Best Small Game Studios for Hire (2026)
Micro studios of ten or fewer people you can hire directly. As of 14 November 2026, 47 of the 609 studios in this directory are on this list. Compare listed capabilities and portfolio work, then contact studios directly.
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Find my matchesCompare Small Game Studios at a glance
The top 10 Small Game Studios on this list, side by side. Featured listings first, then by profile completeness score — the same order as the cards below.
| Studio | City | Country | Team size | Founded | Engines | Platforms | Services | Studio-confirmed |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| High Mountain (3DAW Studio) | Knin | Croatia | 1-10 | 2020 | Unity, Unreal Engine | PC, PlayStation, Xbox +3 | 3D Art, 2D Art, Animation +3 | — |
| CamperForge | Barcelona | Spain | 1-10 | 2026 | Unreal Engine, Custom Engine | PC, PlayStation, Nintendo Switch +2 | Programming, Co-Development | — |
| Rogue Goliath Studios | Baton Rouge | United States | 1-10 | 2018 | Unity, Unreal Engine | PC, PlayStation, Xbox +2 | Game Design, 3D Art, Animation +1 | — |
| Bromio | Puebla | Mexico | 1-10 | 2013 | Unity, Unreal Engine | PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation +3 | Programming, Game Design, 3D Art +5 | — |
| Open Lab | Firenze | Italy | 1-10 | 2001 | Unity, Other | PC, Nintendo Switch, Web +3 | 2D Art, Programming, 3D Art +6 | — |
| Order After Kayoss Studio Private Limited | Kolkata | India | 1-10 | 2022 | Unreal Engine | PC, PlayStation, Xbox +4 | 2D Art, 3D Art, Animation +6 | — |
| Work With Indies | London | United Kingdom | 1-10 | 2019 | Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot | PC, Nintendo Switch, PlayStation +1 | Game Design, Programming | — |
| 3D Animation & Game Art Outsourcing Studio | YEYO Studio | Riga | Latvia | 1-10 | 2019 | Unity, Unreal Engine | PC, iOS, Web +6 | 3D Art, 2D Art, Animation | — |
| Rockodile Games | Turku | Finland | 1-10 | 2013 | Unreal Engine, Unity | PC, iOS, Android | Programming, Co-Development, Game Design +1 | — |
| Ocean View Games | London | United Kingdom | 1-10 | 2020 | Unity | PC, iOS, Android +1 | Programming, Full Production, Co-Development +3 | Ocean View Games displays its directory badge on its own website |
Every field comes from the studio's own listing; a dash means the listing does not record it. Open a profile for the full detail.
Top Small Game Studios
Game art, 3D and Unity/UE5 production from Croatia. 26 years, 12 shipped games.
Knin, Croatia · 1-10 people · Founded 2020 · 3D Art, 2D Art, Animation · Unity, Unreal Engine · Credits: Those Who Remain; Syndrome
Unreal Engine technical support for other teams
Barcelona, Spain · 1-10 people · Founded 2026 · Programming, Co-Development · Unreal Engine, Custom Engine · Credits: United 1944 -- Technical Director (2023); Killsquad -- Technical Director (2019)
Full-Stack Game Consulting
Baton Rouge, United States · 1-10 people · Founded 2018 · Game Design, 3D Art, Animation · Unity, Unreal Engine
Console and mobile porting. Full-service game development and co-development studio
Puebla, Mexico · 1-10 people · Founded 2013 · Programming, Game Design, 3D Art · Unity, Unreal Engine · Credits: Shovel Knight Dig - PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S (2025); Robobeat - Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S (2024)
We turn complex ideas into engaging games.
Firenze, Italy · 1-10 people · Founded 2001 · 2D Art, Programming, 3D Art · Unity
Serious About Games. Serious About Quality.
