Entry Level Game Developer Salary in the United States

How much does an Entry Level Game Developer make in the United States?

As of May 18, 2021, the average salary for an Entry Level Game Developer in the United States is $62,458 per year, which breaks down to an hourly rate of $30.

However, an Entry Level Game Developer's salary can vary significantly. Here’s a look at the typical salary range:

  • Top Earners (90th percentile): $79,806
  • Majority Range (25th-75th percentile): $55,569 to $71,539
  • Entry-Level (10th percentile): $49,297
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View as table View as graph 25% $55,569 10% $49,297 90% $79,806 75% $71,539 $62,458 50%(Median) Didn’t find job title? Click

Entry Level Game Developer Salaries by Percentile

Annual
Salary
Monthly
Pay
Weekly
Pay
Hourly
Wage
75th Percentile $71,539 $5,962 $1,376 $34
Average $62,458 $5,205 $1,201 $30
25th Percentile $55,569 $4,631 $1,069 $27
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Key Factors That Influence Entry Level Game Developer Salaries

An Entry Level Game Developer's salary isn't a fixed number. It's shaped by several important factors. Below, we'll explore how your years of experience, geographic location, education and company size can directly affect your earning potential.

How Experience Level Affects Entry Level Game Developer Salaries?

Experience is a primary driver of an Entry Level Game Developer's salary. As you build your skills and take on more complex tasks, your compensation generally increases. Here's how the average salary grows at different career stages:

  • Entry-Level (less than 1 year): $61,390
  • Early Career (1-2 years): $61,676
  • Mid-Level (2-4 years): $62,966
  • Senior-Level (5-8 years): $64,841
  • Expert (over 8 years): $65,091
Levels Salary
Entry Level Entry Level Game Developer$61,390
Intermediate Level Entry Level Game Developer$61,676
Senior Level Entry Level Game Developer$62,966
Specialist Level Entry Level Game Developer$64,841
Expert Level Entry Level Game Developer$65,091
$61,390 0 yr
$61,676 < 2 yrs
$62,966 2-4 yrs
$64,841 5-8 yrs
$65,091 > 8 yrs
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What Am I Worth?

Top Paying Cities for Entry Level Game Developers

Salaries can also vary between different cities. Major metropolitan areas or cities with a high demand for technicians often offer more competitive pay. Here are a few examples of average annual salaries in different U.S. cities:

  • San Jose: $78,778
  • San Francisco: $78,004
  • Oakland: $76,274

What Skills Can Increase an Entry Level Game Developer's Salary?

Demanded Skills for the Role:

  • Analysis (Mentioned in 4.98% Job Postings): Analysis is the process of considering something carefully or using statistical methods in order to understand it or explain it.
  • Data Analysis (Mentioned in 2.65% Job Postings): Data analysis is a process of inspecting, cleansing, transforming, and modeling data with the goal of discovering useful information, informing conclusions, and supporting decision-making. Data analysis has multiple facets and approaches, encompassing diverse techniques under a variety of names, and is used in different business, science, and social science domains. In today's business world, data analysis plays a role in making decisions more scientific and helping businesses operate more effectively. Data mining is a particular data analysis technique that focuses on modeling and knowledge discovery for predictive rather than purely descriptive purposes, while business intelligence covers data analysis that relies heavily on aggregation, focusing mainly on business information. In statistical applications, data analysis can be divided into descriptive statistics, exploratory data analysis (EDA), and confirmatory data analysis (CDA). EDA focuses on discovering new features in the data while CDA focuses on confirming or falsifying existing hypotheses. Predictive analytics focuses on application of statistical models for predictive forecasting or classification, while text analytics applies statistical, linguistic, and structural techniques to extract and classify information from textual sources, a species of unstructured data. All of the above are varieties of data analysis.
  • CFA (Mentioned in 1.8% Job Postings): The Chartered Financial Analyst program is a postgraduate professional certification offered internationally by the American-based CFA Institute to investment and financial professional
See More Skills
Skills Demand Percentage
Analysis 4.98%
Data Analysis 2.65%
CFA 1.8%
What skills can make your compensation higher?
Mastering certain specialized skills can lead to a significant increase in pay. Here are examples of skills and the potential impact they can have on an Entry Level Game Developer's salary.
  • Initiative: Can increase your salary by up to 5%.
  • Planning: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.
  • Microsoft Office: Can increase your salary by up to 2%.
Skill Salary Salary % Increase
Initiative
$65,581
5%
Planning
$63,707
2%
Microsoft Office
$63,707
2%
Organizational Skills
$63,083
1%
Problem Solving
$63,083
1%
Attention to Detail
$63,083
1%
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How Education impacts an Entry Level Game Developer's Salary?

Your level of education can impact your salary potential. While many Entry Level Game Developers enter the field with a Bachelor's Degree degree, higher education can lead to more specialized and higher-paying roles.

According to our 100% employer-reported salary data, the median salary for an Entry Level Game Developer with a Bachelor's Degree is between $60,781 and $65,758).

Entry Level Game Developer Salaries by Degree Level

Typical Education for Entry Level Game Developer
Degree Level % of user with this level of education
No Diploma 20.0%
High School 20.0%
Associates 8.0%
Bachelors 56.0%
Masters 16.0%
Doctorate 0.0%
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Entry Level Game Developer Salary: Hourly Rate, Weekly Pay, and Monthly Pay

Understanding how an Entry Level Game Developer's annual salary breaks down can help with budgeting. Below, you can see the average hourly rate, weekly pay, and monthly pay for this role. Use the buttons to switch between different pay periods.

Last Updated on May 18, 2021

Salary Trends for Entry Level Game Developer

Salaries for an Entry Level Game Developer can change over time, reflecting shifts in market demand and the overall economy. The median salary decreased from $57,373 in 2023 to around $56,131 in 2025, reflecting changes in demand, location, experience, and the wider economy. For a detailed analysis of Entry Level Game Developer salary trends, .

Average Annual Salary of Entry Level Game Developer Over Time

2022
$???
2023
$57,373
2024
$56,462
2025
$56,131
2026
$???
2027
$???
Year Average Annual Salary
2022
View More
2023 $57,373
2024 $56,462
2025 $56,131
2026
View More
2027
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Most common benefits for Entry Level Game Developer

Social Security
401(k)
Disability
Healthcare
Pension
Time Off (days)
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Common company salaries for Entry Level Game Developer

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Where Does Our Salary Data Come From?

Salary.com provides salary estimates, histograms, trends, and comparisons using data from employer job postings and third-party sources.

We offer detailed salary information across multiple percentiles for your reference. (Click here to learn Why the Salary Midpoint Formula Is Crucial for Achieving Pay Equity.)

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