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Senior Indie Game Jobs (NOW HIRING)

Apple

Senior Gaming Platform Engineer

Seattle, WA

$142K - $263K/yr

Join the Game Services Framework team to help us build the developer-facing technologies that drive ... We have an exciting roadmap of features supporting games ranging from mobile, to indie, to AAA, and ...

Studio Wildcard

Sr. Engine Programmer

Bellevue, WA · Remote

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved, was founded in 2014. ARK ... Debug and patch complex gameplay and engine-level vulnerabilities to shut down client-side exploits ...

Studio Wildcard

Sr. Engine Programmer

Bellevue, WA · Remote

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved, was founded in 2014. ARK ... Debug and patch complex gameplay and engine-level vulnerabilities to shut down client-side exploits ...

Studio Wildcard

Sr. Engine Programmer

Bellevue, WA · Remote

ARK has become one of the most successful cross-platform indie titles ever and continues to break ... Debug and patch complex gameplay and engine-level vulnerabilities to shut down client-side exploits ...

Studio Wildcard

Senior Graphics Programmer

Bellevue, WA · Remote

ARK has become one of the most successful cross-platform indie titles ever and continues to break ... What other games are you currently playing About The Studio Studio Wildcard was founded in 2014 by ...

Studio Wildcard

Senior Graphics Programmer

Bellevue, WA · On-site

$200K/yr

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved, was founded in 2014. ARK ... What other games are you currently playing About The Studio Studio Wildcard was founded in 2014 by ...

Studio Wildcard

Senior Graphics Programmer

Bellevue, WA · Remote

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved, was founded in 2014. ARK ... What other games are you currently playing About The Studio Studio Wildcard was founded in 2014 by ...

Studio Wildcard

Senior Technical Producer

Bellevue, WA · On-site

$150K - $200K/yr

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved, was founded in 2014. ARK ... Actively attend and participate in gameplay reviews to maintain a sharp, firsthand understanding of ...

Studio Wildcard

Senior Technical Producer

Bellevue, WA

$128K - $176K/yr

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved, was founded in 2014. ARK ... Actively attend and participate in gameplay reviews to maintain a sharp, firsthand understanding of ...

Studio Wildcard

Sr. VFX Artist

Bellevue, WA · On-site

Senior VFX Artist We're Studio Wildcard, developers of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved -- one of the most popular and original video games in recent years. Despite our massive success, we ...

Studio Wildcard

Senior Technical Producer

Bellevue, WA · Remote

$116K - $160K/yr

Studio Wildcard, creators of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved , was founded in 2014. ARK ... Actively attend and participate in gameplay reviews to maintain a sharp, firsthand understanding of ...

Studio Wildcard

Sr. VFX Artist

Bellevue, WA

Senior VFX Artist _____ We're Studio Wildcard, developers of the smash indie hit ARK: Survival Evolved -- one of the most popular and original video games in recent years. Despite our massive success ...

Apple

Senior iOS Engineer, Apple Games

Cupertino, CA · On-site

$172K/yr

Join the Game Services UI team to help build the Apple Games app and the user-facing gaming ... We have an exciting roadmap supporting games ranging from mobile to indie to AAA, reaching deep ...

Studio Wildcard

Senior Technical Producer

Bellevue, WA · Remote

ARK has become one of the most successful cross-platform indie titles ever and continues to break ... Actively attend and participate in gameplay reviews to maintain a sharp, firsthand understanding of ...

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All JobsIndie Game JobsSenior Indie Game Jobs

Senior Indie Game information

See salary details

$79.5K

$130.8K

$196K

How much do senior indie game jobs pay per year?

As of Jul 26, 2026, the average yearly pay for senior indie game in the United States is $130,762.00, according to ZipRecruiter salary data. Most workers in this role earn between $107,000.00 and $150,000.00 per year, depending on experience, location, and employer.

What is the difference between Senior Indie Game vs Indie Game Developer?

AspectSenior Indie GameIndie Game Developer
Experience LevelTypically 5+ years, leadership rolesEntry to mid-level, developing skills
ResponsibilitiesProject leadership, design oversight, team managementGame creation, coding, art, and design
Work EnvironmentSmall teams, independent studios, self-directedSolo or small team projects, flexible schedules
CredentialsPortfolio, experience, sometimes formal educationPortfolio, passion, self-taught or formal training

While both roles involve creating indie games, a Senior Indie Game typically refers to an experienced professional leading projects, whereas an Indie Game Developer may be an individual or less experienced team member focused on developing games. The senior role emphasizes leadership and oversight, while the developer role centers on hands-on creation.

