HOW TO HIRE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH

How to hire a game developer in the UK
The checks, the questions and the paperwork.

No licence applies to game developers. Here is how to own the code and art, estimate the hours and check IR35.

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THE 60-SECOND VERSION

Hiring a game developer in five steps

  1. Play their buildsReleased games or playable prototypes you can try, in the engine and genre you need.
  2. Write a one-page game briefConcept, platform, core features and what the first milestone must prove.
  3. Estimate hours per milestonePrototype, vertical slice, release build: hours and a check-in before going over.
  4. Assign code, art and rightsCopyright in everything made for the game passes to you on payment.
  5. Check IR35 if they use a companyIf the game developer works through their own limited company, work out who decides employment status for tax.

BEFORE YOU BOOK

Check before you book

No register applies

No law licenses game developers in England, Wales, Scotland or Northern Ireland and no qualification is required. Playable work, a reference and written terms are what count.

Ask for a build you can play and a client or studio you can contact.

Copyright in code and art

Code is a literary work and game art is artistic work under the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988. A freelance game developer owns what they make unless they assign it in writing and sign it (section 90).

Have the contract assign copyright in code, art, sound and design documents to you on payment. legislation.gov.uk →

Off-payroll working (IR35)

If the game developer sells their time through a limited company they control, HMRC's off-payroll rules can apply. In most cases the client makes the employment status decision; where the client is small and outside the public sector, the developer's own company makes it.

Ask how the game developer is engaged and, if through a company, who is responsible for the status decision. gov.uk →

Players' data

Online features, accounts and analytics collect players' personal data. Data protection rules require it to be kept secure and players told how it is used, and most businesses doing this must pay the ICO fee.

Agree what player data the game collects and how it is stored before online features are built. gov.uk →

VAT

Game development is standard-rated, so a registered game developer adds 20% to each milestone, while engine licences and store fees are billed separately. Registration becomes compulsory once a game developer has VAT-taxable turnover over £90,000 in any rolling 12 months; from then VAT must be charged and shown as a separate line on the invoice.

Ask the game developer for the VAT number before the first milestone and for VAT on each milestone invoice as its own figure. gov.uk →

“Which games or game prototypes have you shipped?”

A good answer: Titles or builds you can play, with the game developer's own part explained.

“How many hours will each milestone take?”

A good answer: An estimate per milestone and a promise to check before exceeding it.

“Who owns the code, art and game rights?”

A good answer: You do, through a signed assignment; any third-party assets are listed with licences.

“Which engine and paid assets will you use?”

A good answer: Named engine and asset licences, with any costs above free tiers.

“Do you work as a sole trader or through a company?”

A good answer: A straight answer, so you can check whether the off-payroll rules apply.

“Does the game collect player data?”

A good answer: A list of what is collected and why, and how it is protected.

“How will you hand over the game's code and builds?”

A good answer: Access to the repository from day one, and builds for each milestone.

Getting the quote right

  • Hourly rate and hours estimated per milestone
  • Who actually attends to the code and art: the game developer named, an employed team, or subcontracted artists and programmers
  • Deliverables for each milestone
  • Engine licences, paid assets and store fees: who pays
  • Copyright assignment for code, art and design
  • Code repository in your account and access arrangements
  • Engagement basis (sole trader or company)
  • The VAT number, with VAT at 20% on each milestone

Walk away if

  • No playable work at all
  • Keeps the code in a private repository you cannot see
  • Refuses to assign the game's code or art
  • Assets of unknown origin
  • No milestones, just open-ended hours
  • Avoids the question of how they are engaged
LOW
£21
TYPICAL
£31
HIGH
£71

What a game developer costs: £21–£71 per hour

Game developers usually charge by the hour or day against milestone estimates; art, sound and store fees are often separate. Game Developer price guide →

Guide prices compiled by the Locufy team from published Irish and UK provider price lists and 2026/27 cost guides. Updated 2026.

KNOW WHAT TO LOOK FOR? NOW FIND ONE

Game developers near you, with the badges that matter shown

ID checked, trader status and one score from every review — on the card, before you message anyone. Nearest first. No account needed to look.

Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.

  1. BriefConcept, platform, features and milestones agreed.
  2. PrototypeA playable test of the core idea.
  3. DevelopmentGameplay, menus and systems built in the engine.
  4. TestingBugs fixed on the target devices.
  5. Build and handoverRelease builds, code and assets handed over.

Engine
The software framework a game is built in.
Vertical slice
A short, finished section showing how the full game will feel.
Build
A version of the game compiled to run on a device.
Asset
Any art, sound or model used in the game.
Repository
Where the code and its history are stored.
IR35
The off-payroll working rules for workers using their own company.

AFTER

When the job is done

Check you hold the repositoryCode, assets and build scripts in an account your business owns.
Play the build on real devicesTest on the platforms you will release on, not just the developer's machine.
File the assignment and licencesWith the asset list, ready for any publisher or platform review.
Rate the workYour review helps the next person choose; Locufy only accepts reviews of booked work. If there is a problem with the game developer, the make-it-right step gives them a chance to fix it first.

STEP 1Raise it with the game developerSet out the problem, the date and what would put it right. Trading as a business, the game developer owes you reasonable care and skill under the Consumer Rights Act 2015, and where that was missing you can require the work done again or a lower price.
STEP 2Ask Locufy to help put it rightUnder four stars, you are asked whether to send the problem to the game developer before reviewing. We chase it with them, and your review follows.
STEP 3Trading Standards, through the helplineTrading Standards takes complaints through the national helplines: Citizens Advice on 0808 223 1133 in England and Wales, Advice Direct Scotland on 0808 800 9060, and Consumerline on 0300 123 6262 in Northern Ireland, which is its own helpline there.
STEP 4Small claims courtIf nothing else works, claim from the game developer in the small claims court: up to £10,000 in England and Wales, up to £5,000 in Scotland by simple procedure, and up to £5,000 in Northern Ireland.

Hiring a game developer: questions people ask

No. Not in any part of the UK; there is no licence, register or required qualification.

The developer owns the copyright in their code and art until they assign it to you in a signed document.

They can if the developer works through their own company. HMRC says the client usually decides employment status, but a small private-sector client leaves it to the worker's company.

Usually £21–£71 per hour, with £31 typical. Engine skills, shipped titles, platforms and online features move the hourly rate. See the game developer price guide for the detail, or enter your town above for game developers near you.

Online features collect personal data, which must be kept secure and explained to players under data protection rules.

Prototypes take days to weeks; full games commonly take months or years.

MORE GUIDES

More hiring guides in marketing, design & tech

How to hire: App DeveloperHow to hire: Software DeveloperHow to hire: 3D ModellerHow to hire: AnimatorHow to hire: iOS DeveloperHow to hire: Android DeveloperHow to hire: UX / UI DesignerHow to hire: Sound EngineerAll 701 hiring guides →

Game developers near you

Game developers in LondonGame developers in ManchesterGame developers in BirminghamGame developers in GlasgowGame developers in BelfastAll game developers on Locufy →

Sources — checked October 2026

  1. Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988, section 90 — assignment in writing
  2. gov.uk — understanding off-payroll working (IR35)
  3. gov.uk — data protection and your business
  4. Consumer Rights Act 2015, section 49 — reasonable care and skill
  5. Citizens Advice — more help with a consumer issue
  6. gov.uk — make a court claim for money: court fees
  7. VAT rates — VAT rates for goods and services: standard rate 20% on most goods and services
  8. GOV.UK — Register for VAT: when to register