Learning game art design skills is only half the battle for aspiring game artists…the other half is landing an actual job. There’s good news, though: even in a recession, the video game industry continues to grow. Why? Because the gaming industry creates value in both good times and bad. People certainly play video games to celebrate and have fun alone or with friends, but they also play to relax, unwind, and destress.
As the industry continues to grow, studios continue to seek out top talent to help them turn out the next generation of games. Right this moment, there are video game developers and indie studios hiring artists by the dozens. Agencies are constantly filling positions for Character Artists and Animators, FX Animators, Concept Artists, Level Designers, Pixel Artists and more. If you’ve got relevant design skills, chances are they want you.
Related Post: 40+ International Art Galleries Looking for New Artists
Where does one begin to seek out a new game art design job? It’s easier than it sounds–and we’ve made it even easier by rounding up a list of AAA game companies as well as indie game studios hiring artists, so you can skip the searching and get straight to applying for your dream design position.
Check out this list of more than 80 highly-rated video game studios that are currently hiring artists, and follow the links provided to find out what positions they’re looking to fill. You might recognize a few of the big names on this list!
AAA Game Studios Hiring Artists
Below are the top AAA game companies to work as an artist, and where to apply for entry-level or advanced jobs.
Bungie
Bungie, Inc. is an American video game company based in Bellevue, Washington. Founded in 1991 in a one-bedroom apartment in Chicago, IL, Bungie became the studio behind some of the biggest videogame hits in history, including Destiny, Halo, Myth, Marathon, and more.
- Headquarters: Bellevue, Washington, US
- See Bungie Job Openings
- Bungie Notable Games
4J Studios
4J Studios is a multi award winning game development studio best known for developing the Minecraft Console Edition. The studio is based in Scotland and has an experienced core team of designers, technology and game programmers and artists.
- Headquarters: Dundee, UK
- See 4J Studios Job Openings
- Notable Games
Epic Games
Epic Games is an American video game company that creates cutting-edge games and cross-platform game engine technology. Epic operates Fortnite, one of the world’s largest games and also develops Unreal Engine, which powers the world’s leading games and is adopted across industries such as film and television, architecture, automotive, manufacturing, and simulation.
- Headquarters: Cary, NC, US
- See Epic Games Job Openings
- Notable Games
NetherRealm Studios
NetherRealm Studios is the creative team that brought the Mortal Kombat franchise to life. With over 20 years of creation under their belts, they create cutting edge entertainment and deliver industry leading tech, game art and overall gaming experiences.
- Headquarters: Chicago, IL, US
- See NetherRealm Job Openings
- Notable Games
Electronic Arts
Founded in May 1982 by Apple employee Trip Hawkins, the company became one of the largest video game developers in the world. EA attracts some incredibly talented individuals, they have a selective hiring process and you can always apply for roles across disciplines of art, programming and game design.
- Headquarters: Redwood City, CA, US
- See EA Job Openings
- Notable Games
Activision
Activision Blizzard is one of the biggest names in the video game industry and has been creating video games since 1979. Their interview process tends to be relaxed and casual and most positions will require at least two rounds of interviews, with some requiring a third or fourth round.
- Headquarters: Santa Monica, CA, US
- See Activision Job Openings
- Notable Games
Nintendo
Nintendo started out as a small playing card company in Japan and became one of the most influential companies in the video game industry. Nintendo created some of the top-selling video game franchises of all-time, such as Super Mario Bros., The Legend of Zelda, Animal Crossing, and Pokémon.
- Headquarters: Kyoto, Japan
- See Nintendo Job Openings
- Notable Games
Blizzard Entertainment
After establishing the Blizzard Entertainment label in 1994, the company quickly became one of the most popular and well-respected makers of computer games, including World of Warcraft, Overwatch, Hearthstone, StarCraft and Diablo.
- Headquarters: Irvine, CA, US
- See Blizzard Job Openings
- Notable Games
Rockstar Games
Rockstar Games are a game developer and publisher responsible for some of the most successful, controversial, and innovative games in the industry. The brand is most known for the Grand Theft Auto series, Red Dead Redemption, and Max Payne. The interview process at Rockstar Games can vary depending on the position you are applying for. However, most positions will require at least a phone screen, followed by one or more in-person interviews.