More about Senior Indie Game jobs
What cities are hiring for Senior Indie Game jobs? Cities with the most Senior Indie Game job openings:
What are the most commonly searched types of Indie Game jobs? The most popular types of Indie Game jobs are:
What states have the most Senior Indie Game jobs? States with the most job openings for Senior Indie Game jobs include:
What job categories do people searching Senior Indie Game jobs look for? The top searched job categories for Senior Indie Game jobs are:
Senior Indie Game jobs near you
Infographic showing various Senior Indie Game job openings in the United States as of July 2026, with employment types broken down into 63% Full Time, 24% Part Time, 2% Temporary, and 11% Contract. Highlights an 84% Physical, 1% Hybrid, and 15% Remote job distribution, with an average salary of $130,762 per year, or $62.9 per hour.
Senior Animator, Unannounced Super Fun Video Game (Contract)

Senior Animator, Unannounced Super Fun Video Game (Contract)

Second Dinner Studios, Inc

Remote

$60 - $70/hr

Full-time

Posted 29 days ago

Job description

Our Team
We're building a PvE co-op action game with a small, highly autonomous team.
Each discipline is represented by a single owner. There is no large animation department, dedicated technical animation team, or production layer separating disciplines. The people who thrive here are comfortable making decisions, solving problems independently, and moving work forward without extensive process or oversight.
We care more about demonstrated capability than years of experience, previous titles, or studio pedigree. Show us great animation work, shipped games, side projects, game jam projects, mods, tools you've built, pipelines you've improved, or anything else that demonstrates your ability to create and ship great experiences.
Your Role
Animation is the primary focus of this role.
We're looking for someone who can create both expressive character performances and exceptional gameplay animation. Our characters need to feel compelling when viewed up close through facial expressions, acting, personality, and charm, while also feeling responsive, readable, and satisfying during gameplay.
You'll own animation from rigging and implementation through final polish. Most of your time will be spent creating animation, but because of our team's size, you'll also be expected to identify technical challenges, improve workflows, and occasionally step outside traditional discipline boundaries when it helps the project move forward.
This is a fully remote role. Much of the team's coordination happens asynchronously, so success requires clear written communication, proactive updates, and the ability to make progress without waiting for meetings or direction.
The strongest candidates tend to be builders. They make games outside of work, participate in game jams, create mods, experiment with new tools, or otherwise demonstrate a habit of learning and creating beyond their day job.
What You'll Do
  • Create high-quality character, gameplay, and combat animation.
  • Bring personality, appeal, emotion, and charm to characters through performance and facial animation.
  • Create responsive, readable, and satisfying gameplay animation that supports combat and player feedback.
  • Rig, skin, and prepare assets for animation.
  • Implement, iterate on, and polish animation directly in Unreal Engine.
  • Work closely with Design and Engineering to improve gameplay feel, responsiveness, readability, and player experience.
  • Coordinate with Character Art, Environment Art, and VFX to ensure assets integrate smoothly into the game.
  • Identify bottlenecks and improve workflows through tooling, automation, technical solutions, or process improvements.
  • Evaluate and leverage AI-assisted workflows when they meaningfully improve iteration speed, content creation, or production efficiency.
  • Occasionally collaborate with external art partners to review deliverables, communicate feedback, and maintain quality standards.
  • Own animation as a discipline from concept through final implementation.

What You'll Need
  • A portfolio demonstrating exceptional animation work.
  • Demonstrated strength in both character performance animation and gameplay animation.
  • Strong understanding of character acting, facial expression, appeal, timing, and physicality.
  • Strong understanding of gameplay readability, responsiveness, combat feel, and player feedback.
  • Strong rigging skills.
  • Experience implementing animation content in Unreal Engine.
  • Comfort working directly in-engine to solve problems and iterate on content.
  • The ability to independently own a discipline and make forward progress with minimal oversight.
  • Strong written communication skills and comfort working in a fully remote, asynchronous
  • environment.
  • The ability to discuss technical and creative tradeoffs with designers, engineers, artists, and external partners.
  • Comfort learning unfamiliar tools, workflows, or disciplines when doing so benefits the project.
  • Comfort using AI-assisted tools as part of a modern game development workflow.

Nice to Have, But Not Necessary
  • Experience as a Technical Animator, Tech Artist, Art Director, or other cross-disciplinary role.
  • Experience building tools, pipelines, procedural systems, or workflow automation.
  • Experience managing external vendors or outsourcing relationships.
  • Experience shipping an indie game, game jam project, mod, or significant personal project.
  • Experience working on small teams where individuals routinely contribute outside their primary discipline.
  • Experience with cooperative action games, boss-focused encounters, or other highly replayable multiplayer experiences.
  • Affinity for complex competitive games such as League of Legends, Teamfight Tactics, or similar titles.
  • Experience with endgame MMO content such as raiding in World of Warcraft, Final Fantasy XIV, or similar games.
  • Familiarity with anime-inspired visual styles, character archetypes, and modern anime storytelling conventions.

This position pays a range of $60 - 70 per hour (USD).
Individual pay within this range may span multiple levels within the discipline and is determined by assessed job-related skills, experience, relevant education, or training. It also factors in market demands and business needs. The disclosed range is not adjusted based on location and may be subject to change or modification based on business needs in the future. This role is contracted through a third-party that provides health benefits, etc., which your recruiter can discuss more during the hiring process.
We are an equal opportunity employer that places high value on diversity and inclusion. We do not discriminate on the basis of race, color, ancestry, national origin, religion, age, disability status, sex (including pregnancy), gender, gender identity, gender expression, sexual orientation, medical condition, genetic information, marital status, military status, or veteran status.
You must be legally authorized to work and reside in the United States. We do not sponsor visas or support employment outside the U.S. for this role.

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