Designs the rules and numbers behind a video game, such as combat, progression, crafting and abilities, and balances them so play stays fair and fun. BLS does not publish separate figures for video game designers; it counts them within video game designer (SOC 15-1255), whose median pay is $104,000 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). Typical entry-level education: Bachelor's degree.
- SOC 15-1255
- Computer and Mathematical
- Last updated October 9, 2026
At a glance
Game Systems Designer in four numbers
- Median pay
- $104,000a year, or $50.00/hrBLS OEWS, May 2025Lowest 10% $54KTop 10% $202K
US median, all jobs: $50,980
- Projected growth
- +6.0%Faster than averageBLS EP, 2025–2035This career+6%All jobs+3.5%
Projected employment change, 2025–2035 Item Value This career +6% All jobs +3.5% - Openings a year
- 8,300132,700 jobs todayBLS EP, 2025–2035
- Jobs in 2025132.7K
- Projected 2035140.8K
Employment, 2025–2035 Item Value Jobs in 2025 132.7K Projected 2035 140.8K - Typical education
- Bachelor'sneeded to enterBLS EP, 2025–2035; mix: O*NET
- Less than high school10%
- High school15%
- Some college10%
- Associate's10%
- Bachelor's55%
Highest education held by video game designers Segment Value Less than high school 10% High school 15% Some college 10% Associate's 10% Bachelor's 55%
Also advertised as: Systems Designer, Combat Designer, Gameplay Designer, Balance Designer.
Pay
How much do Video Game Designers make?
Every game systems designer in the US, by percentile of annual wage
Median
$104,000
Middle half earn $73,290 to $158,820
- 10th
- $53,750
- 25th
- $73,290
- 75th
- $158,820
- 90th
- $201,550
All US occupations: $50,980
| Percentile | Value |
|---|---|
| 10th | $53,750 |
| 25th | $73,290 |
| Median | $104,000 |
| 75th | $158,820 |
| 90th | $201,550 |
| All US occupations | $50,980 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
- Median annual wage
- $104,000
- Median hourly wage
- $50.00/hr
- Mean annual wage
- $117,490
- People employed
- 113,330
Versus all US occupations
At $104,000, Video Game Designers earn 104% above the $50,980 median across all US occupations, a difference of $53,020 a year.
Versus computer and mathematical occupations
Inside the Computer and Mathematical group, where the middle occupation pays $116,580, this is 11% below the group median.
Pay range
The top 10% earn $201,550 or more while the bottom 10% earn $53,750, a gap of 3.7×. That is an unusually wide spread, which usually tracks specialisation, employer type and years of experience.
Rank in the bank
This median pays more than 77% of the 1,741 occupations in the NueCareer career bank.
Highest-paying state
California pays the most at $136,110, and still leads at $122,932 once local prices are taken into account.
Pay by state
Which states pay Video Game Designers the most?
State medians come from the same OEWS release as the national figures. The cost-of-living column divides each state median by that state's BEA Regional Price Parity, restating pay in national-average dollars so a high-cost state and a low-cost one can be compared directly.
| State | Median | COL-adjusted | Employed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1California | $136,110 | $122,932 | 27,090 |
| 2Washington | $130,480 | $121,929 | 11,580 |
| 3New York | $120,990 | $112,110 | 16,560 |
| 4Massachusetts | $113,540 | $107,359 | 2,740 |
| 5New Hampshire | $111,150 | $106,706 | 430 |
| 6District of Columbia | $107,650 | $97,952 | 480 |
| 7Rhode Island | $105,990 | $103,627 | 240 |
| 8Pennsylvania | $104,160 | $106,752 | 2,820 |
| 9Georgia | $103,810 | $107,806 | 2,800 |
| 10Texas | $102,650 | $105,763 | 5,910 |
Job outlook
Is Game Systems Designer a growing career?
Employment change over 2025–2035, against every US occupation
Faster than average. +6.0% projected growth vs 3.5% for all occupations.
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Video Game Designers | +6% |
| All US occupations | +3.5% |
Source: BLS EP, 2025–2035
Faster than average
BLS projects employment of Video Game Designers to change 6.0% over 2025–2035, against 3.5% projected for all occupations. That is 8,000 more jobs.
