salary expectations
The job forecast is bright for the position of game designer, as it is projected to grow between 2-7% by 2029 [3] The jobs listed lean more towards the design and website development of games.
”Predicted for 2026-2027 is an influx of new workers being available to apply, as the market is said to grow. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics projects that jobs for web developers and digital designers will grow by 7 percent from 2024 to 2034 and add 15,500 jobs to the field” [4,2]
Salary Base expectations
Note- all information below is referenced in source [1]
- Entry/lowest level ~ $47,840
- Median ~ $95,380 per year, $45.85 per hour
- Top 10 percent~ $162,870.
Hiring practices also vary per company with different companies offering separate wages some more beneficial than others. The following refers to [4]
- Microsoft: $136,000–$236,000
- PlayStation: $119,000–$195,000
- Pocket Gems: $113,000–$204,000
- Playstudios: $104,000–$186,000
- Electronic Arts: $121,000–$219,000
references
- [1] “Web Developers : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,” (accessed Mar. 23, 2026).
- [2] U.S. BUREAU OF LABOR STATISTICS, “Web Developers : Occupational Outlook Handbook: : U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics,” Bls.gov, Apr. 13, 2018. (accessed Mar. 23, 2026).
- [3] www.recruiter.com and www.recruiter.com, “Career Outlook and Job Vacancies for Video Game Designers,” Recruiter, 2009. (accessed Mar. 23, 2026).
- [4] C. Editorial team, “How to Become a Video Game Designer,” Coursera, Oct. 2025. https://www.coursera.org/articles/video-game-designer (accessed Mar. 23, 2026).
- [5] J. M. Tobin, “Video Game Design,” ComputerScience.org, Sep. 11, 2019.