game dev budget estimator

    1

    Estimate game development costs and budget ranges based on scope, team composition, and milestones.

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    game dev budget estimator

    Example session with this skill installed

    I'm building a 2D soulslike for PC. We have a lead dev and one artist in Poland. What's the budget for a 15-minute vertical slice? We're working full-time.

    • Read your context and instructions
    • Compiled the game dev budget

    I have analyzed your 2D soulslike project based on your current team in Poland and the goal of a 15-minute vertical slice.

    Project Snapshot

    This is a high-polish, combat-focused 2D project. Vertical slices for this genre require tight "feel," meaning animation and VFX will be your primary cost drivers to meet player expectations.

    Assumptions

    • Scope: 15 minutes of polished gameplay (1 boss, 2 enemy types, core loop).
    • Team: 1 Lead Dev, 1 Artist (Polish market rates).
    • Work Model: Full-time, salary-equivalent.
    • Timeline: 4-6 months to reach vertical slice quality.

    Main Cost Drivers

    Animation/VFX: Soulslikes live or die on frame-perfect combat. This requires more art iterations than a standard 2D platformer.

    • Audio/SFX: Impact sounds and atmospheric music are critical for the genre's "weight."
    • QA/Tuning: Balancing combat difficulty takes significant playtesting time.

    What Is Already Covered

    • Core Engineering: Your lead dev covers systems and implementation.
    • Primary Visuals: The artist covers environment and basic sprites.

    Likely Missing Cost Buckets

    • Sound Design: You likely need a contractor for SFX and OST ($2k - $5k).
    • UI/UX Designer: Polish for inventory and HUD ($1.5k - $3k).
    • External QA: Fresh eyes to test difficulty curves ($1k).

    Rough Budget Range

    CaseRange (USD)Logic
    Low$35,000Strict Polish mid-level rates, minimal external assets.
    Expected$55,000Fair market rates, custom audio, professional UI pass.
    High$85,000Senior rates, heavy frame-by-frame animation, porting prep.

    Ways to Reduce Budget

    • Asset Packs: Use pre-made particle systems for VFX rather than custom sprites.
    • Static Narrative: Use text-based storytelling instead of animated cutscenes.
    • Scope Lock: Limit the vertical slice to one single arena to save on environment art.

    Next steps

    1. Document the specific animation count for the player character to get a firm quote from your artist.
    2. Reach out to freelance sound designers specializing in dark fantasy for "per-minute" music rates.
    3. Validate if your Lead Dev has experience with PC-specific optimization or if you'll need external help for the build pass.

    Connects securely to your tools. The creator never sees your data.

    What you get

    Calculate the cost to reach a vertical slice for a specific genre and team size.Identify hidden budget buckets like QA, localization, and platform compliance.Compare cost differences between regional labor markets and work models.Evaluate if a game concept is over-scoped for its current funding level.

    About this skill

    The problem

    Game developers often underestimate the capital required to reach specific milestones like a vertical slice or full release. They struggle to account for hidden costs like QA, localization, and backend infrastructure while miscalculating the value of their existing team's time.

    What it does

    • Generates tiered budget ranges (Low, Expected, High) based on game genre and target platform.
    • Identifies gaps in team composition and estimates the cost of hiring or contracting missing roles.
    • Adjusts estimates based on geographical labor rates and work models, including rev-share and outsourcing.
    • Differentiates financial requirements across milestones from initial prototypes to live F2P operations.
    • Provides actionable scope-reduction strategies to align game concepts with available funding.

    Why this beats prompting it yourself

    Generic LLMs often provide "spreadsheet theater" with fake precision or omit non-development costs like age ratings and middleware. This skill applies a specific diagnostic framework that forces accountability for often-ignored buckets like UI/UX polish and live-ops overhead, ensuring you don't get blindsided mid-production.

    Use cases

    • Estimating the runway needed for a 3-person indie team to reach a Steam-ready vertical slice.
    • Calculating the added cost of moving from a solo PC prototype to a cross-platform console release.
    • Auditing a pitch deck budget to see if it realistically covers QA, marketing, and legal fees.
    • Comparing the cost impact of hiring US-based contractors versus building a distributed remote team.

    Known limitations

    Estimates are directional and do not account for inflation or sudden market shifts in platform fees. Marketing budgets are provided as rough ranges and require separate detailed strategy for UA-heavy mobile titles.

    How to install

    Works the same in every agent - Claude, Cursor, Codex, Copilot and 20+ more.

    ~30 seconds
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