Studio Head Salary (2026)
The median studio head in the games industry earns $159,849 per year with 6–10 years of experience (global, base salary in USD), with most offers falling between $128k and $200k.
Figures are based on 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 | $38,400 | $48,000 | $60,000 | Industry reportn=881Polish Gamedev Report 2025 |
| 6–10 years | $127,880 | $159,849 | $199,812 | Industry reportn=505GDC 2025 Salary Report |
| 11–15 years | $79,904 | $167,042 | $203,791 | Industry reportn=709Skillsearch Games & Immersive Survey 2026 |
| 16+ years | $126,960 | $174,559 | $198,376 | Industry reportn=1139Skillsearch Games & Immersive Survey 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 | $160,000 | $160k | Industry reportn=505 |
| Rest of World | $102,020 | — | Industry report |
| United Kingdom · Western Europe · Nordic Countries · Eastern Europeshared data bucket | $86,400 | $105kUnited $120kWestern $103kNordic $182kEastern | Community surveyn=5 |
| Asia Pacific | $83,790 | $121k | Industry report |
Open studio head jobs
Know what you're worth — then go get it. Live listings on games-industry job boards:
- GM/Head of Studio at Devoted Studiosvia GameJobs.co →
- Finance Manager at Sidevia GameJobs.co →
- Operations Director at teamLFGvia GameJobs.co →
- Production Director at Virtuosvia GameJobs.co →
External job boards — listings open in a new tab. Some links may become partner links that help fund the site.
Compare studio head 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.
- 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.