A quarter of QA in the gaming sector earns less than $1,000. The salary cap is $5,000

We continue to publish the results of the salary survey chapter by chapter, conducted by us from April to May 2023. This current publication discusses the income levels of Russian-speaking QA specialists.

We remind you that we are currently conducting a new salary survey to gather up-to-date data on salaries among Russian-speaking and Russian specialists. You can participate in it here:

The average salary of a QA specialist in the Russian-speaking gaming industry is $1,778, with a median of $1,700.

The largest salary group of QA specialists consists of those earning between $1,500 and less than $2,000 per month.

Unlike marketers and analysts, the QA specialty fully includes salary groups at the lower end of the spectrum. A quarter of testers earn less than $1,000, and the peak salary is much lower than in other professions at $5,000.

Testers are one of those groups of specialists where more than 55% still reside in Russia. Those who chose to live in another country have settled in regions with the lowest cost of living, such as Kazakhstan and Serbia.

The largest group of QA specialists is engaged in manual testing. However, it is also the least well-paid in terms of rates.

QA specialists have the lowest average starting salary among gaming specialties — $600 with a median of $550. Senior-level specialists also earn relatively lower, with an average of $2,100 and a median of $1,700.

Methodology

This research is the result of the third salary survey among Russian-speaking representatives of the gaming industry. The survey was conducted by WN Media Group from April to May 2023 through voluntary questionnaires (participants filled out a freely distributed survey form).

The survey gathered 1,004 completed questionnaires, including 51 from QA specialists.