PRICE GUIDE · MARKETING, DESIGN & TECH · 2026–2027
Game Developer cost in the UK
£21–£71 per hour. Typically £31.
UK contract adverts for game development work quote about £21–£71 an hour, with a median of £31. Engine skills such as Unity or Unreal, platform, art and design needs, multiplayer features and experience move the hourly rate.
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HOW MUCH IT COSTS
How much does a game developer cost in the UK?
| Low end | £21 | junior work on a small prototype |
|---|---|---|
| Typical | £31 | what most people pay |
| High end | £71 | a senior engine specialist on a commercial title |
Locufy guide prices for 2026–2027. Updated 2026. A national range, not a quote — enter your town above for real prices from the agencies and freelancers near you.
What moves the price
- Engine skills — Unity and Unreal specialists with shipped titles command higher rates
- Platform — console and VR games need extra certification and testing compared with mobile
- Art and design — 3D art, animation and level design are often separate roles with their own rates
- Multiplayer and backend — online features add servers, networking and testing
- Experience — senior game developers with shipped games charge far more than newcomers
- Scope — a prototype costs far less than a full commercial release
WHAT YOU GET
What a game developer visit includes
Takes: Prototypes take days to weeks; full games commonly take months or years. Not included: Art, music and sound, store and console publishing fees, engine licences above free tiers, marketing and live support are usually priced separately.
WHAT PEOPLE BOOK
Common game developer jobs
KNOW THE PRICE? NOW SEE THE REAL ONES
Game Developer near you, with prices shown
The agencies and freelancers that cover your area, nearest first, each with their price and one score from every review. No account needed to look.
Or post the job free and let them come to you, or book by the hour.
How to pay less
- Build a small playable prototype before committing to full game development
- Use engine store assets where they fit rather than paying for custom work
- Keep the first release small and add features after launch
Before you book
- Ask the game developer for playable builds or released games to try
- Agree who owns the code, art and game rights in writing
- Check age-rating and store requirements for the platforms you plan to release on
- If the developer works through their own company, consider whether IR35 applies
Game Developer cost: questions people ask
UK contract adverts for game development work quote about £21–£71 an hour, with a median of £31. Senior engine specialists on commercial titles sit at the top.
A small prototype can take days or weeks; a commercial game commonly takes many months or years.
Ownership of code and art depends on the contract, so make sure the rights are assigned to you in writing before work starts.
Usually. Programming and art are different skills, and many games need both a developer and an artist.
Art, audio, publishing fees, engine licences above free tiers, marketing and live support are commonly separate.
They are Locufy guide prices for the UK, based on published UK contract rate data for game development. They show the national range per hour, not a quote.
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