Kolkata, India · 1-10 people · Founded 2022 · 2D Art, 3D Art, Animation · Unreal Engine
Indie Game Co-Development Network
London, United Kingdom · 1-10 people · Founded 2019 · Game Design, Programming · Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot
3D Animation & Art for Your Game
Riga, Latvia · 1-10 people · Founded 2019 · 3D Art, 2D Art, Animation · Unity, Unreal Engine · Credits: Foundry; Blink Studio - rigging, weightpainting, game-ready animation - engine inegration 2024
Turku Unreal and Unity outsourcing studio for co-development, prototyping and outstaffing
Turku, Finland · 1-10 people · Founded 2013 · Programming, Co-Development, Game Design · Unreal Engine, Unity
London Unity studio for game development, co-development, porting and optimisation
London, United Kingdom · 1-10 people · Founded 2020 · Programming, Full Production, Co-Development · Unity · Credits: Nub — Unity rebuild and cross-platform development; Domi Online — Lead development and multiplayer engineering
Full outsourcing and game development
Santiago, Chile · 1-10 people · Founded 2023 · Programming, 2D Art, 3D Art · Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot · Credits: Forge The Fates (2026); Bumpers and dragons (2026)
New Delhi Unity/Unreal studio for co-development, prototypes and ports, plus XR
New Delhi, India · 1-10 people · Founded 2020 · Co-Development, Full Production, Programming · Unity, Unreal Engine
Small Prague studio offering Unity/Unreal game development, VR/AR and art for clients
Prague, Czech Republic · 1-10 people · Founded 2022 · Full Production, Programming, Game Design · Unity, Unreal Engine
HTML5 playable ads in Pixi.js and Three.js: 3D runners, puzzles, slots
Malaysia · 1-10 people · Founded 2024 · Programming, 2D Art, 3D Art · Cocos2D, Unreal Engine, Unity
Turning your ideas into interactive adventures
Petaling Jaya, Malaysia · 1-10 people · Founded 2020 · 2D Art, 3D Art, Animation · Unity, Cocos2D, Godot
UE5 co-development for PC/console and Unity development for mobile games
Batumi, Georgia · 1-10 people · Founded 2024 · Co-Development, Programming, Full Production · Unity, Unreal Engine
Giving form to your imagination.
Shibuya, Japan · 1-10 people · Founded 2022 · 3D Art, Full Production, Game Design · Unreal Engine, Unity, Godot · Credits: EbonFrost - Lead 3D Artist 2026
3D environment and prop art studio for Unreal Engine and Unity projects
Novi Sad, Serbia · 1-10 people · Founded 2008 · 3D Art, Game Design · Unreal Engine, Unity
Full-service game development for any platform. From concept to launch.
Portugal · 1-10 people · Founded 2021 · Programming, Full Production, Co-Development · Unity, Unreal Engine, GameMaker · Credits: Cowardly Heroes; Pinteza
We make things move.
Pune, Maharashtra, India · 1-10 people · Founded 2019 · 2D Art, 3D Art, Animation · Unity, Unreal Engine
Senior console porting for indie games
Florianopolis, Brazil · 1-10 people · Founded 2016 · Porting, Co-Development, Programming · Unity, Unreal Engine, Godot
Tokyo technical art, graphics programming and optimisation studio for AAA games
Tokyo, Japan · 1-10 people · Founded 2022 · 3D Art, Programming, Porting · Unreal Engine, Custom Engine
Cebu City team for full-cycle Unity development, co-development and 2D/3D game art
Cebu City, Philippines · 1-10 people · Founded 2023 · Full Production, Programming, Co-Development · Unity
Onlinetist — Custom Website Development & AI Solutions for Dubai Businesses
Dubai, United Arab Emirates · 1-10 people · Founded 2000 · Programming · Credits: onlinetist .com
Unity and Godot tools and work-for-hire team: UI/UX, co-development and custom tools
Rome, Italy · 1-10 people · Founded 2022 · Programming, Co-Development, UI/UX Design · Unity, Godot, Unreal Engine
Gameplay, physics and animation programming plus 3D art, in Unreal, Unity and WebGL
Pune, India · 1-10 people · Founded 2019 · 3D Art, Animation, Programming
2D & 3D Animation for Games, Film & Brands
Stockholm, Sweden · 1-10 people · Founded 2007 · 2D Art, Marketing, Game Design
Crafting Gaming Experience
Cairo, Egypt · 1-10 people · Founded 2020 · 2D Art, Game Design, Programming · Credits: Fananees Run (MBC Group) — Development & LiveOps (2025); Chef Abu Ashraf: Falafel Legend — Developer & Publisher, Apple App Store featured (2020)
Independent game studio for web, mobile, and PC.
Mondreville, France · 1-10 people · Founded 2024 · 2D Art, 3D Art, Animation · Unity
3D character and environment art studio in Penang for PC, console and mobile games
Bayan Lepas, Malaysia · 1-10 people · Founded 2022 · 3D Art, 2D Art
Portuguese co-development studio covering art, design and Unreal/Unity development
Caldas da Rainha, Portugal · 1-10 people · Co-Development, Full Production, Programming · Unreal Engine, Unity
We love what we do and the people we work with
Barcelona, Spain · 1-10 people · Founded 2026 · Programming, Co-Development, Game Design
Stylised Art outsourcing for mobile, console and PC
United Kingdom · 1-10 people · Founded 2024 · 2D Art, 3D Art, Co-Development · Unity, Unreal Engine · Credits: Hello Kitty Island Adventure, Fun Run 4
Unreal Engine Game development studio
Mumbai, India · 1-10 people · Founded 2026 · Programming, Co-Development, UI/UX Design · Unreal Engine
Minneapolis indie outfit offering console porting and co-development to small teams
Minneapolis, United States · 1-10 people · Porting, Co-Development, Programming
Co-development and console porting
Fukuoka, Japan · 1-10 people · Founded 2025 · 3D Art, Porting, Co-Development · Unreal Engine
Game animation studio for mocap cleanup, cinematics, trailers and slot animation
Bengaluru, India · 1-10 people · Founded 2026 · Animation, 2D Art, 3D Art · Unreal Engine
Denver indie studio offering technical design, narrative design and co-development
Denver, United States · 1-10 people · Co-Development, Full Production, Programming
Romanian Unreal Engine outsourcing: C++ gameplay, multiplayer, UI and backend systems
Sovata, Romania · 1-10 people · Founded 2021 · Programming, Co-Development, UI/UX Design · Unreal Engine
Stylized and cartoon 3D gameplay and cinematics animation for PC and Console Games.
