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=881 |
| 6–10 years | $43,836 | $54,795 | $68,494 | Industry report |
| 11–15 years | $55,516 | $78,512 | $110,335 | Community datan=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 coverage differs. US buying power converts that figure to what it buys locally (World Bank 2023 price levels, see methodology).
| Region | Median | Experience | Data source |
|---|---|---|---|
| North America | $78,000 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| Rest of World | $58,240 | 11–15 years | Community datan=4 |
| Asia Pacific | $57,330 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
| United Kingdom · Western Europe · Nordic Countries · Eastern Europe | $31,350 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
Open qa lead jobs
Recent listings from games-industry job boards:
Sources used on this page
- Community data — public community salary datasets, individual reports shared with us, and anonymous submissions on this site (2018–2026).
- 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.