State of the Games Jobs Market 2025

Amir Satvat, a recognized contributor to the games industry, has shared recent data collected from his large community of game professionals. This data, reported on by GamesBeat, provides an updated view of hiring trends across different functions, experience levels, and regions in the games sector. His findings highlight where job growth is occurring, which roles face the most competition, and what challenges job seekers currently face.

State of the Games Jobs Market 2025

Hiring Trends by Experience Level

According to Satvat, most hiring activity in the games industry remains focused on mid-career professionals, specifically those with five to 15 years of experience. This group represents the majority of open positions and actual hires, even if job postings sometimes suggest opportunities for wider experience ranges. Early-career job seekers, including recent graduates, face significant difficulties. Globally, the odds of landing a role for new professionals are estimated at about 7% over the course of a year. In North America, this drops to around 2%, and outside major North American hubs, the chance falls further to roughly 0.3%. These numbers have remained relatively stable over time, indicating a persistent challenge for entry-level candidates.

Demand Across Different Job Functions

The demand for jobs varies considerably depending on the function within the games industry. Narrative and business development roles are particularly oversubscribed. Currently, there are approximately 52 writing and narrative roles tracked worldwide, with 28 of these in North America. Business development roles total around 90 globally, but only a small portion of those require more than ten years of experience. Satvat notes that when considering additional applicants such as students and career switchers, the competition for these functions may exceed twenty to thirty times the available positions.

State of the Games Jobs Market 2025

Overall Hiring Momentum and Competition

While the overall hiring momentum in games remains stable, it has plateaued after a period of gradual improvement. In contrast, non-games roles, especially those requiring adaptable skills, continue to see increased hiring activity. Another factor intensifying competition is the influx of career switchers moving into the games industry without previous experience. These individuals often target mid to late career roles, which adds pressure to already crowded job functions.

Outlook on Layoffs and Industry Changes

Satvat forecasts that the games industry could see between 5,000 and 9,000 layoffs this year. However, he suggests that longer-term factors such as differences in global labor costs and the impact of AI technologies may become more significant challenges than layoffs themselves. These trends could influence hiring practices, job stability, and the nature of work within the industry going forward.

State of the Games Jobs Market 2025

Advice for Job Seekers and Educators

For those considering a career in games, particularly students and early-career professionals, the data suggests the need for realistic expectations. Satvat advises parents, mentors, and collegiate programs to be transparent about the difficulties of breaking into competitive areas such as game design and narrative roles. He recommends that students develop a broader range of skills and consider opportunities outside of games as a practical supplement to their job search within the industry. For current game professionals, the evolving environment may bring shorter job tenures, more project-based work, fewer remote options, and greater expectations for mobility.

State of the Games Jobs Market 2025

Introduction of the New Games Role Workbook v1.0

To assist job seekers, Satvat’s team has released the New Games Role Workbook v1.0, a resource designed to improve the efficiency of the job search process. Developed in partnership with Mayank Grover and the Outscal team, this workbook categorizes over 38,000 roles across 25 standardized categories such as design, engineering, marketing, and narrative. Updated twice weekly, it provides timely job listings with direct application links and filters that help users navigate roles by location, experience, and function.

The workbook addresses previous challenges by offering a structured and frequently refreshed view of available games and tech positions. Satvat continues to maintain the original workbook as a comprehensive resource but recommends the new workbook for active job hunting. Amir Satvat’s ongoing data collection and resources provide important insights into the current state of the games jobs market. These findings offer guidance for job seekers, educators, and industry professionals navigating a competitive and changing employment landscape.