The Game Developers Conference just dropped their 2025 salary report, and at first glance the numbers look pretty good. Sixty percent of US game developers reported salary increases compared to 2024, with the average annual compensation hitting $142,000. That’s solid money, especially compared to many other creative industries.
But dig even slightly deeper into the data and you’ll find an industry that’s still fundamentally broken in ways that no amount of salary bumps can fix.
The Top Line Numbers
The GDC Festival of Gaming surveyed 562 American game industry professionals in July 2025, gathering detailed compensation data across different roles, studio sizes, and experience levels. The methodology is solid with a 3 percent margin of error at a 95 percent confidence level, making this one of the most reliable snapshots of how developers are actually being compensated.
Beyond the $142,000 average salary, the median sits at $129,000, which tells you there are some very high earners pulling that average upward. Managers lead the pack with $160,000 average annual salaries, while programmers aren’t far behind at $150,000. Artists come in at the lower end among technical roles with $124,000 on average.
At AAA studios, only 15 percent of employees reported earning less than $100,000 annually. That jumps to 25 percent at AA studios, and at indie studios it’s a full 50 percent making less than six figures. Studio size clearly matters when it comes to compensation.
On the positive side, 80 percent of employed developers said their current salary meets or exceeds their basic living needs. That’s genuinely good news in an era when cost of living has skyrocketed across most major cities where game studios operate.
The Pay Gap Nobody Wants to Talk About
Here’s where things get ugly. Women in game development earn 24 percent less than men doing comparable work. Twenty-four percent. That’s not a small gap that can be explained away by experience differences or role distribution. That’s a systematic undervaluation of half the potential workforce.
People of color fare even worse, earning 27 percent less than their white peers. These aren’t subtle differences at the margins. These are massive structural inequalities that persist despite years of diversity and inclusion initiatives that companies love to tout in their marketing materials.
Non-binary professionals and people of color also reported significantly higher levels of dissatisfaction with their compensation. When you combine lower pay with higher dissatisfaction, you create an environment where talented developers from underrepresented groups have every incentive to leave the industry for better opportunities elsewhere.
For context, the overall US gender pay gap sits at around 15 percent as of 2025. The game industry is doing worse than the national average, which is embarrassing for an industry that positions itself as progressive and forward-thinking.
Why This Matters Beyond Just Fairness
Setting aside the obvious ethical problems with paying people less based on gender or race, these gaps create practical problems for studios. Talented women and developers of color who realize they’re being underpaid will leave for companies that value them appropriately. That means constant turnover, lost institutional knowledge, and the expense of training replacements.
It also limits the creative perspectives that go into making games. When your development teams are overwhelmingly white and male because systemic pay discrimination drives everyone else away, you end up making games that appeal to an increasingly narrow audience.
The Layoff Crisis Continues
Despite those salary increases for people who kept their jobs, 24 percent of developers surveyed said they’d been affected by layoffs in the past two years. That’s nearly one in four people losing their jobs in an industry that’s supposedly thriving based on revenue numbers.
Even more concerning is what happened after those layoffs. Half of the people who lost their jobs in the past two years are still unemployed. Not working part-time or freelancing while they look for something better. Just straight up unemployed despite having valuable skills and experience.
The causes varied but paint a picture of an industry making reactive decisions rather than strategic ones. Company restructuring accounted for 22 percent of layoffs, declining revenue for 18 percent, and market shifts for 15 percent. But here’s the kicker – 19 percent of developers reported receiving no explanation whatsoever for why their company was laying people off.
Imagine losing your job and your employer can’t even be bothered to tell you why. That’s the reality for almost one in five people affected by these layoffs.
Looking forward, 58 percent of current developers expressed concern about future layoffs. More than half the industry is worried they might lose their jobs despite working for companies that are often profitable and releasing successful games. That’s not a healthy working environment.
The Security Problem
When asked to compare game development to other industries, 80 percent of respondents described it as less secure. Four out of five developers believe their jobs are more vulnerable than if they worked in other sectors requiring similar skills.
This perception isn’t wrong. The game industry has a long history of boom and bust cycles tied to project schedules. Studios hire aggressively during development, then lay off huge portions of their workforce immediately after launch regardless of whether the game was successful. It’s treated as normal business practice rather than the dysfunctional system it actually is.
Other tech sectors figured out decades ago that constantly firing and rehiring people is expensive and damages product quality. But game studios keep operating like it’s still 1998 when the industry was smaller and people had fewer options.
Despite all this insecurity, 82 percent of developers said they don’t plan to leave the industry for at least the next five years. That speaks to how much people genuinely love making games. They’re willing to tolerate conditions that would send them running in any other field, simply because the work itself is meaningful to them.
The Satisfaction Disconnect
Even with 60 percent getting raises and 80 percent having their basic needs met, 53 percent of developers reported feeling undercompensated when considering their role, experience, and market conditions. More than half the industry thinks they should be earning more than they currently are.
That dissatisfaction was even more pronounced among contractors, consultants, and part-time workers, with 69 percent expressing unhappiness with their compensation. The non-full-time workforce is getting squeezed even harder, which makes sense given they often lack benefits and job security on top of lower pay.
