| 7 | Obsidian Entertainment | 3.8 | $92,196 |
| 8 | Monolith Productions | 3.8 | $88,417 |
| 9 | ArenaNet | 4.0 | $86,591 |
| 10 | Rockstar Games | 4.5 | $85,145 |
| 11 | ZeniMax Media | 4.5 | $84,240 |
| 12 | Ready At Dawn Studios | 4.0 | $83,482 |
| 13 | Electronic Arts | 4.8 | $82,446 |
| 14 | SEGA | 4.8 | $81,417 |
| 15 | PlayStation | 4.8 | $79,037 |
| 16 | Atlus USA | 3.8 | $76,766 |
| 17 | Insomniac Games | 3.9 | $76,344 |
| 18 | SWAT Solutions | 3.9 | $74,089 |
| 19 | Big Huge Games | 3.4 | $68,273 |
Recently added Naughty Dog salaries
| Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|
| Senior Character Artist | Santa Monica, CA | 06/26/2025 | $138,200 |
| Senior Gameplay Animator | Santa Monica, CA | 06/24/2025 | $139,000 |
| Senior Concept Artist | Santa Monica, CA | 06/22/2025 | $143,700 |
| Producer | Santa Monica, CA | 06/09/2025 | $122,800 |
| Senior Technical Artist | Santa Monica, CA | 06/09/2025 | $138,200 |
Frequently asked questions about Naughty Dog salaries
Search for jobs
Zippia gives an in-depth look into the details of Naughty Dog, including salaries, political affiliations, employee data, and more, in order to inform job seekers about Naughty Dog. The employee data is based on information from people who have self-reported their past or current employments at Naughty Dog. The data on this page is also based on data sources collected from public and open data sources on the Internet and other locations, as well as proprietary data we licensed from other companies. Sources of data may include, but are not limited to, the BLS, company filings, estimates based on those filings, H1B filings, and other public and private datasets. While we have made attempts to ensure that the information displayed are correct, Zippia is not responsible for any errors or omissions or for the results obtained from the use of this information. None of the information on this page has been provided or approved by Naughty Dog. The data presented on this page does not represent the view of Naughty Dog and its employees or that of Zippia.
Naughty Dog may also be known as or be related to JAM Software, Inc. (1984–1989) Naughty Dog, Inc. (1989–2015), Naughty Dog, Naughty Dog LLC and Naughty Dog, Inc.