Concept Artist Salary (2026)
The median concept artist in the games industry earns $122,657 per year with 6–10 years of experience (global, base salary in USD), with most offers falling between $98k and $153k.
Figures are based on 16+ anonymous community salary reports and public industry surveys, resolved per experience band. Rows marked model estimate have no direct survey data yet — submit your salary to improve them. See the methodology for how numbers are computed.
Salary by experience (global)
| Experience | Low | Median | High | Data source |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 0–2 years | $23,132 | $28,915 | $36,144 | Industry report8Bit Gamedev Salary Pulse 2026 |
| 3–5 years | $41,071 | $54,329 | $67,588 | Community surveyn=16 |
| 6–10 years | $98,126 | $122,657 | $153,321 | Industry reportn=54GDC 2025 Salary Report |
| 11–15 years | $90,077 | $128,177 | $140,745 | Industry report8Bit Gamedev Salary Pulse 2026 |
| 16+ years | $82,133 | $133,945 | $163,413 | Industry report8Bit Gamedev Salary Pulse 2026 |
Salary by region
Median base salary (USD) for the best-covered experience band per region — bands differ where survey coverage differs, so compare with the experience column in mind. The US buying power column shows what the salary is worth locally: the same nominal pay stretches much further in cheaper regions (World Bank 2023 price levels, see methodology).
| Region | Median | ≈ US buying power | Data source |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | $124,000 | $124k | Industry reportn=54 |
| Asia Pacific | $76,265 | $110k | Industry report |
| Rest of World | $54,907 | — | Industry report |
| United Kingdom · Western Europe · Nordic Countries · Eastern Europeshared data bucket | $50,142 | $61kUnited $70kWestern $60kNordic $106kEastern | Industry report |
Open concept artist jobs
Know what you're worth — then go get it. Live listings on games-industry job boards:
- Concept Character Artist - (Apex Legends) at Electronic Artsvia GameJobs.co →
- 2D Concept Artist at Gameloftvia GameJobs.co →
- Concept Artist at FromSoftwarevia GameJobs.co →
- Environment Concept Artist at FromSoftwarevia GameJobs.co →
External job boards — listings open in a new tab. Some links may become partner links that help fund the site.
How this compares outside games
Official government wage statistics for the closest matching occupation across all industries — useful as a negotiation reference point. These figures are not games-specific and are never mixed into the salary data above.
| Occupation (official) | Coverage | Low | Median | High | Source |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Graphic and multimedia designers | United Kingdom (full-time employees, all industries) | $30,928 | $41,152 | — | UK ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional) |
Compare concept artist pay against every other role, year by year, in the 3D explorer.
Sources used on this page
- GamedevSalary.com community survey (2024) — anonymous salary reports submitted by game developers.
- 8Bit Gamedev Salary Pulse 2026 — Games-industry recruitment agency salary report. Cited with permission.
- GDC State of the Game Industry 2025 — Annual survey by Game Developers Conference / Informa.
- Skillsearch Games & Immersive Salary and Satisfaction Report 2026 — Annual survey by games recruitment agency Skillsearch. Cited with permission.