- Headquarters: New York, US
- See Rockstar Games Job Openings
- Notable Games
Zenimax Online
ZeniMax Online Studios is an award-winning game studio specializing in massively multiplayer online games. In 2014, the company launched The Elder Scrolls Online, bringing a massively multiplayer experience to the celebrated Elder Scrolls series for the first time.
- Headquarters: Hunt Valley, MD, US
- See Zenimax Job Openings
- Notable Games
Crystal Dynamics
Crystal Dynamics is an award-winning game studio known for Tomb Raider series, Marvels Avengers and Legacy of Kain. The company is constantly seeking the best gaming talent worldwide including Character, Concept, Environment and Technical Artists.
- Headquarters: Redwood City, CA, US
- See Crystal Dynamics Job Openings
- Notable Games
Ubisoft
Ubisoft is a French video game company with development studios across the world. Its video game franchises include Assassin’s Creed, Far Cry, For Honor, Just Dance, Prince of Persia, Rabbids, Rayman, Tom Clancy’s, and Watch Dogs.
- Headquarters: Montreuil, France
- See Ubisoft Job Openings
- Notable Games
CD PROJEKT RED
CD PROJEKT RED is a development studio founded in 2002, famous for the Witcher games, as well as for Cyberpunk 2077. From gameplay, sound, and graphic designers to artists, producers and programmers, everyone at RED is focused on one goal: to make and publish the best games in the world.
- Headquarters: Warsaw, Poland
- Accept unsolicited resumes: yes
- See Cd Projekt Red Job Openings
- Notable Games
Valve Corporation
In addition to creating several of the world’s most award-winning games, Valve is also a developer of leading-edge technologies including the Source game engine and Steam, the premier online gaming platform. As an artist at Valve, you will join a world-class group of software engineers, 3D artists, writers, animators, and designers who are continually building and releasing entertainment experiences to players around the globe.
- Headquarters: Bellevue, WA, US
- See Valve Job Openings
- Notable Games
BioWare
BioWare is a Canadian video game developer, owned since 2007 by American publisher Electronic Arts. BioWare specializes in role-playing video games with some great names in their roster: Baldur’s Gate, Neverwinter Nights, and Star Wars: Knights of the Old Republic. They proceeded to make several other successful games based on original intellectual property: Jade Empire, the Mass Effect series, and the Dragon Age.
- Headquarters: Edmonton, Alberta, Canada
- See BioWare Job Openings
- Notable Games
Naughty Dog
From creating the iconic Crash Bandicoot and Jak and Daxter series to modern franchises like Uncharted and The Last of Us, Naughty Dog is responsible for some of the most critically acclaimed and commercially successful games on Sony’s PlayStation platforms.
- Headquarters: Santa Monica, CA, US
- See Naughty Dog Job Openings
- Notable Games
Square Enix
Square Enix is a Japanese video game company, best known for its Final Fantasy, Dragon Quest, Star Ocean and Kingdom Hearts role-playing video game franchises. Square Enix is always seeking motivated and experienced artists to work with on its next projects.
- Headquarters: Tokyo, Japan
- See Square Enix Job Openings
- Notable Games
Remedy Entertainment
Remedy Entertainment is a Finnish video game developer of blockbuster games including the first two instalments in the Max Payne franchise, Alan Wake, Quantum Break and Control. Remedy is looking for both experienced and aspiring talent to join their exciting AAA projects.
- Headquarters: Espoo, Finland
- See Remedy Job Openings
- Notable Games
Indie Game Studios Hiring
Below are the top indie game studios to work as an artist, and where to apply for entry-level or advanced jobs.
Tarsier Studios
Tarsier is an independent game studio from Sweden. They are the developers of Statik and the award winning Little Nightmares franchise. Tarsier is always looking for talented, self-motivated individuals with the capability and drive to make something extraordinary.
- Headquarters: Malmö, Sweden
- See Tarsier Job Openings
- Games
Playdead
Playdead is a Danish award-winning independent video game developer, responsible for a pair of critically acclaimed games: dark puzzle platformers Limbo and Inside. Their third and current project is a 3rd-person science fiction adventure set in a remote corner of the universe.
