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=881 |
| 6–10 years | $127,880 | $159,849 | $199,812 | Industry reportn=505 |
| 11–15 years | $79,904 | $167,042 | $203,791 | Industry reportn=709 |
| 16+ years | $126,960 | $174,559 | $198,376 | Industry reportn=1139 |
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 | $160,000 | 6–10 years | Industry reportn=505 |
| Rest of World | $102,020 | 11–15 years | Industry report |
| United Kingdom · Western Europe · Nordic Countries · Eastern Europe | $86,400 | 11–15 years | Community datan=5 |
| Asia Pacific | $83,790 | 6–10 years | Industry report |
Open studio head 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.
- 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.