Game Tester Salary – Can You Really Live on Gaming?

So you have been gaming all your life. You always purchase the newest releases from Blizzard, EA and Microsoft. You spend more on your gaming than you do on your girlfriend (and she lets you know about it). Now, the question is if you can make your hobby pay for itself. Even better, can you live on it?

The truth is, these companies, and a whole lot of other game developing companies are willing to pay for game testing. Just how much do game testers earn, anyway? Here are game tester salary figures to give you an idea.

Most video game testing jobs are freelance-based. You probably noticed those advertisements about game testing jobs paying up to $100 an hour. Well, some people do earn those rates. However, you would most likely start at around $12-$15. If you are lucky, you might land a job with game tester salary ratings of around $25 to $40 an hour.

Note that game tester salary ratings depend on the kind of job you need to do. Is it an ultra-complex RPG (role-playing game)? Is it a very intricate RTS (real-time strategy)? More importantly, it depends on your skill level. If you have built a reputation for being a great glitch-spotter, and one that always submits well-written reports on time, chances are, you will be hired for these higher-paying jobs and get paid $50 to $120 an hour.

What’s great about these jobs is that, a good game tester can use the contacts and networks he established, as well as the reputation he built, as a stepping stone as a thriving career in the gaming industry, working as part of a game design team or as a gameplay specialist for major developers, earning $40,000 or more yearly. So yes, a professional game tester can earn a living on gaming, and live well.