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Indie Game Artist Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Engineering Lead

San Francisco, CA · On-site

$120K - $159K/yr

... artists, game designers, and more • contribute technical as well as game design ideas ... You're well-versed in everything from modern indie and AAA hits to the old school pioneers that ...

ARK has become one of the most successful cross-platform indie titles ever and continues to break ... Co-define engine-level technical artist tooling and create documentation or best practices to raise ...

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved, was founded in 2014. ARK ... Co-define engine-level technical artist tooling and create documentation or best practices to raise ...

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved, was founded in 2014. ARK ... Co-define engine-level technical artist tooling and create documentation or best practices to raise ...

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved, was founded in 2014. ARK ... Co-define engine-level technical artist tooling and create documentation or best practices to raise ...

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved, was founded in 2014. ARK ... Co-define engine-level technical artist tooling and create documentation or best practices to raise ...

Showing results 21-40

Indie Game Artist information

See salary details

$37K

$123.1K

$196K

How much do indie game artist jobs pay per year?

As of Aug 9, 2026, the average yearly pay for indie game artist in the United States is $123,136.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $79,000.00 and $170,500.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What are the key skills and qualifications needed to thrive in the indie game artist position, and why are they important?

To excel as an Indie Game Artist, you need strong skills in digital illustration, 2D/3D asset creation, and a solid understanding of visual storytelling and game art fundamentals. Familiarity with industry-standard tools like Adobe Creative Suite, Blender, or Unity, along with a strong portfolio, is critical. Creativity, adaptability, and effective communication are essential soft skills, as indie teams are often small and highly collaborative. These skills are vital because Indie Game Artists typically wear multiple hats, contributing to diverse aspects of game development while ensuring visual quality and consistency.

What types of projects and responsibilities can an indie game artist expect on a typical indie development team?

As an Indie Game Artist, you may be responsible for a wide variety of tasks, including designing character sprites, creating backgrounds, developing UI elements, and sometimes even animating or implementing assets directly into the game engine. Because indie teams are usually small, artists often collaborate closely with designers and programmers, contributing ideas and feedback across multiple aspects of the game. This hands-on approach provides the opportunity to shape the overall visual style and have a direct impact on the game's identity. While it can be challenging to juggle multiple responsibilities and switch between different artistic tasks, it also offers a unique chance to develop a broad skill set and take ownership of your creative work.

What does an indie game artist do?

An Indie Game Artist creates visual assets for independent video games, including characters, environments, UI, and animations. They often work in smaller teams or solo, handling multiple artistic responsibilities. Unlike artists in larger studios, they may need to adapt to different art styles and tools while collaborating closely with developers. Their work ensures the game has a cohesive and engaging visual identity.

What cities are hiring for Indie Game Artist jobs? Cities with the most Indie Game Artist job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Indie Game Artist jobs? The most popular types of Indie Game Artist jobs are:
What states have the most Indie Game Artist jobs? States with the most job openings for Indie Game Artist jobs include:
Infographic showing various Indie Game Artist job openings in the United States as of August 2026, with employment types broken down into 6% Internship, 82% Full Time, and 12% Part Time. Highlights an 88% In-person, and 12% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $123,136 per year, or $59.2 per hour.

Engineering Lead

Elsewhere

San Francisco, CA • On-site

$120K - $159K/yr

Full-time

Re-posted 10 days ago


Job description

Job Summary:
Elsewhere is hiring an Engineering Lead to write code, build infrastructure, and inform game design for their upcoming game. The role involves collaborating with the Founder & CEO and the creative team to develop a cross-platform game, contributing both technical and game design ideas.
Responsibilities:
• write code
• build infrastructure
• inform game design
• work closely with our Founder & CEO
• build a cross-platform game on web technologies
• work directly with our creative team which includes artists, game designers, and more
• contribute technical as well as game design ideas
Qualifications:
Required:
• Experience building full-stack web applications using TypeScript, React, Node, and other web technologies.
• Experience working with databases, especially relational databases (we use PostgreSQL).
• Experience building games, even as indie or side projects.
• Eagerness to share rough prototypes and in-progress builds.
• A love for games in general. You’re well-versed in everything from modern indie and AAA hits to the old school pioneers that inspired them.
Preferred:
• Demonstrated ability to multiply productivity using the latest coding agents (eg, Claude Code, OpenAI Codex).
• Experience working with creative generative AI tooling and workflows, such as ComfyUI.
• Deep knowledge of front-end development and CSS.
• Strong product design intuition and knowledge of Figma.
• Experience working on a small team, ideally in a startup environment.
Company:
Elsewhere is an online multiplayer roguelike adventure game. Founded in 2022, the company is headquartered in San Francisco, USA, with a team of 2-10 employees. The company is currently Early Stage.