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Animator Jobs in Austin

Find animator jobs in Austin from the world's top game studios. EA, ZeniMax, Certain Affinity, Retro Studios, and more Austin studios hire animators across all levels. Texas has no state income tax. Updated daily.

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Latest Animator Jobs in Austin

Fresh animator jobs in austin roles first, then the latest animation roles. Members see the studio, salary info, and direct apply link.

Animator Roles in Austin

We curate animator positions from game studios across Austin and the greater Texas region.

🎮

Junior Animator

⭐

Animator

🌟

Senior Animator

👑

Lead Animator

🧑‍🎨

Character Animator

🎬

Cinematic Animator

🕹️

Gameplay Animator

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Technical Animator

Austin Game Studios Hiring Animators

Austin's studios develop a wide range of genres from MMORPG to action platformers, creating varied animation demand across disciplines:

EA / BioWare Austin
ZeniMax Online Studios
Certain Affinity
Retro Studios
Rooster Teeth Games
Playful Studios
Riot Games Austin
+ More Studios

Animator Salary Ranges in Austin (2026)

What animator roles pay at Austin game studios.

Junior Animator
$45K - $65K
Animator
$65K - $90K
Senior Animator
$85K - $118K
Lead Animator
$108K - $145K

*Salaries listed in USD. Texas has no state income tax, increasing take-home pay versus California-based roles at comparable salaries. Austin's lower cost of living versus Los Angeles and San Francisco makes real-terms compensation highly competitive for animators.

What Austin Studios Look For in Animators

Austin animation teams work on everything from high-volume MMO character systems to precision platformer action. Here is what gets you hired.

🎬 Core Animation Skills

  • Strong animation principles: weight, timing, anticipation, follow-through
  • Gameplay state machine animation and locomotion systems
  • Character, creature, and NPC animation across action and RPG genres
  • Cinematic and in-engine cutscene animation workflows
  • Iterating quickly based on game feel and director feedback

🎮 Tools and Software

  • Maya for keyframe and motion capture cleanup
  • Unreal Engine 5 animation graph and Blueprint systems
  • Motion Builder for mocap pipeline work
  • Houdini or Blender for secondary animation or cloth sims
  • Perforce or similar version control for large team pipelines

🌟 What Austin Studios Specifically Want

  • BioWare Austin needs animators with high-volume MMO content output
  • Retro Studios values precise platformer timing and Nintendo franchise awareness
  • Certain Affinity hires for multiplayer-focused combat and action animation
  • Shipped AAA title credits with character or gameplay animation focus
  • Collaborative approach working with narrative, design, and engineering teams

💡 How to Stand Out in Austin's Market

  • Show a variety of animation disciplines including gameplay and cinematic
  • Include before/after mocap cleanup examples demonstrating polish
  • Demonstrate understanding of game feel and player feedback loops
  • Reference the specific genres and IP of your target Austin studio
  • Apply within 24 hours of posting

Animator Jobs in Austin FAQ

Are there animator jobs in Austin?
Yes. Austin has an active animation job market supported by EA's BioWare Austin, ZeniMax Online Studios, Certain Affinity, Retro Studios, and Rooster Teeth Games. The range of genres across Austin studios, from large-scale MMORPGs to first-party Nintendo platformers to co-op shooters, creates demand for character, gameplay, and cinematic animators.
Which studios in Austin hire animators?
Major game studios hiring animators in Austin include EA / BioWare Austin, ZeniMax Online Studios, Certain Affinity, Retro Studios, and Rooster Teeth Games. BioWare Austin hires animators for large-scale character and NPC animation systems on online RPG titles. Retro Studios employs animators with strong platformer animation fundamentals for Nintendo franchise titles including Metroid and Donkey Kong.
What is the salary for an animator in Austin?
In Austin: Junior Animators earn $45K-$65K, mid-level $65K-$90K, Senior Animators $85K-$118K, and Lead Animators $108K-$145K. Texas has no state income tax, which meaningfully increases take-home pay versus California roles at equivalent salaries.
What skills do Austin game studios want in an animator?
Austin studios want animators with strong principles fundamentals, gameplay state machine animation, and real-time engine experience in Unreal or Unity. BioWare Austin values animators capable of producing high volumes of character and creature animation for online game content. Retro Studios looks for animators with a strong sense of weight and timing appropriate for Nintendo's family-friendly action platformer IP.
How do I find animator jobs in Austin?
ArtBlast curates animator jobs daily and flags Austin and Texas studio roles specifically. Applying within the first 24-48 hours gives you the best chance of being reviewed. Paid subscribers get Discord live alerts the moment new Austin animator roles post, before most applicants see them.

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