If you’ve ever dreamed of turning your love of gaming into a full-time career, you’re in good company. The global gaming industry now employs hundreds of thousands of professionals across design, programming, art, and production. Whether you’re passionate about building immersive worlds, testing the newest releases, or creating art that defines a franchise, there’s a place for your skills in this fast-moving field.
This guide breaks down jobs for gamers, from entry-level QA testers to senior developers, and shows how to build your skills, portfolio, and confidence along the way. Whether you’re just starting out or leveling up your career, here’s how to turn your gaming passion into a profession.
Key Takeaways
- The gaming industry offers creative and technical career paths for professionals of all experience levels.
- Employers like Epic Games, Sony, and Nintendo regularly hire developers, artists, and producers for remote and hybrid roles.
- Continuous learning and networking through online communities help aspiring professionals stay competitive and visible to recruiters.
What Jobs Are Available to Gamers?
The global video game market is projected to hit around $721.77 billion by 2034, according to Precedence Research in 2025.1 Depending on the company and your interests, you can find positions that match your skill set—from design and art to software and QA.
Some of the more creative jobs include video game designers, animators, and artists. Other jobs in gaming are more technical, such as software developers, market research analysts, quality assurance testers, and video game developers.
If you’re just starting out, entry-level paths like QA tester, junior artist, or assistant designer can open doors into the industry. You might begin by modding existing games, joining game jams, or contributing to open-source projects to build a portfolio before landing a formal studio role. These experiences can help you gain hands-on exposure to collaboration tools, debugging, and creative iteration.
What Careers Are in the Gaming Industry?
Gaming industry careers span creative, technical, and business roles, offering multiple pathways into the field. Arts and design occupations, which include many gaming industry roles.
Gaming careers fall into several clusters: creative roles such as game designer, narrative writer, and concept artist; technical roles such as software engineer, gameplay programmer, and QA automation tester; and production & business roles such as producer, project manager, and marketing coordinator.
A common progression might look like QA Tester → Associate Developer → Lead Programmer → Technical Director.
Companies That Hire Gamers
Major game studios, indie developers, and tech firms all hire roles suited to gaming professionals.
Epic Games, Nintendo, Electronic Arts, Sony, and Lionbridge are major employers in the gaming world. In addition, global studios such as Ubisoft, Activision Blizzard, and indie developers like Supergiant and Devolver Digital regularly recruit artists, engineers, and producers.
Top Highest-Paying Gaming Jobs: 10 Best Jobs for Gamers
| Job Title | Average Salary (October 2025) |
|---|---|
| Game Designer | $149,1182 |
| Quality Assurance Tester | $89,3343 |
| Game Developer | $108,4714 |
| Programmer | $64,9745 |
| Video Game Producer | $123,5526 |
| Game Artist | $123,1367 |
| Game Tester | $38,0398 |
| Audio Engineer | $84,4569 |
| Video Game Animator | $38,60010 |
| Professional Gamer | $123,55211 |
| Game Journalist | $123,55212 |
Jobs for gamers offer a steady salary and flexible career opportunities. The duties vary from role to role, but if you’re a serious gamer, there are several jobs for gamers that will appeal to you. Read on to discover more detailed descriptions of these gaming jobs.
Game Designer
Video game designers develop the plots, scenarios, and characters of a video game. Game designer jobs come with a lot of responsibilities and collaboration. Game designers must work with a team of designers and developers who are responsible for bringing the game to life. Designers must possess knowledge of the game production process and video game systems.
Designing the visual aspects of a video game is one of the top priorities of a video game designer. This makes the game design industry a steady career option.
Quality Assurance Tester
Quality assurance testers play games like Roblox, Minecraft, and Fortnite to find errors before they are released to the public. They identify problems and report bugs to the development team. These bugs may include glitches in the code, visual bugs, or inconsistencies in gameplay. If you are looking for game QA tester jobs, you need expert coding, technical, and soft skills. Furthermore, a professional technical portfolio is a must.
Game Developer
Video game developers use different programming languages to write the code behind video games. The code has to be optimized for consoles, PCs, or mobile devices. Jobs in game development require creative and technical skillsets, as developers must work with the design team and use their problem-solving skills to turn ideas into reality.
Programmer
Video game programmer jobs require an expert level of coding knowledge. Programmers help ensure a seamless gaming experience across consoles, smartphones, and mobile devices. They make sure that objects within the game interact properly with each other and iron out any bugs found by quality assurance testers.
Video Game Producer
Producers are the link between game developers and company executives. Therefore, video game producer jobs are a vital cog in the gaming industry. They are in charge of the administrative side of a video game release. Producers create budgets, schedule meetings, and ensure the game is released on schedule. Video game producers must have strong communication skills.
Game Artist
Game artist jobs focus on the aesthetics, game art, character design, and visual style of video games. A technical artist creates memorable characters, environments, and objects using various techniques such as freehand drawing. Some video game artist jobs also involve designing the game’s promotional material, manuals, and packaging, as well as creating the game’s concept art during the development phase.
Game Tester
Game tester jobs are often used by gamers as an entry point into the gaming industry. Game testers must play video games with close attention to detail, testing games for bugs and reporting them to the design and development team. Game testing jobs also require testers to ensure that game instructions and tutorials are clear and sensible. If you have a passion for gaming, this is the ideal job for you.
