Lead Game Designer Salaries in California
How Much Does a Lead Game Designer Make in California?
Updated March 01, 2025
As of March 01, 2025,
the average annual pay of Lead Game Designer in California is $166,403.
While Salary.com is seeing that Lead Game Designer salary in CA can go up to $202,067
or down to $121,896, but most earn between $143,106 and $185,071.
Salary ranges can vary widely depending on many important factors,
including education, certifications, additional skills, and your experience levels.
With more online, real-time compensation data than any other website, Salary.com helps you determine your exact pay target.
Related Job Titles to Lead Game Designer
Facing Salary Structure Challenges? Let Our Expert Guide You
The job market is increasingly challenging. Our whitepaper, Navigating the Challenges of Creating Salary Structures, offers guidance on creating salary structures. Provide your phone number and work email to download the full version.
We will handle your contact details in line with our Privacy Policy.
If you prefer not to receive marketing emails from Salary.com, you can opt-out out of marketing communications at any time by clicking unsubscribe.
Choose a prefer time
Choose Your Preferred Time
All times are listed as US Eastern time (Boston/New York)
-
9:00 AM-9:30 AM
-
9:30 AM-10:00 AM
-
10:00 AM-10:30 AM
-
10:30 AM-11:00 AM
-
11:00 AM-11:30 AM
-
11:30 AM-12:00 PM
-
12:00 PM-12:30 PM
-
12:30 PM-1:00 PM
-
1:00 PM-1:30 PM
-
1:30 PM-2:00 PM
-
2:00 PM-2:30 PM
-
2:30 PM-3:00 PM
-
3:00 PM-3:30 PM
-
3:30 PM-4:00 PM
-
4:00 PM-4:30 PM
-
4:30 PM-5:00 PM
-
5:00 PM-5:30 PM
-
5:30 PM-6:00 PM
-
6:00 PM-6:30 PM
-
6:30 PM-7:00 PM
-
7:00 PM-7:30 PM
-
7:30 PM-8:00 PM
Similar Job Salaries to Lead Game Designer by Company
Loading results...
| Company | average base salary in (usd) | range |
|---|---|---|
|
Digital Eclipse
Lead Technical Game Designer (UI/UX)
|
$134,710/yr
|
RANGE: $120,757 - $148,664
|
|
Netflix
Lead Technical Game Designer, Games Innovation
|
$154,174/yr
|
RANGE: $137,900 - $170,447
|
|
VirtualVocations
Game Designer
|
$87,743/yr
|
RANGE: $74,957 - $100,528
|
|
Digital Eclipse
Lead Technical Game Designer (UI/UX) Job at Digital Eclipse in Emeryville
|
$153,422/yr
|
RANGE: $135,250 - $171,593
|
|
Iron Systems, Inc
Game Designer V
|
$129,115/yr
|
RANGE: $111,872 - $146,358
|
|
Sony Playstation
Game Systems Designer
|
$88,696/yr
|
RANGE: $78,020 - $99,371
|
|
Tbwa Chiat/Day Inc
Game Systems Designer
|
$88,696/yr
|
RANGE: $78,020 - $99,371
|
|
Pure Imagination Management LLC
Unreal Game Designer
|
$91,724/yr
|
RANGE: $81,474 - $101,973
|
|
ALTEN
Game Designer - Mid
|
$113,607/yr
|
RANGE: $98,992 - $128,222
|
|
thatgamecompany
Technical Game Designer
|
$96,360/yr
|
RANGE: $83,852 - $108,867
|
Top 10 Highest Paying Cities For Lead Game Designer Jobs in California
It is important to understand how location impacts your career prospects in the United States.
There are some cities where a Lead Game Designer can find a job easily with a greater salary paid then achieve a higher standard of living.
Below is the top cities list for Lead Game Designer job salaries in California.
Some cities can pay higher salaries for Lead Game Designer jobs, which can indicate that there is a large demand for Lead Game Designer positions in this city.
The following table shows top 10 cities where the Lead Game Designer salary is higher than other cities in California.
San Jose takes first place in this list, followed by Santa Clara, Fremont.
The Lead Game Designer salary is $189,335 in San Jose,
which is higher than the national average. There are 76 cities' Lead Game Designer salary higher than national average in California.
The average salary for a Lead Game Designer in California is $166,403,
but we found that the city with the highest salary for Lead Game Designer jobs is San Jose, CA, and it is higher than Santa Clara.
Lead Game Designer jobs in San Jose can have the opportunity to earn higher salaries than in other cities in California.
| CITY | ANNUAL SALARY | MONTHLY PAY | WEEKLY PAY | HOURLY WAGE |
| San Jose | $189,335 | $15,778 | $3,641 | $91 |
| Santa Clara | $189,335 | $15,778 | $3,641 | $91 |
| Fremont | $189,033 | $15,753 | $3,635 | $91 |
| San Francisco | $188,580 | $15,715 | $3,627 | $91 |
| Daly City | $188,580 | $15,715 | $3,627 | $91 |
| Berkeley | $184,054 | $15,338 | $3,540 | $88 |
| Oakland | $184,054 | $15,338 | $3,540 | $88 |
| Hayward | $183,753 | $15,313 | $3,534 | $88 |
| Antioch | $173,796 | $14,483 | $3,342 | $84 |
| Vallejo | $169,722 | $14,144 | $3,264 | $82 |
What Does a Lead Game Designer Do?
In this career, you work closely with graphic designers, programmers, and other production teams to come up with a concise plan for designing the game.
Updated November 30, 2021
These worlds are courtesy of video game designers, who are responsible for the content and environment of every video game.
Updated October 19, 2021
Here are examples of responsibilities from real lead game designer resumes representing typical tasks they are likely to perform in their roles.
Updated October 06, 2021
A game will undergo millions of changes throughout its making, and game designers are required to constantly recheck and recode thousands of lines of code.
Updated December 22, 2021
Able to drive and follow-up on prototyping (both digital and paper based) with other game designers and programmers.
Updated December 15, 2021
Empower Your Talent Strategy with Salary.com's Skills Library.
Struggling with Managing Your Job Descriptions?
View Job Skills and Competency Data for more than 15,000 Job Titles, 18 Industries, and 26 Job Families.
Skills LibraryOur job description management tool- JobArchitect streamlines your job description process. Say goodbye to the hassle of crafting job descriptions.
Explore JobArchitectFrequently Asked Questions About a Lead Game Designer Salaries
What is the average of a Lead Game Designer in California?
The Lead Game Designer salary range is from $143,106 to $185,071, and the average Lead Game Designer salary is $166,403/year in California.
The Lead Game Designer's salary will change in different locations.
Which location pays the highest Lead Game Designer salary in the United States?
The Lead Game Designer salary in San Jose, CA is $189,335
which is the highest in the US.
What kinds of reasons will influence the Lead Game Designer's salary?
Besides the location, employees' education degree, related skills, and work experience also will influence the salary.
Try to improve your skills and experience to get a higher salary for the position of Lead Game Designer.
What is the growth rate of the Lead Game Designer's salary?
If you are thinking of becoming a Lead Game Designer or planning the next step in your career, find the detailed salary report of a Lead Game Designer.