- Headquarters: Copenhagen, Denmark
- See Playdead Job Openings
- Games
Thatgamecompany
Thatgamecompany is an American award-winning independent video game studio, creators of artistically crafted, broadly accessible video games that push the boundaries of interactive entertainment. They are looking for Environment, Technical and Concept Artists to join their studio.
- Headquarters: Santa Monica, CA, United States
- See Thatgamecompany Job Openings
- Games
ProbablyMonsters
ProbablyMonsters is an independent video game company who aims to change the way games are made and inspire a better industry for all. The company began 2022 by closing the largest Series A Raise in video gaming history at the time, at $250M, and ending the year with a tremendous 65% growth rate. ProbablyMonsters is actively hiring hybrid and fully remote employees in all disciplines, offering competitive benefits packages, and incubating more games from the most innovative developers.
- Headquarters: Bellevue, WA, United States
- See ProbablyMonsters Job Openings
- Games: In development
Rivet Games
Rivet Games is a team of passionate and talented artists and developers based in Scotland, currently focused on making train simulation products.
- Headquarters: Stirling, Scotland
- See Rivet Games Job Openings
- Games: Train Simulator Series
Giant Sparrow
Giant Sparrow is an independent video game development company based in California, known for The Unfinished Swan and What Remains of Edith Finch. They are looking for thoughtful concept artists and illustrators to help with visual development on their next game.
- Headquarters: Santa Monica, CA, US
- See Giant Sparrow Job Openings
- Games
Demiurge Studios
Demiurge is a Boston-based independent game studio that has developed multiple original video games for mobile, PC, and console platforms.
- Headquarters: Cambridge, MA, US
- See Demiurge Job Openings
- Games
Rovio Entertainment
Rovio has been making games and entertainment since its establishment in 2003. The Company is best known for the global Angry Birds franchise, which started from a popular mobile game in 2009. With offices in Finland, Sweden, Denmark, Canada and Turkey, their international team is made up of people from over 50 nationalities who each bring their own unique perspective to their craft and their projects.
- Headquarters: Espoo, Finland
- See Rovio Job Openings
- Games
Embark Studios
Embark Studios was founded in Sweden in 2018 by Patrick Söderlund, the former Executive Vice President at EA and CEO of DICE. They are assembling a diverse team for their new projects, also including Environment, Character, 3D and FX Artists.
- Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
- See Embark Job Openings
- Games: ARC Raiders
Steel Wool Studios
Steel Wool Studios is an independent studio from Oakland, CA, developers of virtual reality games and interactive educational experiences. They are always on the lookout for talented and motivated artists to join their team.
- Headquarters: Oakland, CA, US
- See Steel Wool Job Openings
- Games
Heart Machine
Heart Machine is an American independent video game development studio best known for developing the award-winning Hyper Light Drifter and Solar Ash. They are looking for talented, motivated, smart, highly communicative, diverse and just plain good people to become part of their crew.
- Headquarters: Los Angeles, CA, US
- See Heart Machine Job Openings
- Games
Hopoo Games
Hopoo Games is an American indie video game developer founded in 2012 in a college dorm room. They are known for the creation of Risk of Rain, launched 2013 and its sequel Risk of Rain 2.
- Headquarters: Seattle, WA, US
- See Hopoo Job Openings
- Games
Sloclap
Sloclap is an independent game studio founded in Paris in 2015 by former Ubisoft Paris employees, best known for the games Absolver and Sifu. They are currently around 60 employees working on content updates for their last project, along with another, unannounced one.
- Headquarters: Paris, France
- See Sloclap Job Openings
- Games
Roll7
Roll7 is a BAFTA and multi-award-winning Independent Studio based in London, UK. Since it was founded in 2008, Roll7 has differentiated itself from the rest by making games emphasizing kineticism. Roll7 switched to remote work, the majority of Roll7’s employees working from home nine days out of ten.
- Headquarters: London, UK
- See Roll7 Job Openings
- Games
Cellar Door Games
Cellar Door Games is an independent video game development company that was founded in 2009 and is located in Toronto, Ontario. They are always looking for amazing talent to join their team.
