According to Gamedev.DOU, the financial situation of game‑development workers has worsened over the past four years; the median salary is $2400. Among respondents, 62% are men, 38% are women, the median age is 31 years; six regions accounted for about 80% of submissions.
Specialists’ financial situation
More than 68% of respondents financially support close relatives, with most supporting one or two people; around 17% have three or more dependants. In the group with three or more financially dependent people the median salary is $3450.
Over four years the share of those who rate their situation as “positive” fell from 59% in 2023 to 46% in 2026. The share of those in a “negative” situation (earning less than they spend) rose from 8% three years ago to 14% now; in 2025 this figure was 15%.
Working hours and salaries by workload
The vast majority work 35−45 hours per week, a further 10% work less, and 15% work more. Among those who work fewer than 20 hours the median salary is just over $1000; specialists with standard hours (35−45) earn $2400, while those who work more than 60 hours per week earn $5500.
Artists and game designers are more likely to work 45−60 hours per week, and the “more than 60 hours” option was most often chosen by software engineers.
Who is granted mobilisation reservations in game development
The question about mobilisation reservations in the questionnaire was optional; roughly half of respondents skipped it. A further 27% said they currently do not have a reservation, and among these people almost 68% are aged 25 to 34.
The percentage of those reserved at their main job in game development changed little over the year and stands at just over 5%; 2,6% have a reservation at a second job, and 2,6% are not subject to military service. The shares of those who refused a reservation and those who have already completed service turned out to be the same.
Of those who have an employer reservation in game development, 65% work at product companies. Among specialists without a reservation about 60% work on their own product; product companies account for 64% of all respondents, 28% are service companies, a little over 5% are startups, about 2% are freelancers, and 1% chose “Other”. With increasing seniority level the share of those reserved rises: among Juniors — less than 1%, among mid‑level specialists — 3%, among Seniors — over 7%; team leads are the most commonly reserved.
Migration intentions
The two most popular answers were “I am not planning to leave now” (28%) and “I want to leave, but I am not doing anything to make it happen” (21%). Among those not planning to leave the largest categories are software engineers (22%), artists (18%), testers (15%) and HR (10%).
Among respondents who would like to leave but are doing nothing about it, the breakdown is: artists 22%, software engineers 20%, testers 15% and game designers 9%. The option “I definitely am not going to leave” was chosen by 12% of respondents: of these, 39% are Middle, 33% are Senior, and leads and Juniors make up 10% each. A further 11% are preparing to leave “when the borders open”: among them 38% are Seniors, 31% mid‑level, leads 12% and managers 10%.
