Home Game Developer Salary
Game Developer salary in Australia
The median full-time salary for a game developer is $128,800 per annum, before tax, up $27,400 since 2018.
- Pay moves most with the size and funding of the studio you work for, and with taking on lead or technical director responsibilities rather than with years served.
- Contract and freelance work is common, and those rates are usually set per project rather than per year, so a single weekly figure can look uneven across twelve months.
- Specialising in a hard-to-fill area such as graphics programming or network code also shifts what studios are willing to offer.
The median salary rose by $27,400 between 2018 and 2024; the dashed line shows a projection to 2028 based on the real ABS Wage Price Index growth rate, not a role-specific forecast.
Roles that pay more than game developer
The largest typical pay rise is $3,100 a year, moving into Software Engineer.
- Software Engineer+$3,100/yr
- DevOps Engineer+$3,100/yr
How to negotiate a higher game developer salary
- Know the market rate before you ask. The median full-time game developer salary is $128,800; use that, not a guess, as your anchor, and adjust for your experience and employer.
- Lead with what's scarce, not just tenure. Skills like Programming and software development and Product management tend to command a premium over general game developer experience, name them specifically when you ask.
- Bring a real alternative to the table. Software Engineer pays a typical $3,100 a year more and draws on similar skills, even mentioning you're weighing it up is a legitimate data point in a pay conversation.
- Time it deliberately. Reviews, the end of a project you delivered, or taking on responsibility beyond your job description are stronger moments to ask than an arbitrary date on the calendar.
- Ask for a number, not a raise. "Based on the market rate and [specific contribution], I'd like to move to X" gets a clearer answer than "I think I deserve more."
Game Developer salary questions
How much do game developers earn in Australia?
The median full-time salary for a game developer is $128,800 a year before tax. Seniority, specialisation, sector and the award or agreement you're employed under all move it.
Is game developer pay rising or falling?
The median game developer salary is up $27,400 since 2018. Figures from 2025 onward on this page are a projection, not a measured result.
What pays more than game developer?
Software Engineer pays a typical $3,100 a year more and draws on similar skills to game developer.
Related salaries
- Software Engineer salary
- DevOps Engineer salary
- Multimedia Designer salary
- Mobile App Developer salary
- Back End Developer salary
- QA Tester salary
Pay advice
- How to ask for a pay rise, and back it up with real numbersWhat national wage growth looks like right now, how to work out a figure for your own role, wording you can adapt for the conversation, and what to do if the answer is no.
- The average salary in Australia (2026)Full-time adults in Australia averaged $2,083.70 a week in May 2026. Several measures get called the average salary, and this explains which one fits your situation.
- Overtime pay, time in lieu and what your award saysOvertime rates come from your award or agreement, not one national rule. How rates work, what happens on a salary, and how time off in lieu works.