Annual openings
About 8,300 openings are projected each year, 6.3% of the 132,700 jobs that existed in 2025. Most come from workers leaving the occupation, not from growth alone.
Getting in
How to become a Game Systems Designer
A degree in game design, computer science, math or economics is common. DigiPen offers a BS in Computer Science and Game Design and a BA in Game Design that cover systems thinking, prototyping and scripting. Strong spreadsheet skills, basic statistics and some scripting ability are expected.
Portfolios usually include tabletop or digital prototypes, balance spreadsheets and written breakdowns of existing game systems. Many systems designers start in QA, as junior designers on smaller teams, or by building mods and indie games. GDC talks and the GDC Vault are common references for the craft.
- 1
Typical entry-level education
Bachelor's degree
- 2
Work experience in a related occupation
None
- 3
Typical on-the-job training
None
- 4
Preparation needed (O*NET job zone)
Medium preparation
BLS Employment Projections, 2025–2035; job zone from O*NET 31.0 Database.
What education people in the job have
O*NET incumbent survey: the highest level of education reported by people already working as video game designers.
- Bachelor's Degree55%
- High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED)15%
- Less than a High School Diploma10%
- Some College Courses10%
- Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree10%
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Bachelor's Degree | 55% |
| High School Diploma or the equivalent (such as a GED) | 15% |
| Less than a High School Diploma | 10% |
| Some College Courses | 10% |
| Associate's Degree or other 2-year degree | 10% |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
The work
What does a Game Systems Designer do?
Systems designers build the rules that make a game work. They design how combat damage is calculated, how characters level up, how crafting recipes and skill trees fit together, and how enemies behave. Much of this lives in spreadsheets and data tables that drive the game.
They prototype new mechanics, tune values, and use playtests and telemetry to find exploits, dominant strategies and frustrating difficulty spikes. Systems designers write design documents, work closely with programmers to implement features, and often script behavior themselves. In live service games they keep rebalancing as players discover new strategies.
Day-to-day tasks
- Design combat, progression, crafting and ability systems
- Build and maintain balance spreadsheets and data tables
- Prototype new mechanics in a game engine
- Tune values based on playtests and telemetry data
- Write design documents that explain system rules
- Work with programmers to implement and debug features
- Identify exploits and dominant strategies and fix them
Typical tasks, researched by NueCareer from the sources below.
Working conditions and hours
Systems designers work at studio offices or remotely at a computer, spending time in spreadsheets, engines and design meetings. Live service teams work in regular update cycles. Crunch near launches varies by studio. Much of the day goes to testing builds and discussing tuning changes with other designers.
Where the work happens
Indoors, climate-controlled
NeverEvery dayIndoors, in a climate-controlled space, every day.
Outdoors in all weather
NeverEvery dayAlmost never works outdoors.
Physical demands
Sitting
NeverAlmost all the timeSeated for more than half the working day.
Standing
NeverAlmost all the timeBending or twisting
NeverAlmost all the time
Working with people
Contact with other people
NoneConstantFace-to-face discussions
NeverEvery dayFace-to-face discussions every day.
Dealing with the public
Not importantExtremely important
Pressure and stakes
Strict deadlines
NeverEvery dayMeeting strict deadlines at least weekly.
Conflict situations
NeverEvery dayCost of a mistake
Not seriousExtremely serious
Autonomy
Freedom to decide
NoneA lot
Conditions: O*NET Work Context survey. Each item has its own scale, so each dot is read against the two answers that end its own line.
Core skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Active Listening3.9
- Reading Comprehension3.8
- Critical Thinking3.8
- Active Learning3.5
- Writing3.3
- Speaking3.1
- Monitoring3.1
- Mathematics2.9
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Active Listening | 3.9 |
| Reading Comprehension | 3.8 |
| Critical Thinking | 3.8 |
| Active Learning | 3.5 |
| Writing | 3.3 |
| Speaking | 3.1 |
| Monitoring | 3.1 |
| Mathematics | 2.9 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Transferable skills
O*NET importance, 1 to 5
- Programming4.0
- Complex Problem Solving3.6
- Judgment and Decision Making3.6
- Systems Analysis3.4
- Time Management3.4
- Systems Evaluation3.3
- Coordination3.1
- Social Perceptiveness3.0
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Programming | 4.0 |
| Complex Problem Solving | 3.6 |
| Judgment and Decision Making | 3.6 |
| Systems Analysis | 3.4 |
| Time Management | 3.4 |
| Systems Evaluation | 3.3 |
| Coordination | 3.1 |
| Social Perceptiveness | 3.0 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
Tools and software
- Data base management system software · in demand
- Data base user interface and query software · in demand
- Development environment software · in demand
- Electronic mail software · in demand
- Enterprise application integration software · in demand
- File versioning software · in demand
- Graphics or photo imaging software · in demand
- Object or component oriented development software · in demand
- Office suite software · in demand
- Operating system software · in demand
- Presentation software · in demand
- Process mapping and design software · in demand
“In demand” marks an O*NET Employer-Based Hot Technology, software named in real job postings for this occupation.