- Headquarters: Toronto, Ontario
- See Cellar Door Job Openings
- Games
Inkle Studios
Inkle was founded in 2011 by two Cambridge game developers with a passion for storytelling and beautiful design. The studio specialises in text-focused computer video games and are notable for games such as 80 Days, which was Time Magazine’s Game of the Year in 2014, and Sorcery!. They are always more than happy to hear from talented people.
- Headquarters: Cambridge, United Kingdom
- See Inkle Job Openings
- Games
FuturLab
FuturLab is the award-winning independent game studio best known for PowerWash Simulator, Velocity 2X and many more remarkable games on PC & console. They also accept speculative job applications.
- Headquarters: Brighton, UK
- See FuturLab Job Openings
- Games
Acid Nerve
Acid Nerve is a two-person team from Manchester UK, making independent games in collaboration with artists from around the world.
- Headquarters: Manchester, UK
- See Acid Nerve Job Openings
- Games
11 Bit Studios
11 bit studios is a multiplatform game development company founded in 2010 by former members of CD Projekt and Metropolis Software. The studio is most known for developing Anomaly: Warzone Earth, This War of Mine, and Frostpunk.
- Headquarters: Warsaw, Poland
- See 11 Bit Job Openings
- Games
Arrowhead Game Studios
Arrowhead Game Studios is an independent Swedish video game developer known for the Helldivers and Magicka series. Magicka won the Game of the Year award at the Swedish Game Awards 2008. Arrowhead is primarily interested in long term jobs and employment.
- Headquarters: Stockholm, Sweden
- See Arrowhead Job Openings
- Games
Flying Wild Hog
Flying Wild Hog is am acclaimed Polish video game developer founded in 2009, best known for the 2013 reboot of Shadow Warrior, and its 2016 sequel, Shadow Warrior 2.
- Headquarters: Warsaw, Poland
- See Flying Wild Hog Job Openings
- Games
Q-Games
Q-Games, Limited is a Japanese indie video game developer which works closely with both Nintendo and Sony. The studio was formed in 2001 by British programmer Dylan Cuthbert, who previously worked on the original Star Fox for Nintendo. Q-Games is known for its PixelJunk series of games, as well as for handheld Star Fox Command games.
- Headquarters: Kyoto, Japan
- See Q-Games Job Openings
- Games
Bohemia Interactive
Bohemia Interactive is a Czech video game developer and publisher focused on creating military simulation games such as Operation Flashpoint: Cold War Crisis and the ARMA series. They’re always on the lookout for talented people to join our team, with expertise in programming, art, design, animation, testing and publishing.
- Headquarters: Prague, Czech Republic
- See Bohemia Job Openings
- Games
CCP Games
CCP Games is an Icelandic leading video game developer acquired by South Korean video game publisher Pearl Abyss for $425 million in 2018. The company established itself as one of the most innovative companies in interactive entertainment, winning numerous awards and receiving critical acclaim worldwide. CCP is always on the lookout for talented people from all around the world.
- Headquarters: Reykjavik, Iceland
- See CCP Games Job Openings
- Game: EVE Online
Traega Entertainment
Founded in 2015, Traega Entertainment is a new indie studio based in Nashville, TN. Their game developers come from a multitude of well-known studios including Blizzard, EA, Bungie, Microsoft, Psyonix, Gearbox Software, Bullfrog, Lionhead, CCP, and Funcom. They are always looking to hire new team members who share their passion for gaming.
- Headquarters: Nashville, TN, US
- See Traega Job Openings
- Game: Aegis Descent
Daedalic Entertainment
Daedalic Entertainment is a German video game developer and publisher best known for developing point-and-click adventure games. As an active publisher of third-party content, Daedalic has released outstanding and unique games like Machinarium, Tales of Monkey Island and Torchlight II.
- Headquarters: Hamburg, Germany
- See Daedalic Job Openings
- Games
Compulsion Games
Compulsion Games Inc. is a Canadian video game developer and a studio of Xbox Game Studios from Montreal. Established in 2009 by ex-Arkane Studios developer Guillaume Provost, the studio developed the 2013 puzzle-platform game Contrast and the 2018 survival horror game We Happy Few.
- Headquarters: Montreal, Canada
- See Compulsion Games Job Openings
- Games