Side-by-side distribution
Backend Engineer
$183,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 34.6%
- Live roles
- 2,615
Game Developer
$173,000
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 16.1%
- Live roles
- 93
Highest-paying jobs
Senior/Staff Backend Engineer, Applied AI
Expert Backend Engineer
Software Engineer, Backend
Senior Backend Engineer, Perpetuals
Senior Staff Software Engineer, API
Staff/Principal Backend Software Engineer
Staff/Principal Backend Software Engineer
Software Engineer, API Agents
Software Engineer, API Multicloud
Software Engineer, API Safety
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Software Engineer, Creator Game Operations
Senior Software Engineer, Game Engine
Senior Software Engineer - Game Engine Systems (C++)
Staff Gameplay Engineer - Systems and Performance
Senior Gameplay Engineer - Game Modes
Software Engineer - Game Development
Game Security Software Engineer
Mobile Game Security Software Engineer
Senior Gameplay Software Engineer (UE5)
Software Engineer - Simulation, Game Engine & World Systems (Autonomy)
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
Affirm
|
$158,000 | 55 |
Air Apps
|
$65,555 | 33 |
|
OpenAI
|
$355,500 | 18 |
Databricks
|
$195,500 | 14 |
Grafana Labs
|
$150,442 | 14 |
Verkada
|
$225,000 | 11 |
| KA Kalepa | $219,000 | 11 |
Robinhood
|
$180,500 | 9 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Roblox
|
$269,270 | 3 |
|
teamLFG
|
$207,750 | 2 |
| KA KRAFTON Americas | $173,000 | 2 |
|
Applied Intuition
|
$166,581 | 2 |
|
Skyboxlabs
|
$147,500 | 1 |
2K
|
$106,280 | 1 |
| CC Cloud Chamber | $106,280 | 1 |
thatgamecompany
|
$105,000 | 1 |
Backend Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $215,250 | 148 |
| New York | $205,000 | 176 |
| Seattle | $200,000 | 53 |
| Los Angeles | $196,000 | 17 |
| Boston | $177,033 | 22 |
| Denver | $167,950 | 11 |
| Austin | $160,000 | 15 |
| Atlanta | $153,925 | 4 |
| Chicago | $152,350 | 13 |
| Singapore | $143,861 | 6 |
Backend Engineer vs Game Developer: which pays more?
The median for Backend Engineer is $183,000 per year (typically $140,000–$220,000), versus $173,000 for Game Developer ($106,280–$209,331). That puts Backend Engineer about 6% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Backend Engineer and Game Developer are compared on equal terms regardless of the currency each role was originally posted in. Only roles that publish a salary range feed the medians; numbers refresh every few hours as new roles post and older ones close, so this comparison reflects the market right now rather than a fixed survey. Use it as a directional benchmark when weighing one path against the other.