US Games Industry Professionals Earned an Average of $142,000 in 2025, According to GDC Survey

A recent report from the GDC Festival of Gaming indicates that the average annual salary for US-based games industry professionals was $142,000 in 2025. The 2025 Game Industry Salary Report, which surveyed 562 US-based professionals in July 2025, found that 60% of respondents experienced a slight increase in their average salary compared to the previous year. The survey's findings show that 25% of respondents earned between $125,000 and $199,999, while 23% earned between $50,000 and $99,999, and 5% earned less than $15,000. Notably, professionals working in AAA studios, large companies, and those who were recruited or referred for their job tended to earn higher salaries. For instance, 85% of AAA studio professionals earned over $100,000, compared to 75% in AA studios and 50% in indie studios. The report also highlights that seniority and years of experience had a significant impact on pay, although educational background did not appear to have a substantial impact on average salaries, except for those with a master's degree or PhD. In terms of average salary by role, management and operations professionals earned the highest average salary at $160,000, followed by visual artists at $124,000. A breakdown of average salaries by role is as follows: visual arts ($124,000), audio ($132,000), game design ($133,000), business and marketing ($134,000), game programming ($150,000), and management and operations ($160,000). The survey found that 80% of US games industry professionals believed their current salary met or exceeded their basic needs, yet over half felt they were undercompensated for their work. This sentiment was more pronounced among contractors, consultants, and part-time workers (69%), as well as women and non-binary individuals (60%), and people of color (62%). In contrast, 50% of men and workers who identified as solely white reported feeling undercompensated. While 33% of respondents believed their employers were working to address existing pay gaps for underrepresented groups, 10% reported no such efforts were being made. The survey also revealed that people of color earned 27% less than their white peers, and women earned 24% less than men. Additionally, the survey found that one-fourth of respondents had been affected by layoffs in the past two years, with nearly half still searching for a job. When asked about the stability of game development compared to other industries, 80% of respondents described it as less secure.