From small independent video games developed on a single computer to AAA blockbusters that sometimes top the billion-dollar mark, video game development represents a budget that varies according to the vision, resources and objectives of each project.
But whatever the scale of the project, creating a video game always has a cost, and you need to be able to take this into account before embarking on the creative process.
The different costs involved in creating a video game
As with any project, there are many costs involved in creating a video game. Here are the main items of expenditure linked to this process, whatever the size of the production.
Team salaries
From independent production to intercontinental co-production, it takes manpower to bring a videogame universe to life. The salaries of the development teams are therefore an important component of a video game’s budget.
The budget varies greatly depending on the experience and number of people involved in the project, as well as the salaries of the project leaders.
Equipment and premises
Even for a modest production, creating a video game requires workspace, and these costs must be included in the production budget.
Similarly, creating a video game requires high-quality hardware and tools for testing and developing the video game before it is put on the market.
Software licences and game engines
The cost of licensing video game creation software and game engines is not insignificant, and needs to be anticipated.
Despite certain exceptions for very small studios and independent designers, Unreal Engine 5, for example, costs more than €2,000 per year per licence.
This is an amount to keep an eye on, especially if production expands and requires the addition of new staff.
Open source options such as Blender, or more recently so-called no-code software such as Gdevelop, are interesting alternatives for productions on a limited budget.
Testing and debugging costs
It’s impossible to launch a game on the market without going through this stage. Testing and debugging are an integral part of video game development, and AAA games launched too early are often the target of a great deal of criticism. This can ruin the reputation of a game, or even a studio.
The testing and debugging phase allows us to put the game mechanics to the test, and to gather feedback from people who are experts in the field, or from specialist testers.
Marketing and communications
Is your game finished and just waiting for its audience? Think again. The marketing and communications stage is essential to getting the word out about your product, and the big studios sometimes spend more on this than on the entire production process.
This position is therefore key to distributing your game and promoting it to your target audience. This consideration of targeting is all the more important now that there are so many communication channels, and audiences that are sometimes very different from one another.
For Clair Obscur: Expedition 33, one of the most impressive successes of 2025 created by French independent studio Sandfall Interactive and published by Kepler Interactive, a large part of this budget was invested in influencer marketing.
According to Nick Lombardi (Steamforge), nearly €212,000 has been spent on this division, split between Twitch, TikTok, Youtube and other networks.
The investment has paid off, with sales of the game topping 3.3 million in just one month.
Patches, community management and multiplayer areas
In 2025, it is no longer conceivable to launch a video game without taking into account the costs involved in maintaining and updating it and, in the case of multiplayer video games, maintaining the servers and developing the user experience itself.
Depending on the scale of the project, these costs can vary greatly, and can employ several dozen, or even hundreds of people when we’re talking about a massively multiplayer AAA game.
Common mistakes to avoid when estimating the budget for a video game
From the biggest studios to small independent productions, the mistakes to avoid are the same. The main one is to underestimate expenditure, whatever the item.
There is a strong temptation to reduce envelopes, in order to make the project more viable and more attractive to investors. But an under-budgeted project also runs the risk of being under-staffed, and this can cause serious production delays.
Reducing the testing and debugging phase can also be a route chosen by project managers, but it can also prove disastrous.
Finally, underestimating the maintenance costs associated with the game’s lifecycle can prove fatal, even if your project has public appeal and receives good feedback from the industry.
To avoid making these errors of judgement, it’s important to develop your project management skills in the world of video games.
Thanks to a video games school, aspiring game designers and creators will be able to develop their technical skills, as well as acquiring the knowledge needed to successfully complete a project from A to Z, while familiarising themselves with the sector and its specific features.
Concrete example: budget for an independent video game
Despite increasing transparency in the sector, the budget remains a taboo in the independent video game industry.
Even so, we can estimate that the budget for a simple independent video game is between €20,000 and €50,000, a sum that can quickly rise to €500,000 and much more for more complex games.
Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 has a production budget of over 30 million, which studios and publishers must make profitable, or face serious consequences if it fails commercially.
Concrete example: budget for a AAA video game
The amounts explode when you talk about the budget for a AAA video game.
CD Projekt Red’s Cyberpunk 2077 cost over $170 million to produce, with a marketing budget that, according to sources, was in the region of $140 million in 2020 at the time of its release.
And if we add to this equation the $120 million that the studio has spent on updates, patches and upgrades to correct its lukewarm launch and make the game more attractive, that adds up to a total budget of almost $400 million.
In 2023, the studio presented its budget in detail to investors at a filmed conference.
A very interesting resource for those interested in AAA video game development.
Financing the creation of a video game: what are the options?
There are many options for financing the creation of a video game. In France, regional and national funding can provide the spark for an independent project, and enable young creators to launch ambitious projects without having to take on too much risk. The Grand Est region offers up to €25,000 for the development of a video game, while the CNC, via its video game support fund (FAJV), can also finance the pre-production and production stages of a video game. In 2024, French studio Piece of Cake’s Fantastic Haven received €100,000 in production aid.
At the same time, crowdfunding and pre-purchasing are very attractive options for independent productions and studios that already have a good brand image, because they can count on a loyal community. One outstanding example is the game Hollow Knight, which has since gained a cult following and raised almost $60,000 through a crowdfunding campaign in 2014.
Finally, when you’re moving towards bigger productions, negotiating a contract with a video game publisher and raising funds from investors (business angels, banks, investment funds) will be a key step in building solid, diversified financing. Because diversification is essential to guarantee project execution and stability.
Which game holds the record for the highest production budget?
Today, and even before its release, GTA VI already holds the record for the highest production cost, having already topped the billion-dollar mark (some sources even put the figure at a staggering 2 billion).
An industry first for a AAA(A?) game with the look and feel of a Hollywood blockbuster.
By way of comparison, Red Dead Redemption 2 cost $540 million at the time.
Rockstar Games has little to worry about, however, as GTA V generated over a billion dollars in revenue in just three days when it was released.
We will have to wait until 26 May 2026 to find out whether the American company has repeated the feat.