Side-by-side distribution
Game Developer
$162,848
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 33%
- Live roles
- 103
Software Engineer
$191,125
median · per year, annualized USD
- Disclosing
- 44.1%
- Live roles
- 15,329
Highest-paying jobs
Principal Software Engineer, Game Safety
Principal Core Systems Software Engineer - Game Engine (C++)
Principal Software Engineer - Game Engine Systems
Senior Software Engineer, Game Engine Systems
Game Developer - AI Trainer
Indie Game Developer - AI Trainer
Senior Game Security Programmer
Software Engineer, Game Development
Software Engineer, Game Development
Systems Software Engineer - Game Engine Network (C++)
Highest-paying jobs
Senior Software Engineer, Growth
Intermediate Backend Software Engineer
Staff Software Engineer (Backend)
Lead Software Engineer (Backend)
Senior Software Engineer, Machine Learning (Audio)
Software Engineer - Compliance
Software Engineer - EVM
Software Engineer - Solana
Software Engineer - Stellar
Senior Staff+ Software Engineer, Node Infra
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Roblox
|
$267,950 | 7 |
2K
|
$119,530 | 6 |
Applied Intuition
|
$170,000 | 3 |
|
Handshake
|
$260,000 | 2 |
|
Anduril Industries
|
$209,500 | 2 |
|
Epic Games
|
$186,868 | 2 |
Striking Distance Studios
|
$166,000 | 2 |
teamLFG
|
$200,000 | 1 |
Top companies hiring
| Company | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
|
Anduril Industries
|
$222,000 | 298 |
OpenAI
|
$309,000 | 113 |
Speechify
|
$170,000 | 103 |
Databricks
|
$214,700 | 98 |
|
Roblox
|
$269,270 | 83 |
|
Applied Intuition
|
$180,000 | 83 |
Palantir
|
$167,500 | 74 |
SpaceX
|
$137,500 | 66 |
Software Engineer salary by location
| Location | Median | Roles |
|---|---|---|
| San Francisco | $225,000 | 1,400 |
| Sydney | $224,060 | 8 |
| New York | $213,300 | 1,160 |
| Seattle | $212,500 | 419 |
| Austin | $197,000 | 137 |
| Boston | $186,050 | 227 |
| Los Angeles | $182,500 | 164 |
| Bangalore | $181,219 | 4 |
| Chicago | $179,250 | 138 |
| Atlanta | $173,875 | 58 |
Game Developer vs Software Engineer: which pays more?
The median for Game Developer is $162,848 per year (typically $131,155–$218,940), versus $191,125 for Software Engineer ($152,900–$225,000). That puts Software Engineer about 17% ahead at the median.
Both figures are computed live from active listings on JobsRadar and normalized to annualized USD, so Game Developer and Software Engineer 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.