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Role hub · Video Game Designers

Video Game Designer: what the job is, what it pays, and how to get hired.

The work, the skills that matter, the tools in demand and the pay range, from U.S. government data, plus every TryHired page for the role.

Maid DizdarevicCareer coach · 8x LinkedIn Top Voice
Updated Oct 24, 2026 · Data: BLS OEWS May 2025 · O*NET 31.0
Pay ladder · select a percentile
Median percentile pay

Half of video game designers earn more than this and half earn less.

Annual
$104,000
Hourly
$50.00
Source
BLS May 2025
Quick answer

Video Game Designers design core features of video games. The median pay is $104,000 a year ($50.00 an hour) (BLS, May 2025). The most commonly reported education requirement is a bachelor's degree (55% of workers surveyed by O*NET).

Median pay
$104,000
BLS May 2025
Employed in the U.S.
113,330
BLS May 2025
Preparation
Job Zone 4 of 5
considerable preparation
Most common education
Bachelor's Degree
55% of workers
Explore the role

Every page for Video Game Designers

SalaryWeb and Digital Interface Designers salary

BLS pay data for this occupation, by state and percentile.

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The work

What video game designers do day to day

Data Core tasks rated most important by workers in the role (O*NET).

  1. Balance and adjust gameplay experiences to ensure the critical and commercial success of the product.
  2. Devise missions, challenges, or puzzles to be encountered in game play.
  3. Create core game features, including storylines, role-play mechanics, and character biographies for a new video game or game franchise.
  4. Solicit, obtain, and integrate feedback from design and technical staff into original game design.
  5. Conduct regular design reviews throughout the game development process.
  6. Develop and maintain design level documentation, including mechanics, guidelines, and mission outlines.
  7. Document all aspects of formal game design, using mock-up screenshots, sample menu layouts, gameplay flowcharts, and other graphical devices.
  8. Provide feedback to designers and other colleagues regarding game design features.
Skills that matter

Ranked by importance to the job

Data O*NET importance ratings. The first three are core.

ProgrammingcoreActive ListeningcoreReading ComprehensioncoreCritical ThinkingComplex Problem SolvingJudgment and Decision MakingActive LearningSystems AnalysisTime Management

Knowledge areas: Design, Computers and Electronics, Communications and Media, Mathematics, Psychology, English Language.

Tools and technology

Software video game designers use

Data Examples reported for the role; employer demand flags from O*NET.

  • Adobe PhotoshopGraphics or photo imaging softwareIn demand
  • Autodesk MayaGraphics or photo imaging softwareIn demand
  • Adobe After EffectsVideo creation and editing softwareHot technology
  • Adobe Creative Cloud softwareGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Adobe IllustratorGraphics or photo imaging softwareHot technology
  • Extensible markup language XMLEnterprise application integration softwareHot technology
  • GitFile versioning softwareHot technology
  • Microsoft VisioProcess mapping and design softwareHot technology
  • MySQLData base management system softwareHot technology
  • 3D graphic design softwareGraphics or photo imaging software
  • Autodesk 3ds MaxVideo creation and editing software
  • Balsamiq Studios Balsamiq MockupsGraphics or photo imaging software

Also called: Design Director, Designer, Environmental Artist, Game Design Consultant, Game Designer, Gamemaster.

Method

How this page is built

Tasks, skills, tools, education and related roles come from O*NET 31.0. Pay and employment come from the BLS OEWS May 2025 national estimates. The skill-match score is our calculation: Skill match is the correlation between the two occupations' skill profiles: for each of 35 O*NET skills (10 essential, 25 transferable) we multiply importance by level, subtract the average across all occupations, and correlate the two profiles. 100 means identical shape; 0 or below means unrelated. Only occupations that O*NET itself lists as related are compared.

What this page can't tell you
  • How a specific employer defines the job.
  • Pay for self-employed workers (OEWS covers employees).
  • Your own chances: data describes the occupation, not you.
Sources
  1. O*NET 31.0 Database, U.S. Department of Labor, Employment and Training Administration (USDOL/ETA), used under the CC BY 4.0 license. TryHired selected, ranked and combined the data; O*NET is not responsible for these pages.
  2. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, Occupational Employment and Wage Statistics, May 2025 estimates (public domain).