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Game designer salary
Average game designer salary
$87,645
Understanding Game Designer Salaries
As of October 2025, the average salary for game designers stands at $87,645 per year. Factors influencing salary include experience, location, and the industry in which a designer works. For instance, game designers in tech hubs such as California and Washington typically earn higher wages compared to their counterparts in other states.
Salary by Experience
Entry-level game designers can expect to earn around $50,000 annually, while those with more experience and specialized skills can command upwards of $100,000. Industry shifts, such as the rise of mobile and VR gaming, also impact salary ranges.
Top Paying Industries
Industries such as software publishing and interactive entertainment offer the highest salaries for game designers. Understanding these dynamics can guide your career decisions and help you target high-growth areas for job opportunities.
Explore the specific salaries by state to identify where you can maximize your earning potential as a game designer.
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Where can a Game Designer earn more?
Game designer salary estimates from across the web
Average game designer salary by state
The highest-paying states for game designers are Nevada, Rhode Island, and Washington. The lowest average game designer salary states are Oklahoma, Minnesota, and Hawaii.
- State view
- County view
Highest paying states for game designers
| Rank | State | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Washington | $102,106 | $49.09 |
| 2 | Rhode Island | $103,903 | $49.95 |
| 3 | Nevada | $105,036 | $50.50 |
| 4 | Maine | $98,477 | $47.34 |
| 5 | District of Columbia | $99,633 | $47.90 |
| 6 | Massachusetts | $93,396 | $44.90 |
| 7 | California | $96,135 | $46.22 |
| 8 | Wisconsin | $88,306 | $42.45 |
| 9 | New Hampshire | $92,799 | $44.61 |
| 10 | Delaware | $100,838 | $48.48 |
| 11 | Utah | $85,590 | $41.15 |
| 12 | Connecticut | $92,694 | $44.56 |
| 13 | Idaho | $92,571 | $44.51 |
| 14 | Ohio | $85,285 | $41.00 |
| 15 | Vermont | $90,094 | $43.31 |
| 16 | Indiana | $87,777 | $42.20 |
| 17 | Maryland | $89,940 | $43.24 |
| 18 | New York | $87,153 | $41.90 |
| 19 | West Virginia | $85,977 | $41.34 |
| 20 | South Carolina | $81,888 | $39.37 |
| 21 | Michigan | $78,110 | $37.55 |
| 22 | Louisiana | $85,507 | $41.11 |
| 23 | Oregon | $78,880 | $37.92 |
| 24 | Alaska | $88,065 | $42.34 |
| 25 | Texas | $77,766 | $37.39 |
| 26 | Pennsylvania | $76,411 | $36.74 |
| 27 | Mississippi | $82,594 | $39.71 |
| 28 | Colorado | $77,525 | $37.27 |
| 29 | Kentucky | $79,472 | $38.21 |
| 30 | New Mexico | $78,554 | $37.77 |
| 31 | Missouri | $76,820 | $36.93 |
| 32 | North Dakota | $77,001 | $37.02 |
| 33 | Virginia | $74,475 | $35.81 |
| 34 | Nebraska | $75,603 | $36.35 |
| 35 | New Jersey | $77,393 | $37.21 |
| 36 | Georgia | $71,107 | $34.19 |
| 37 | Arizona | $73,860 | $35.51 |
| 38 | Montana | $76,917 | $36.98 |
| 39 | North Carolina | $70,722 | $34.00 |
| 40 | South Dakota | $75,218 | $36.16 |
| 41 | Tennessee | $71,227 | $34.24 |
| 42 | Florida | $71,453 | $34.35 |
| 43 | Arkansas | $71,493 | $34.37 |
| 44 | Illinois | $67,566 | $32.48 |
| 45 | Minnesota | $65,956 | $31.71 |
| 46 | Alabama | $67,848 | $32.62 |
| 47 | Oklahoma | $67,232 | $32.32 |
| 48 | Kansas | $64,480 | $31.00 |
| 49 | Iowa | $64,497 | $31.01 |
| 50 | Wyoming | $64,159 | $30.85 |
| 51 | Hawaii | $65,285 | $31.39 |
Highest paying cities for game designers
The highest-paying cities for game designers are Reno, NV, San Francisco, CA, and Seattle, WA.
| Rank | City | Avg. salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Reno, NV | $112,677 | $54.17 |
| 2 | San Francisco, CA | $103,605 | $49.81 |
| 3 | Seattle, WA | $103,022 | $49.53 |
| 4 | Washington, DC | $99,623 | $47.90 |
| 5 | Boston, MA | $93,526 | $44.96 |
| 6 | New York, NY | $87,288 | $41.97 |
| 7 | New Orleans, LA | $85,711 | $41.21 |
| 8 | Salt Lake City, UT | $84,908 | $40.82 |
| 9 | Austin, TX | $78,187 | $37.59 |
| 10 | Denver, CO | $77,327 | $37.18 |
| 11 | Arlington, VA | $75,489 | $36.29 |
| 12 | Pittsburgh, PA | $74,360 | $35.75 |
| 13 | Orlando, FL | $71,927 | $34.58 |
| 14 | Duluth, GA | $70,509 | $33.90 |
| 15 | Chicago, IL | $67,932 | $32.66 |
| 16 | Urban Honolulu, HI | $65,396 | $31.44 |
Game designer salary details
A game designer's salary ranges from $60,000 a year at the 10th percentile to $127,000 at the 90th percentile.
