Sound Designer Salary (2026)
The median sound designer in the games industry earns $129,295 per year with 6–10 years of experience (global, base salary in USD), with most offers falling between $103k and $162k.
Figures are based on 9+ 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 | $29,419 | $34,560 | $39,701 | Community surveyn=3 |
| 3–5 years | $74,830 | $87,500 | $100,170 | Community surveyn=6 |
| 6–10 years | $103,436 | $129,295 | $161,619 | Industry reportn=32GDC 2025 Salary Report |
| 11–15 years | $60,826 | $135,113 | $164,838 | Industry report8Bit Gamedev Salary Pulse 2026 |
| 16+ years | $120,000 | $150,000 | $180,000 | 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 | $98,550 | $99k | Community surveyn=5 |
| Rest of World | $86,296 | — | Industry report |
| United Kingdom · Western Europe · Nordic Countries · Eastern Europeshared data bucket | $54,348 | $66kUnited $75kWestern $65kNordic $115kEastern | Community surveyn=6 |
| Asia Pacific | $44,728 | $64k | Industry report |
Open sound designer jobs
Know what you're worth — then go get it. Live listings on games-industry job boards:
- Concepteur Sonore / Sound Designer at 2Kvia GameJobs.co →
- Senior Technical Sound Designer at Absurd Venturesvia GameJobs.co →
- Senior Sound Designer - Dead by Daylight | Concepteur·trice de son sénior·e - Dead by Daylight at Behaviour Interactivevia GameJobs.co →
- Sound Designer - Internship Fall 2026 | Concepteur·rice de son Automne 2026 at Behaviour Interactivevia 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sound Engineering Technicians | United States (national, all industries) | $37,570 | $73,130 | $137,370 | US Bureau of Labor Statistics |
| Audio and video recording technicians | Canada (national, all industries) | $32,118 | $50,256 | $69,527 | Government of Canada Job Bank Wages 2025 |
Compare sound designer 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.
- GDC State of the Game Industry 2025 — Annual survey by Game Developers Conference / Informa.
- 8Bit Gamedev Salary Pulse 2026 — Games-industry recruitment agency salary report. Cited with permission.
- Skillsearch Games & Immersive Salary and Satisfaction Report 2026 — Annual survey by games recruitment agency Skillsearch. Cited with permission.