Game Programmer salary: $216K median
The median advertised Game Programmer salary is $216K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $216K to $226K: counted from 27 open roles that publish a yearly US-dollar range: about $104 an hour or $18,000 a month. A tenth of the postings offer $269K or more. Advertised ranges, not verified pay.
Check an offer against these figuresAll game programmer jobs
$216Kmedian advertised salary
$216K – $226Kmiddle half of roles
$212Kaverage advertised salary
27roles counted
Skills that pay more for Game Programmer roles
| Skill | Median with it | Above the median | Postings |
|---|---|---|---|
| C++ | $226K | +$10K | 9 |
Top-paying companies
| Name | Median salary | Roles counted |
|---|---|---|
| Roblox | $269K | 3 |
| Databricks | $216K | 15 |
Highest-paying open Game Programmer roles
All game programmer jobs- Principal Software Engineer, Creator Game OperationsRoblox · 🇺🇸San Mateo, CA, United States$295K - $345KLead and aboveGoJavaC#
- Sr. Staff Software Engineer - Unity Catalog Data GovernanceDatabricks · 🇺🇸Bellevue, Washington$217K - $312KLead and aboveData governance
- Senior Software Engineer, Game EngineRoblox · 🇺🇸San Mateo, CA, United States$243K - $295KSeniorC++
- Principal Physics Engine Programmer, C++ (Modeling & Simulation)Code Metal · Remote$250K - $290KRemoteLead and aboveC++SAP
- Lead Gameplay ProgrammerEpic Games · BLANK,BLANK,Multiple Locations$173K - $279KLead and aboveC++Unreal Engine
- Senior Tools Programmer, UI & AI WorkflowsEpic Games · BLANK,BLANK,Multiple Locations$173K - $279KSeniorC++AIUnreal Engine
- Sr. Forward Deployed Engineer (FDE) - Communications, Media, Entertainment & GamesDatabricks · 🇺🇸Washington, D.C.$182K - $250KSeniorPythonTypeScriptJavaScript
- Staff Physics Engine Programmer, C++ (Modeling & Simulation)Code Metal · Remote$200K - $250KRemoteLead and aboveC++SAP
- Gameplay EngineerGardens · 🇺🇸United States - Remote (EST - PST)$155K - $171KRemoteC++Unreal Engine
- Unity Developer - Internal ToolsAxon · 🇺🇸Seattle, Washington, United States$106K - $170KC#CI/CDUnity
- Analytics Engineer, UnityRightway · Remote$120K - $150KRemotePythonSQLAirflow
- Gameplay Engineer2K · 🇺🇸Novato, California, United States$86K - $127KC++Unreal Engine
- Junior Generalist Engineer (Video Games)Atari · 🇺🇸Atari - US (Remote); Implicit Conversions$65K - $85KRemoteJuniorPythonC++CI/CD
Questions about Game Programmer pay
- What is the average Game Programmer salary?
- $212K a year on average and $216K at the median, across 27 open Game Programmer postings at companies that state pay (November 2026). The median is the better guide: a few very high offers pull the average up.
- What is the typical range?
- The middle half of the postings offer $216K to $226K a year. A quarter offer less and a quarter offer more.
- Which companies advertise the highest Game Programmer pay?
- Roblox ($269K), Databricks ($216K), by the median of their open postings that state pay (three postings or more).
- Is a game programmer a high-paying job?
- The median Game Programmer posting advertises $216K a year, more than the median of all 55,899 job postings with pay on Jobs Every Hour ($174K). That is 24% above the middle of the market.
- How much can you earn as a game programmer?
- A tenth of the postings offer $269K a year or more; the highest open Game Programmer role advertises up to $345K. Pay rises with level: see the table by level.
- What is the Game Programmer salary per hour and per month?
- The median of $216K a year is about $104 an hour (2,080 working hours) and $18,000 a month before tax. The middle half of postings: $104 to $109 an hour.
- Which skills pay more for Game Programmer roles?
- Postings that ask for C++ (+$10K, 9 postings) advertise more than the $216K median of all Game Programmer postings with pay.
- Where do these figures come from?
- From the pay ranges employers print in their own job postings, read from their careers pages every hour. The midpoint of each range is counted. These are advertised ranges for open roles, mostly in the United States and in US dollars, not what people are actually paid.
Writing about this? A sentence you can quote
The median advertised salary for Game Programmer roles at companies is $216K a year, and the middle half of postings offer $216K to $226K. Counted from 27 open job postings that state pay, November 2026. Source: Jobs Every Hour, https://jobseveryhour.com/salaries/game-programmer/
Free to use with the link.