Personality fit
What personality type suits a Game Systems Designer?
NueCareer estimate (Holland code IAC) built on O*NET's Video Game Designer profile, scored 1 to 7
| Axis | Game Systems Designer |
|---|---|
| Realistic | 3 |
| Investigative | 5 |
| Artistic | 6 |
| Social | 2 |
| Enterprising | 4 |
| Conventional | 4 |
Source: O*NET 31.0 Database
What the work is built around
Day to day this is work built around creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules, combined with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data.
- Artistic6.4
- Investigative4.8
- Conventional4.3
- Enterprising3.9
- Realistic2.8
- Social2.3
Closest MBTI types
NueCareer fit scores: cosine similarity between each MBTI type's interest vector and this occupation's O*NET interest profile. Not a BLS or O*NET figure; the method is documented on our methodology page.
Explore further
Careers related to Game Systems Designer
O*NET related occupations
- Computer and Mathematical
- Computer and Mathematical
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Arts, Design, Entertainment, Sports, and Media
- Computer and Mathematical
- Computer and Mathematical
More computer and mathematical careers
Median annual pay, with video game designers highlighted
- Software Developer$135,980
- Actuary$130,000
- Data Scientist$120,230
- Business Intelligence Analyst$120,230
- Database Administrator$104,620
- Web Designer$104,000
- Game Systems Designer$104,000
- Computer Programmer$100,390
- Web Developer$92,650
| Item | Value |
|---|---|
| Software Developer | $135,980 |
| Actuary | $130,000 |
| Data Scientist | $120,230 |
| Business Intelligence Analyst | $120,230 |
| Database Administrator | $104,620 |
| Web Designer | $104,000 |
| Game Systems Designer | $104,000 |
| Computer Programmer | $100,390 |
| Web Developer | $92,650 |
Source: BLS OEWS, May 2025
Lists Game Systems Designer appears on
Questions
Game Systems Designer: frequently asked questions
How much do Video Game Designers make?
BLS does not publish a separate wage for video game designers. It counts them within video game designer, whose median pay is $104,000 a year (BLS OEWS, May 2025). The middle half of that occupation earn between $73,290 and $158,820, and the top 10% earn $201,550 or more.
Do you need a degree to become a Game Systems Designer?
Yes. BLS reports a bachelor's degree as the typical entry-level education for Video Game Designers, and O*NET rates the preparation needed as medium preparation. In O*NET's survey of people already doing the job, 55.0% hold bachelor's degree.
Is Game Systems Designer a growing career?
Yes. Employment is projected to grow 6.0% over 2025–2035, faster than the 3.5% average for all occupations (BLS EP, 2025–2035). BLS still projects about 8,300 openings a year, mostly from workers retiring or moving to other work.
What does a Game Systems Designer do?
Systems designers build the rules that make a game work. A typical task: design combat, progression, crafting and ability systems. Employers most often ask for Data base management system software, Data base user interface and query software, Development environment software.
Which states pay Video Game Designers the most?
The highest state medians for Video Game Designers are California ($136,110), Washington ($130,480), New York ($120,990) (BLS OEWS, May 2025).
What personality type suits a Game Systems Designer?
O*NET scores Video Game Designers highest on the Artistic, Investigative and Conventional interest areas, so the work mixes creating, designing and working without a fixed set of rules with investigating, analysing and solving problems with ideas and data. On NueCareer's MBTI-to-interest mapping that lines up most closely with INTP personalities. Personality is a fit signal, not a gate. The free NueCareer quiz scores your own profile against all 1,731 careers in the bank.