Games Developer Salary
$32.5K - $46K
4% of jobs
$46K - $59.5K
10% of jobs
$59.5K - $73K
8% of jobs
$78.4K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$73K - $86.5K
10% of jobs
$86.5K - $100K
16% of jobs
The median wage is $102.6K / yr.
$100K - $113.5K
19% of jobs
$121.7K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$113.5K - $127K
16% of jobs
$127K - $140.5K
1% of jobs
$140.5K - $154K
2% of jobs
$154K - $167.5K
6% of jobs
$167.5K - $181K
10% of jobs
$32.5K
$103.5K
$180K
$108,471
/year
$52.15
/hour
Games Developer Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$108,471
Columbus
Ohio
$104,772
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How much does a Games Developer make?
As of Jul 16, 2026, the average annual pay for a Games Developer in the United States is $108,471 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $52.15 an hour. This is the equivalent of $2,085/week or $9,039/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $180,000 and as low as $32,500, the majority of Games Developer salaries currently range between $81,500 (25th percentile) to $124,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $179,500 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Games Developer varies greatly (by as much as 42500), which suggests there may be many opportunities for advancement and increased pay based on skill level, location and years of experience.
A Games Developer in your area makes on average $104,772 per year, or $3,699 (3.410%) less than the national average annual salary of $108,471. Ohio ranks number 30 out of 50 states nationwide for Games Developer salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Games Developer jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Games Developer on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Games Developer Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Games Developer job is above the national average. Topping the list is Sitka, AK, , with Sunnyvale, CA, and Santa Clara, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Santa Clara, CA, beats the national average by $19,631 (18.1%), and Sitka, AK, furthers that trend with another $22,201 (20.5%) above the $108,471 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Games Developer appears to be exceedingly fruitful.
Finally, another factor to consider is the average salary for these top 10 cities varies very little at 5% between Sitka, AK, and San Mateo, CA, , reinforcing the limited potential for much wage advancement. The possibility of a lower cost of living may be the best factor to use when considering location and salary for a Games Developer role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Sitka, AK | $130,672 | $62.82 |
Sunnyvale, CA | $129,049 | $62.04 |
Santa Clara, CA | $128,102 | $61.59 |
San Francisco, CA | $127,797 | $61.44 |
San Jose, CA | $127,127 | $61.12 |
Arlington, VA | $124,791 | $60.00 |
Oakland, CA | $124,576 | $59.89 |
Kent, WA | $124,139 | $59.68 |
Anacostia, DC | $123,966 | $59.60 |
San Mateo, CA | $123,548 | $59.40 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Games Developer Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Games Developer category.
For example Contract Game Designer jobs pay as much as $40,647 (37.5%) more than the average Games Developer salary of $108,471. If you're qualified, finding work as a Contract Game Designer may help you make more money than that of the average Games Developer position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Contract Game Designer | $149,118 | $71.69 |
Gameplay Engineer | $145,359 | $69.88 |
Work From Home Python Game Developer | $121,932 | $58.62 |
Gaming Managers | $76,756 | $36.90 |
Unreal Engine 5 | $45,925 | $22.08 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
