Video Game Tester Salary Guide

If you love to play video games, a career as a video game tester might sound like a dream, allowing you to turn your passion for gaming into a day job. The video game industry generated over $420 billion in 2023, with projections to reach $691 billion by 2029 [1]. Gaming saw a boost in popularity during the COVID-19 pandemic, bringing new users in, and demand will likely continue based on advances in gaming and the increased atmosphere for social gaming. It’s clear that video game design teams are in demand, and as a video game tester, you will be an important part of that team. 

Explore exactly what a video game tester does and what you can expect for a video game tester's salary. Discover how different factors affect a video game tester's salary, such as your location or level of education.

What is a video game tester?

A game tester ensures a video game is exciting, playable, and error-free. You spend time playing each part of a game, ensuring it runs smoothly, is free of glitches and bugs, and has aligned features that work together properly. In this role, you may play through an entire game, testing each level, character, menu selection, and any other aspect of playing the game that a real-world user might encounter. 

Gaming is a large part of video game testing, but the role calls for more than hanging out and playing games. As a gaming tester, you also need to write detailed reports on each aspect of a game and its usability and provide feedback to developers about how they could make the game better or more enjoyable. 

The difference between a game tester and a QA tester

There are two main roles that a game tester typically takes on. Video game testers and QA testers work to improve games, but their roles are slightly different.

• Playtesters focus on testing the user experience of a game, such as where it becomes boring or vague, how fun it is to play, and how many victories you can experience on the way to meeting the game’s objective. They understand what makes a video game great or compelling and look for ways to make a game more enjoyable, easier to use, and bug-free for smooth playback. 

• Quality assurance testers focus on identifying technical issues with games, such as glitches, bugs, and inconsistencies. They ensure that games meet a certain development standard.

Average video game tester salary

According to various job sites, the average video game tester salary ranges between $31,769 and $87,427 in the United States. The average annual base salaries per these sources are listed in the table below [2,3,4,5,6,7]. 

*All salary data current as of November 2024

Factors that affect salary

The estimates above offer an average salary for video game testers, but you will find that several factors can impact how much you can earn. These can include your geographic location, the size of the company that hires you, and your level of experience. Take a closer look at how these factors affect video game tester salaries. 

Education

Video game tester is an entry-level position that doesn't always require specific education beyond a high school diploma. However, roughly 54 percent of video game testers have a bachelor's degree, according to Zippia, while another 22 percent have an associate degree [8]. Top gaming companies, which usually have higher salaries and opportunities for advancement, generally ask for a degree when advertising video game tester positions. However, some companies may also value professional certifications or work experience. If you choose to earn a degree, consider a major like computer science, animation, or business. 

According to Zippia, the average video game tester's salary will vary based on your level of education [8]: 

• Some college/associate degrees: $28,645

• Bachelor’s degree: $37,049

• Master’s degree: $43,374

Experience

Experience and a love of gaming are important factors in a role like video game tester. If you game in your spare time, you understand what users seek, which is important as a tester. Salary in this field typically increases with experience. 

Glassdoor reports the following average video game tester base salaries based on experience [2]: 

• 0–1 years of experience: $50,022

• 1–3 years of experience: $54,225

• 4–6 years of experience: $60,389

• 7–9 years of experience: $64,269

• 10–14 years of experience: $75,713

Location

Another significant factor in your pay is where you work geographically. According to Indeed, the highest paying cities to work as a video game tester are [7]: 

• Sunnyvale, CA: $177,590 

• Redmond, WA: $77,498

• Grapevine, TX: $59,497

• Eden Prairie, MN: $53,247 

• Seattle, WA: $53,950

• Austin, TX: $51,623 

• Boise, ID: $47,704 

Contract type

Although some video game testers have full-time positions with studios, many studios fill these positions through contract work. If you work as a contractor, you will be responsible for paying your own taxes, as your client will not be responsible for withholding taxes. As a salaried employee, you likely have additional benefits like health insurance that are part of the overall compensation package. As a contractor, you may be able to work at another job or attend school and test games in your spare time. 

Job outlook and career advancement

According to the BLS, the job outlook for software developers, quality assurance analysts, and testers is excellent, with a 17 percent growth rate between 2023 and 2033 [9]. This growth is creating more opportunities for jobs within the industry.

Video game testing is one way to get into the growing game development industry, although you could also take other pathways into the industry. After gaining some experience in the field, you could move into related positions such as: 

• Quality assurance engineer: $95,994 [10]

• Content designer: $87,519 [11]

• Software developer: $102,567 [12]

• Programmer: $91,300 [13]

• Information systems manager: $131,222 [14]

Video game tester skills

With experience comes the development of relevant skills. The more skills and experience you have, the more likely you are to progress to senior roles. Skills to develop to improve in your role as a video game tester include:

Technical skills:

• Testing

• Computer and game console skills

• Bug reports

• Quality assurance (QA)

Workplace skills:

• Communication

• Creativity

• Problem-solving

• Working well in a team setting

Next steps as a video game tester

If you love gaming and you feel working as a video game tester is for you, it’s a good idea to consider how factors like location and experience will affect what you can expect to earn. One way to build your skills and potentially lead to a higher-paying role is to build your skills in game development and to have something extra to add to your resume. 

A Professional Certificate, such as the Epic Games Game Design Professional Certificate on Coursera, is an excellent way to build in-demand skills and learn the foundations of game design.

Consider the Game Design and Development with Unity 2020 Specialization from Michigan State University or study the Game Design: Art and Concepts Specialization delivered by the California Institute of Arts on Coursera.