What is a game designer's salary?
| Percentile | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 90th Percentile | $127,000 | $10,583 | $61 |
| 75th Percentile | $106,000 | $8,833 | $51 |
| Average | $87,645 | $7,304 | $42 |
| 25th Percentile | $72,000 | $6,000 | $35 |
| 10th Percentile | $60,000 | $5,000 | $29 |
Highest paying game designer jobs
The highest paying types of game designers are lead game designer, senior game designer, and video game designer.
| Job title | Annual salary | Monthly salary | Hourly rate | Job openings |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| User Interaction Designer | $82,651 | $6,888 | $39.74 | 54,146 |
| Designer | $66,347 | $5,529 | $31.90 | 52,433 |
How would you rate the starting salaries for game designers, as well as the prospects for salary advancement?
Abby Guido
Assistant Professor, Tyler School of Art and Architecture, Temple University
Top companies hiring game designers now:
Which companies pay game designers the most?
Game designer salaries at Meta and Microsoft are the highest-paying according to our most recent salary estimates. In addition, the average game designer salary at companies like Amazon and Sony Electronics are highly competitive.
| Rank | Company | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Meta | $150,736 | $72.47 |
| 2 | Microsoft | $123,529 | $59.39 |
| 3 | Amazon | $119,229 | $57.32 |
| 4 | Sony Electronics | $101,967 | $49.02 |
| 5 | Maximum Games | $100,094 | $48.12 |
| 6 | Skillz | $98,568 | $47.39 |
| 7 | The Walt Disney Company | $97,145 | $46.70 |
| 8 | Epic Games | $95,093 | $45.72 |
| 9 | Nintendo | $94,984 | $45.67 |
| 10 | 2k | $94,642 | $45.50 |
| 11 | Gearbox Software | $93,689 | $45.04 |
| 12 | Ready At Dawn Studios | $93,573 | $44.99 |
| 13 | Bungie | $93,491 | $44.95 |
| 14 | Sony Interactive Entertainment America | $93,287 | $44.85 |
| 15 | ArenaNet | $93,151 | $44.78 |
| 16 | Rockstar Games | $92,472 | $44.46 |
| 17 | Electronic Arts | $92,404 | $44.42 |
| 18 | ZeniMax Media | $91,760 | $44.12 |
| 19 | Jam City | $91,726 | $44.10 |
| 20 | PlayStation | $91,716 | $44.09 |
Wage gap by gender, race and education
Game Designer salary by industry
The average game designer salary varies across industries:
- The average game designer salary in the technology industry is $89,462, the highest of any industry.
- The average game designer salary in the finance industry is $88,467.
- Game designers in the education industry earn an average salary of $74,548, the lowest of any industry.
Highest paying industries for game designers
| Rank | Industry | Average salary | Hourly rate |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Technology | $89,462 | $43.01 |
| 2 | Hospitality | $88,467 | $42.53 |
| 3 | Finance | $88,070 | $42.34 |
| 4 | Start-up | $87,081 | $41.87 |
| 5 | Education | $74,548 | $35.84 |
High paying game designer jobs
Game designer salary trends
The average game designer salary has risen by $14,347 over the last ten years. In 2014, the average game designer earned $73,298 annually, but today, they earn $87,645 a year. That works out to a 10% change in pay for game designers over the last decade.
Compare game designer salaries for cities or states with the national average over time.
Average game designer salary over time
Compare game designer salaries for individual cities or states with the national average.
Game designer salary by year
| Year | Avg. salary | Hourly rate | % Change |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | $87,600 | $42.14 | +3.3% |
| 2025 | $84,800 | $40.75 | +2.3% |
| 2024 | $82,800 | $39.83 | +1.9% |
| 2023 | $81,200 | $39.05 | +2.3% |
| 2022 | $79,400 | $38.17 | +1.5% |
Recently added game designer salaries
| Company | Job | Location | Date added | Salary |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hasbro, Inc. | Game Designer, Magic: The Gathering | Renton, WA | 06/26/2025 | $81,600 |
| Meta | Technical Game Designer (Tools) | Seattle, WA | 06/18/2025 | $135,000 |
| Meta | Technical Game Designer (Tools) | Los Angeles, CA | 06/18/2025 | $135,000 |
| Meta | Technical Game Designer (Tools) | Washington, DC | 06/17/2025 | $135,000 |
| Meta | Technical Game Designer (Tools) | Columbia, SC | 06/17/2025 | $135,000 |
| Meta | Technical Game Designer (Tools) | Montgomery, AL | 06/17/2025 | $135,000 |
| Meta | Technical Game Designer (Tools) | Phoenix, AZ | 06/17/2025 | $135,000 |
| Meta | Technical Game Designer (Tools) | Indianapolis, IN | 06/17/2025 | $135,000 |
| Meta | Technical Game Designer (Tools) | Jefferson City, MO | 06/17/2025 | $135,000 |
| Meta | Technical Game Designer (Tools) | Jackson, MS | 06/17/2025 | $135,000 |
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