Game Developer Salaries in Western Europe (2026)
Median base salaries for 34 game development roles in Western Europe, shown in USD for comparability (local salaries are typically paid in EUR). 34 of 34 roles are backed by real survey or report data.
| Role | Median | Experience | Data source |
|---|---|---|---|
| Game Director | $141,365 | 11–15 years | Industry reportn=430 |
| Studio Head | $86,400 | 11–15 years | Community datan=5 |
| Data Scientist | $83,369 | 6–10 years | Community datan=2 |
| Business Development Manager | $77,423 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Engine Engineer | $76,694 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Network Engineer | $74,563 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Graphics Engineer | $67,310 | 6–10 years | Community datan=2 |
| Game Programmer / Engineer | $65,879 | 6–10 years | Community datan=37 |
| Associate Producer | $64,636 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Game Designer | $63,294 | 6–10 years | Community datan=16 |
| Character Artist | $62,641 | 6–10 years | Community datan=4 |
| Narrative Designer | $61,892 | 6–10 years | Community datan=4 |
| Systems Designer | $60,668 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| UI/UX Designer | $60,668 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Technical Artist | $58,600 | 6–10 years | Community datan=10 |
| Producer | $58,207 | 6–10 years | Community datan=11 |
| Art Director | $57,661 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Lighting Artist | $57,661 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Data Analyst | $57,000 | 6–10 years | Community datan=3 |
| 3D Modeler | $54,821 | 6–10 years | Community datan=9 |
| Sound Designer | $54,348 | 6–10 years | Community datan=6 |
| Technical Designer | $54,000 | 6–10 years | Community datan=5 |
| VFX Artist | $53,398 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Environment Artist | $51,200 | 6–10 years | Community datan=13 |
| Level Designer | $50,303 | 6–10 years | Community datan=4 |
| Concept Artist | $50,142 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Project Manager | $49,340 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Composer | $48,913 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Audio Programmer | $47,865 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Animator | $47,126 | 3–5 years | Community datan=15 |
| Community Manager | $43,867 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Marketing Manager | $43,867 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| QA Tester | $38,044 | 6–10 years | Community datan=3 |
| QA Lead | $31,350 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
Work in Western Europe?
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Sources used on this page
- Community data — public community salary datasets, individual reports shared with us, and anonymous submissions on this site (2018–2026).
- Skillsearch Games & Interactive Salary Survey 2024/25 — Annual survey by games recruitment agency Skillsearch. Cited with permission.
- 8Bit Gamedev Salary Pulse 2026 — Games-industry recruitment agency salary report. Cited with permission.
- MCV/Develop UK Salary Survey 2024 — UK games trade publication salary survey.