QA Lead Salary (2026)
The median qa lead in the games industry earns $54,795 per year with 6–10 years of experience (global, base salary in USD), with most offers falling between $44k and $68k.
Figures are based on 22+ 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 | $47,000 | $56,000 | $65,000 | Model estimate |
| 3–5 years | $24,000 | $30,000 | $37,500 | Industry reportn=881Polish Gamedev Report 2025 |
| 6–10 years | $43,836 | $54,795 | $68,494 | Industry reportSkillsearch Games & Immersive Survey 2026 |
| 11–15 years | $55,516 | $78,512 | $110,335 | Community surveyn=22 |
| 16+ years | $144,000 | $180,000 | $216,000 | Model estimate |
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 | $78,000 | $78k | Industry report |
| Rest of World | $58,240 | — | Community surveyn=4 |
| Asia Pacific | $57,330 | $83k | Industry report |
| United Kingdom · Western Europe · Nordic Countries · Eastern Europeshared data bucket | $31,350 | $38kUnited $43kWestern $37kNordic $66kEastern | Industry report |
Open qa lead jobs
Know what you're worth — then go get it. Live listings on games-industry job boards:
- Quality Assurance Lead Tester - NHL (12 Month TFT) at Electronic Artsvia GameJobs.co →
- Chef d'équipe Développement AQ / Development QA Test Lead at Keywords Studiosvia GameJobs.co →
- Senior QA Tester at Electronic Artsvia GameJobs.co →
- Contractor - Game Quality Assurance Specialist 1 at Aspyr Mediavia GameJobs.co →
External job boards — listings open in a new tab. Some links may become partner links that help fund the site.
Compare qa lead 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.
- Polish Gamedev Report 2025 — Polish games-industry study.
- Skillsearch Games & Immersive Salary and Satisfaction Report 2026 — Annual survey by games recruitment agency Skillsearch. Cited with permission.
- Glassdoor — Crowdsourced salary estimates.
- MCV/Develop UK Salary Survey 2024 — UK games trade publication salary survey.