How much does voice acting cost for a game?
For an indie game, voice acting usually costs from a few hundred dollars for a small role to a few thousand for a lead, plus studio and editing time if the actor doesn't handle those. Voice agency Voquent lists one indie game character at $650 for 20 lines and $1,800 for 100 lines, Backstage says newer voice actors often charge $100 to $250 an hour, and union actors work to SAG-AFTRA (US) or Equity (UK) minimums. The biggest things that move your number are how many lines, how many characters, and whether the actor is union.
- Small indie roles are often quoted per role or per batch of lines. Voquent's rate card starts at $350 and lists 20 lines at $650, 50 lines at $1,150 and 100 lines at $1,800 for one indie or mobile game character.
- Hourly, Backstage puts newer actors at about $100 to $250 an hour, and its rate guide lists video games at $200 to $350 an hour.
- Union work has set minimums. SAG-AFTRA has a cheaper tiered agreement for indie budgets from $250,000, and UK union Equity recommends at least £300 an hour for AAA voice work.
- Lines, number of characters, screaming or combat sounds, rights (including AI and voice cloning) and who records and edits the audio push the price up most.
- The fastest way to a real quote: a line count per character and your budget in the first message.
I'm not going to make up numbers. Every figure on this page links to a named source you can read yourself. Voice acting rates vary a lot from actor to actor, so treat these as ballparks, not price tags. If you want the basics of how audio work is priced (per line, per word, per hour, license vs buyout), my guide on how game music, sound and voice acting is priced covers that. This page is about the actual cost.
What voice actors charge for games
| Source | What it says |
|---|---|
| Voquent (voice agency rate card) | One character for an indie or mobile game, recorded and delivered as clean audio: from $350. 20 lines (about 200 to 300 words) $650, 50 lines (about 500 to 750 words) $1,150, 100 lines (about 1,000 to 1,500 words) $1,800. |
| Backstage: video game voice actor pay | Newer voice actors about $100 to $250 an hour. Per project, about $300 for smaller roles up to $10,000 or more for leads in bigger games. Union day players roughly $450 to $2,000 a day. |
| Backstage: voiceover rate guide | Video games listed at $200 to $350 an hour, based on rates from Voices, Gravy for the Brain and BunnyStudio. |
| Equity, the UK performers' union, via VGC (August 2024) | Recommended minimums for AAA games: £300 an hour for voiceover, £1,000 a day for ensemble recording, and vocally stressful sessions capped at two hours. |
| SAG-AFTRA Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement | For game budgets from $250,000 to $30 million. The minimum session fee for a 4-hour voice session is a share of full union scale: 33% under $1 million, 50% up to $5 million, 66% up to $15 million and 80% up to $30 million. |
Most solo indie projects are well under SAG-AFTRA's lowest budget tier, so most of the actors you'll talk to are non-union and set their own rates. If an actor is union, ask them up front which agreement your project fits, because union members generally can't take non-union work.
Costs besides the actor
A lot of indie voice actors record at home and send you edited files, which keeps things simple. When that's not the case, budget for the rest of the chain. A 2016 Game Developer article on budgeting audio by composer Kole Hicks used these placeholder rates:
- Casting: about $50 an hour.
- Recording studio and engineer: $50 to $150 an hour, and "quite rare" to reach $300 an hour.
- Voice director: about the same as a good engineer, $50 to $150 an hour.
- Editing and implementation: about $50 an hour each.
Those numbers are from 2016, so expect them to be higher now. They're still a good checklist of who else might need paying.
What makes voice acting cost more
- Line count. This is the big one. 30 barks and 3,000 lines of story dialogue are very different jobs.
- Number of characters. Some actors happily do several voices, others price each voice separately. Ask.
- Screams, combat and creature sounds. They're hard on the voice. Equity's guidance caps vocally stressful sessions at two hours, and many actors charge more for them.
- Live directed sessions. Joining a call to direct the read is great for quality but takes the actor's time, so it often costs more than a self-directed read.
- Rights and usage. Using lines in trailers and ads, or a full buyout, can cost more than in-game use only. Put AI training and voice cloning terms in writing, since many actors say no.
- Pickups and revisions. Script changes later on mean new recording. Ask what their pickup policy is before you start.
- Union status. Union actors work to union minimums and rules.
How to budget voice acting for your game
- Count lines per character. Put your script in a spreadsheet with one row per line. Now you know what you're buying.
- Split main roles from small ones. Spend on the voices players hear most. Barks and minor characters can be smaller jobs, or one versatile actor doing several.
- Get a quote per character from two or three actors whose demos fit, using the same script sample and line count.
- Leave room for pickups. Scripts change. Agree on a rate for extra lines now so it's not a surprise later.
- Write down rights and AI terms before recording: where the voice can be used, credit, and that it won't be used to train AI or clone the voice.
Tip: When you post a role on IndieGuild, put your budget and rough line count in it. Actors who fit can see the scope before they reply, so the first quotes you get are actually usable.
Frequently asked questions
How much does voice acting cost for an indie game?
Usually from a few hundred dollars for a small role to a few thousand for a lead. Voice agency Voquent lists one indie game character at $650 for 20 lines and $1,800 for 100 lines. Backstage says newer voice actors often charge $100 to $250 an hour.
How much do voice actors charge per hour for games?
Backstage puts newer voice actors at about $100 to $250 an hour, and its voiceover rate guide lists video games at $200 to $350 an hour. UK union Equity recommends at least £300 an hour for AAA game voice work.
Do I need union voice actors for my indie game?
No. Most indie games hire non-union actors. If you want union talent in the US, SAG-AFTRA has a Tiered-Budget Independent Interactive Media Agreement for game budgets from $250,000, with session fees from 33% of full scale.
What else costs money besides the voice actor?
Casting, studio time, a voice director, editing and implementation, if the actor does not cover them. A 2016 Game Developer article used about $50 to $150 an hour for studio and engineer and about $50 an hour for casting, editing and implementation.
Is IndieGuild free?
Yes. IndieGuild is free for developers and creators, and I don't take a cut of anything you pay people. Pay and rights are agreed directly between you and the person you hire.
Find a voice actor for your game
Post your voice role on IndieGuild (it takes about a minute), add your budget and line count, and voice actors who fit get it in their inbox. IndieGuild is free for developers and creators, and I don't take a cut of anything you pay people. Or hear demos over your own gameplay and message someone directly.
Post a voice roleMore guides
- How to find a voice actor for your indie game
- How game music, sound and voice acting is priced
- How much do sound effects cost for a game?
- How much does music cost for an indie game?
- Where to find a composer, sound designer or voice actor
- How to find people to work on your game