Audio Engineer
Audio engineers look after the sound design of video games. This includes creating sound effects, ambient noise, voiceovers, and background music. Video game audio engineer jobs require creativity, technical skills, and audio experience. Audio engineers must not only create the required sounds for the games, but they should also have the correct training to record, edit, and mix these sounds into the game.
Game Animator
Game animators bring physical components such as characters, scenery, surface textures, and objects to life by creating visuals and producing special effects. Their goal is to create digitally realistic graphics with physics that appear natural to bring games to life.
Depending on the company they work for and the content they produce, game animator jobs may be divided into 3D game animator jobs and 2D game animator jobs. This allows animators to focus on their preferred area of specialization.
Professional Gamer
Professional video gamers compete in tournaments for cash prizes. Only a very small percentage of professional gamers compete at the highest level, which makes it an extremely difficult career to depend on and sustain.
Game Journalist
Experienced gamers will have in-depth knowledge of video games. Pursuing game journalist jobs can be a way to turn your gaming knowledge into a professional career.
You can use your game experience to start a blog to review and critique video games and the industry. Alternatively, you can apply to established gaming journals and magazines as a technical writer.
Jobs for Gamers Without Degree
| Job Title | Average Salary (October 2025) |
|---|---|
| Computer Support Specialist | $55,41713 |
| Gaming Community Manager | $61,35114 |
| Video Game Streamer | $130,76215 |
While some jobs for gamers may require a degree, there are gaming jobs available that don’t. For example, resources such as coding bootcamps and free online tutorial videos can help you learn the fundamentals of coding. Gamers can also use learned knowledge from gaming to start a career without the need for a degree. Continue reading for details on the best jobs for gamers without a degree.
Computer Support Specialist
Depending on your role, you may interact directly with users or maintain a company’s computer networks. Responsibilities include analyzing and troubleshooting network problems, providing network support, and setting up computer systems. This is an ideal job for gamers who have built their own computers and are experienced with computer networking.
Game Community Manager
Game community manager jobs require knowledge of the video game industry and good networking skills. Game community managers attend events, look after social media, and set up live streams to develop the community around a video game. If you stream video games, then transitioning into a game community manager role would be an ideal way to increase your earnings.
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Video Game Streamer
Streaming jobs are becoming more common with the advancement of technology. All you need is a high-speed internet connection and a computer to start streaming. As a gamer, you can easily use streaming services such as Twitch and YouTube to set up free accounts and stream your video game sessions.
While it is possible to make a career as a video game streamer, it requires time and effort. You will need to spend a lot of time building a fanbase and developing a certain number of subscribers before you start making money.
Tips for Finding Success as a Gamer
Jobs for gamers allow you to work in a field related to your favorite hobby.
- Be creative. Creativity is fundamental in the video game industry. You need to have critical thinking skills and an open mind to solve problems you may face in the development cycle of a game. Many jobs for gamers require working with or being part of a creative team.
- Stay updated. Keeping up to date with new console or gaming platform releases will help you stay on the cutting edge of the industry and gain practice with the latest technologies.
- Industry trends. Stay up to date on the latest industry trends to predict any shifts in the industry. This will put you in a position to succeed by giving you a head start.
- Networking. Connect to a professional network in the gaming industry. It always helps to know people in the industry as you try to find a job.
- Keep learning. Always keep learning. Researching games and the technical processes behind them will help improve your playing skills and your game development skills.
Jobs Outlook for Gamers
The video game industry remains steady. The Economic Times, as of February 2025, notes “With advancements in gaming technology, the rise of esports, and growing demand for interactive virtual entertainment across all age groups, the gaming industry is set to grow exponentially in the coming years.”16
If you are interested in finding a job as a gamer or another exciting position within the gaming industry, why not pursue your dream job? There is a wide variety of job opportunities to consider, from game design to game development and beyond.
Jobs for Gamers FAQ
How much do gamers make?
Video gamer streamers make an average of $130,762 per year, according to ZipRecruiter in October 2025.15 Gamers can use streaming services such as Twitch and YouTube to make money as a gamer.
What do most gamers do for a living?
Dedicated gamers make money by winning video game tournaments, obtaining sponsorships from companies or individuals, hosting livestreams on different platforms, and making on-demand videos.
Does the gaming industry pay well?
The gaming industry can pay well depending on your specialty, location, and the company you work for.
Sources:
1 https://www.precedenceresearch.com/video-game-market
2 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Game-Designer-Salary
3 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Qa-Tester-Salary#Yearly
4 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Game-Developer-Salary
5 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Computer-Programmer-Salary
6 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Video-Game-Producer-Salary
7 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Game-Artist-Salary
8 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Game-Tester-Salary#Yearly
9 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Audio-Engineer-Salary
10 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Video-Game-Animator-Salary#Yearly
11 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Pro-Gamer-Salary
12 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Video-Game-Journalism-Salary
13 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Computer-Support-Specialist-Salary#Yearly
14 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Gaming-Community-Manager-Salary
15 https://www.ziprecruiter.com/Salaries/Game-Streamer-Salary
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