Eleven percent of developers said they barely make enough for everyday needs, while 6 percent admitted their salary doesn’t even cover basic necessities. So while the overall numbers look healthy, there are still people working full-time in game development who are struggling to survive financially.
The Side Hustle Reality
Eleven percent of developers reported taking on side jobs beyond their primary employment. The most common reason cited was additional income at 57 percent, which shouldn’t be surprising given the cost of living issues and pay dissatisfaction discussed earlier.
But other motivations were also significant. Creative fulfillment accounted for 52 percent, career development for 31 percent, and the desire to work on diverse projects for 30 percent. These numbers suggest that even when financial necessity isn’t the primary driver, developers feel they need to work beyond their day jobs to get the creative satisfaction or career growth opportunities they’re not finding at their main employer.
That’s a problem for studios. If your employees are burning their evenings and weekends on other projects because their day job isn’t providing creative fulfillment or advancement opportunities, you’re going to see burnout, reduced productivity, and eventual turnover.
The Union Question
Support for unionization exists among 64 percent of developers according to the survey. Nearly two-thirds of the industry workforce believes collective bargaining would improve their working conditions. Yet only 9 percent are actually members of a union.
That massive gap between support and actual membership reflects how difficult unionization remains in the American game industry. Studios actively discourage it, moving offices to right-to-work states, firing organizers, and closing studios that successfully vote to unionize. The legal protections that theoretically exist haven’t prevented companies from crushing union efforts through various means.
The demographics of union support are particularly telling. Narrative designers showed 89 percent support, while QA testers hit 77 percent. These are roles that typically have lower pay, less job security, and more volatile working conditions than programmers or managers. They have the most to gain from collective bargaining and they know it.
What This All Means
The game industry in 2025 is paying many of its workers reasonably well on paper, which is progress compared to the notorious exploitation that defined the sector for decades. Studios have figured out that if you want experienced programmers and managers, you need to pay competitive salaries or they’ll go work for Google or Amazon.
But the core structural problems remain unaddressed. Massive pay gaps based on gender and race. Constant layoffs that leave people unemployed for extended periods. An environment so insecure that 80 percent of workers consider it riskier than other industries. More than half feeling undercompensated despite salary increases.
These aren’t problems you fix with slightly higher wages for the people lucky enough to keep their jobs. They require fundamental changes to how studios operate, how they value different types of work, and how they treat employees as human beings rather than disposable resources to be hired and fired based on project schedules.
FAQs
What is the average salary for game developers in the US?
According to the GDC 2025 salary report, the average annual salary for US game developers is approximately $142,000, while the median salary is $129,000. This represents an increase for 60 percent of developers compared to 2024.
How much do women earn compared to men in game development?
Women in game development earn 24 percent less than men in comparable roles, according to the GDC report. This is significantly worse than the overall US gender pay gap of approximately 15 percent.
What percentage of game developers have been laid off recently?
Twenty-four percent of surveyed developers reported being affected by layoffs in the past two years. Of those who lost their jobs, approximately half remain unemployed despite their skills and experience.
Do game developers feel secure in their jobs?
No. Eighty percent of developers surveyed described the game industry as less secure compared to other fields. Additionally, 58 percent expressed concern about potential future layoffs at their current companies.
What do managers and programmers earn in game development?
Managers have the highest average annual salaries at $160,000, followed closely by programmers at $150,000. Artists report lower average salaries at $124,000 per year.
How many game developers support unionization?
Sixty-four percent of developers support the creation of unions in the game industry. However, only 9 percent are actually members of a union, showing a significant gap between support and membership.
Do most game developers earn enough to cover basic living expenses?
Eighty percent of employed developers report that their salary meets or exceeds basic living needs. However, 11 percent say they barely make enough for everyday needs, and 6 percent report their salary doesn’t cover basic necessities.
Are game developers satisfied with their compensation?
Despite salary increases, 53 percent of developers feel undercompensated when considering their role, experience, and market conditions. This dissatisfaction is even higher among contractors and part-time workers at 69 percent.
Conclusion
The GDC salary report offers a mixed picture of an industry that’s simultaneously thriving and failing its workforce. Revenue continues growing, top talent commands impressive salaries, and many developers are making comfortable livings doing work they love.
But beneath those headline numbers are persistent inequalities, precarious employment conditions, and systemic problems that salary increases alone won’t solve. When women earn 24 percent less than men, when people of color earn 27 percent less than white developers, when half of laid-off workers remain unemployed, and when 80 percent of the workforce considers their jobs less secure than other industries – those are not the signs of a healthy sector.
Game development remains a field where passion keeps people working despite conditions they wouldn’t tolerate anywhere else. Studios know this and many exploit it ruthlessly. Until developers collectively demand better through unionization, regulation, or simply refusing to accept these conditions, the fundamental dynamics won’t change no matter how many modest pay raises get handed out.
The talent exists. The revenue exists. The only thing missing is the will to build an industry that treats its workforce with the respect and security they deserve. That’s not a technical problem or a budget problem. It’s a choice that studios make every single day.