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Entry Level Indie Game Developer Jobs (NOW HIRING)

About the Role The Engineering Department at AKRF is seeking an Entry Level Civil Engineer to work ... fun and games. We foster a diverse, equitable, and inclusive environment where employees are ...

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Entry Level Indie Game Developer information

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$32.5K

$108.5K

$180K

How much do entry level indie game developer jobs pay per year?

As of May 30, 2026, the average yearly pay for entry level indie game developer in the United States is $108,471.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $81,500.00 and $124,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive as an Entry Level Indie Game Developer, and why are they important?

To thrive as an Entry Level Indie Game Developer, you need a solid grasp of programming fundamentals (often in languages like C# or C++), basic game design principles, and a relevant degree or portfolio showcasing your work. Familiarity with game engines such as Unity or Unreal Engine and version control systems like Git is typically expected. Creativity, problem-solving ability, and strong teamwork skills help you contribute to small, collaborative teams and adapt to evolving project requirements. These competencies ensure you can effectively build, iterate, and launch engaging indie games in a competitive industry.

What are some common challenges faced by entry level indie game developers, and how can they be overcome?

Entry level indie game developers often face challenges such as limited resources, tight budgets, and wearing multiple hats within small teams. Balancing creative ambitions with practical constraints can be difficult, especially when managing time between programming, art, sound, and marketing tasks. Effective communication and collaboration with team members, utilizing accessible development tools, and participating in online communities can help overcome these hurdles. Learning to scope projects realistically and seeking feedback early in the process are also essential strategies for success.

What are entry level indie game developers?

Entry level indie game developers are individuals who are new to game development and work within small, independent teams or as solo creators to produce video games. They typically handle a range of tasks, such as programming, designing, art creation, and testing, often learning on the job and wearing multiple hats. Their focus is usually on creative projects with limited budgets, aiming to break into the gaming industry or build a portfolio. Entry level indie developers may release their games on platforms like Steam, itch.io, or mobile app stores. The role is well-suited for those passionate about games, creativity, and self-driven learning.

What is the difference between Entry Level Indie Game Developer vs Junior Game Programmer?

AspectEntry Level Indie Game DeveloperJunior Game Programmer
Required SkillsBasic programming, game design, creativityProgramming languages, debugging, software tools
Work EnvironmentIndependent projects, small teams, startupsGame studios, development teams, collaborative settings
Industry UsageIndie game development, small studiosGame development companies, larger studios

Both roles often require foundational programming skills and a passion for gaming. An Entry Level Indie Game Developer typically works on personal or small team projects, focusing on creativity and design, while a Junior Game Programmer is more involved in coding, debugging, and technical implementation within a professional studio environment. The roles overlap in skills but differ mainly in scope and work setting.

More about Entry Level Indie Game Developer jobs
What cities are hiring for Entry Level Indie Game Developer jobs? Cities with the most Entry Level Indie Game Developer job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Indie Game Developer jobs? The most popular types of Indie Game Developer jobs are:
What states have the most Entry Level Indie Game Developer jobs? States with the most job openings for Entry Level Indie Game Developer jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Entry Level Indie Game Developer jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Entry Level Indie Game Developer jobs are:
Infographic showing various Entry Level Indie Game Developer job openings in the United States as of May 2026, with employment types broken down into 100% Full Time. Highlights an 100% In-person job distribution, with an average salary of $108,471 per year, or $52.1 per hour.
Software Engineer - Entry Level

Software Engineer - Entry Level

Gambyt

Ann Arbor, MI โ€ข Remote

Full-time

Medical, Dental, Retirement, PTO

Posted 27 days ago


Job description

Software Engineer - Entry Level

Location: Remote (US Only) - Eastern Time Zone


About Us

Gambyt's mission is to make real-money gaming products more relevant and accessible to the world. We are specialists in the lottery industry and create products that deliver life-changing winning moments to players while raising billions of dollars every year for good causes such as public education, nature conservancy, and programs for seniors.


Through our agile software development practice, we create digital products such as games, loyalty programs, and user experiences that are loved by players. Our team consists of extremely talented product managers, UX/UI designers, software engineers, project managers and quality testers that collaborate closely to achieve our vision.


We have rebuilt our company around a distributed remote-work engagement model. To help strengthen connections across our team, we provide resources to support employee engagement and well-being, organize monthly virtual activities, and regularly experiment with new benefits for remote work.


Though fully remote, we are headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, which was ranked as a top 3 tech hub by Bloomberg, and is located in the first state in the country where all forms of internet wagering (lottery, casino, sports) have been legalized. We are on the ground floor of an industry revolution that is ripe for digital disruption and looking to expand our world-class team.


Job Description

Gambyt is seeking a Software Engineer who is eager to build, ship, and improve real-world production systems used by lottery players across the United States.


This role is ideal for an early-career engineer with strong fundamentals who wants meaningful ownership early in their career. You will contribute to customer-facing features, internal tools, and backend services that power lottery applications. From your first projects, you will be expected to deliver production-ready code with guidance from senior engineers.


This is a high-impact role delivering software for major US state lottery customers. You will collaborate closely with product, design, engineering peers, and client stakeholders to deliver reliable, scalable, and high-quality software.


Key Responsibilities

  • Take ownership of well-scoped features from implementation through deployment with guidance.
  • Ship production features across one or more platforms (web, backend, iOS, Android)
  • Write clean, tested, maintainable code that ships to production
  • Debug issues across the stack using logs, metrics, and systematic problem-solving
  • Collaborate cross-functionally to clarify requirements and deliver high-quality player experiences
  • Participate actively in code reviews, incorporating feedback and learning to make pragmatic tradeoffs

Required Qualifications

  • Strong engineering fundamentals (data structures, APIs, debugging, and testing concepts)
  • Experience building and shipping at least one meaningful project (internship, academic project, personal project, or professional experience)
  • Comfort navigating unfamiliar code and learning new tools quickly
  • Clear communication skills and a collaborative approach to decision-making
  • Based in the U.S., able to work standard Eastern Time hours


Preferred Qualifications

Experience with our technologies is a plus but not required-strong fundamentals and the ability to learn quickly are more important. Our technologies include:

  • Mobile: Swift (iOS), Kotlin (Android)
  • Frontend: JavaScript, TypeScript, React
  • Backend: Node.js (with Express), Postgres, Redis
  • Infrastructure: AWS, Heroku, Terraform, GitHub Actions
  • Tools: GitHub, modern CI/CD pipelines


Employee Benefits

All full-time employees receive:

  • Remote work environment
  • Competitive compensation packages
  • Performance and anniversary bonus programs
  • Equity program in our privately-held company
  • Unlimited vacation and personal leave
  • Summer Fridays during the summer months (coordinated company-wide time off)
  • Excellent health and dental benefits, with no premium copays
  • 401k program with guaranteed company contribution
  • Monthly perks like food delivery to your home
  • Monthly cell phone and computer stipend


Learn more at www.gambyt.com


Gambyt logo

About Gambyt

Sourced by ZipRecruiter

Industry

Gambling activities

Company size

11 - 50 Employees

Headquarters location

Ann Arbor, MI, US

Year founded

2016