Video Game Design Salary
$26K - $28K
3% of jobs
$28K - $30K
4% of jobs
$30K - $32K
7% of jobs
$32K - $34K
8% of jobs
$34.9K is the 25th percentile. Wages below this are outliers.
$34K - $36K
8% of jobs
$36K - $38K
12% of jobs
The median wage is $39K / yr.
$38K - $40K
19% of jobs
$41.6K is the 75th percentile. Wages above this are outliers.
$40K - $42K
20% of jobs
$42K - $44K
9% of jobs
$44K - $46K
7% of jobs
$46K - $48K
5% of jobs
$26K
$40K
$48K
$38,600
/year
$18.56
/hour
Video Game Design Salary Comparison by Location
Nationwide
United States
$38,600
Columbus
Ohio
$37,283
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How much does a Video Game Design make?
As of Jul 20, 2026, the average annual pay for a Video Game Design in the United States is $38,600 a year.
Just in case you need a simple salary calculator, that works out to be approximately $18.56 an hour. This is the equivalent of $742/week or $3,216/month.
While ZipRecruiter is seeing annual salaries as high as $48,000 and as low as $26,000, the majority of Video Game Design salaries currently range between $35,000 (25th percentile) to $42,000 (75th percentile) with top earners (90th percentile) making $46,000 annually across the United States. The average pay range for a Video Game Design varies little (about 7000), which suggests that regardless of location, there are not many opportunities for increased pay or advancement, even with several years of experience.
A Video Game Design in your area makes on average $37,283 per year, or $1,317 (3.412%) less than the national average annual salary of $38,600. Ohio ranks number 40 out of 50 states nationwide for Video Game Design salaries.
To estimate the most accurate annual salary range for Video Game Design jobs, ZipRecruiter continuously scans its database of millions of active jobs published locally throughout America.
Find your next high paying job as a Video Game Design on ZipRecruiter today.
What are Top 10 Highest Paying Cities for Video Game Design Jobs
We've identified 10 cities where the typical salary for a Video Game Design job is above the national average. Topping the list is Deer Park, CA, , with Inverness, CA, and Santa Monica, CA, close behind in the second and third positions. Santa Monica, CA, beats the national average by $40,098 (103.9%), and Deer Park, CA, furthers that trend with another $41,386 (107.2%) above the $38,600 average.
With these 10 cities having average salaries higher than the national average, the opportunities for economic advancement by changing locations as a Video Game Design 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 Deer Park, CA, and Duncan, BC, , 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 Video Game Design role.
City | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Deer Park, CA | $79,986 | $38.45 |
Inverness, CA | $79,584 | $38.26 |
Santa Monica, CA | $78,698 | $37.84 |
Culver City, CA | $77,261 | $37.14 |
Kentville, NS | $76,861 | $36.95 |
Whitehorse, YT | $76,372 | $36.72 |
Carcross, YT | $76,327 | $36.70 |
Haines Junction, YT | $76,067 | $36.57 |
North Cowichan, BC | $75,843 | $36.46 |
Duncan, BC | $75,551 | $36.32 |
What are Top 5 Best Paying Related Video Game Design Jobs in the U.S.
We found a few related jobs that pay more than jobs in the Video Game Design category.
For example Game Narrative Designer jobs pay as much as $110,518 (286.3%) more than the average Video Game Design salary of $38,600. If you're qualified, finding work as a Game Narrative Designer may help you make more money than that of the average Video Game Design position.
Job Title | Annual Salary | Hourly Wage |
|---|---|---|
Game Narrative Designer | $149,118 | $71.69 |
Vfx | $105,989 | $50.96 |
Junior Unreal Engine Developer | $88,976 | $42.78 |
Game Technology | $41,264 | $19.84 |
Video Game Art Design | $31,769 | $15.27 |
About Our Data
ZipRecruiter salary estimates, histograms, trends and comparisons are derived from both employer job postings and third party data sources.