Barcelona, Spain · 1-10 people · Founded 2024 · Animation · Unity, Unreal Engine · Credits: Denshattack!; Brainwash Gang
Build the world you want to play in.
Buffalo, United States · 1-10 people · Founded 2026 · Programming, QA Testing, Co-Development · Unity
Remote US co-dev studio for game UI/UX design, UI art and UI programming
Nashville, United States · 1-10 people · Founded 2020 · UI/UX Design, Programming, Co-Development
Story and 2D art for live games, from one team
Kyiv, Ukraine · 1-10 people · Founded 2025 · 2D Art, Narrative & Writing
Indonesian art outsourcing studio for AAA-standard 3D characters, props and collectibles
South Tangerang, Indonesia · 1-10 people · Founded 2025 · 3D Art, 2D Art, Animation
The story your game deserves
Poland · 1-10 people · Founded 2022 · Animation · Unreal Engine
Game marketing creative studio for trailers, video ads, UGC, playables and banners
Paris, France · 1-10 people · Marketing, Animation, 2D Art
2D concept art, game illustration and marketing art studio in Penang
George Town, Malaysia · 1-10 people · 2D Art, Marketing
Run a studio that belongs on this list? See which small game studios ChatGPT named for buyer questions on 24 September 2026, and add yours free.
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How We Select
A small game studio, as this list defines it, is a team of ten or fewer people — the smallest bucket the directory tracks, and a genuinely different hire from the broader indie game studios list, which covers everything up to 50 — that builds games or makes their art and animation. Only 47 of the 609 outsourcing studios here fit that, and the shortness of the list is honest about why: outsourcing shops staff past ten people quickly, because bench depth is what lets them promise dates. Micro-teams that only do audio, design consulting, writing, QA or PR are in the full directory rather than on this list. A studio that has stayed under ten is usually either young or deliberately boutique — a handful of senior people who would rather do the work than manage it.
What you get is the shortest possible line between your brief and the work: the person on the call is the person in the file, feedback lands the same day, and nothing gets lost relaying notes through an account manager. What you give up is slack. A ten-person studio has no bench, so one illness, one overlapping contract, or one holiday season moves your date. None of that makes them a bad hire; it makes them a hire you size honestly. Give a micro-team a project scoped to a micro-team.
How to vet a studio of ten or fewer
Capacity is the whole interview. Ask what else is in production while your project runs, how many people would actually touch your work, and what happens if the lead artist is out for two weeks. A confident small studio answers these directly, because managing a short roster is their daily job; evasion here predicts the schedule slip later. Then run the same checks you would on any studio: portfolio work in your style, a small paid test of $500 to $2,000, IP assignment in writing, and a mutual NDA before you share the design.
Structure the contract around the size too. Prefer short milestones with small payments over one large deliverable, so neither side is ever owed more than a few weeks of work. And keep a bus-factor copy of everything: source files delivered with each milestone, not at the end. With a three-person studio, an unexpected life event is not a risk you can contract away — but files already in your hands turn a disaster into a delay.
What small studios charge
Rates are set by discipline, seniority, and region, not by headcount, so do not expect small to mean cheap. The market bands are the same ones that price the whole directory, per hour: 2D art $25-40 entry to $75-150 senior, 3D art $30-50 to $100-200, programming $35-60 to $120-250. A boutique of three senior specialists quotes senior rates, and often earns them back in fewer revision rounds. What a small studio does offer is a lower floor: minimum engagements sized in weeks rather than quarters, which is exactly what an indie budget needs. For worked budgets see the cost guide, or sanity-check a quote with the rate calculator.
If ten people is too few for the scope you have, step up a bracket rather than overloading a team you like: the indie game studios list covers teams up to 50, and the full game development outsourcing companies list includes the shops that can absorb a surge.
Market rates & directory snapshot
Two quick reference points before you shortlist: our own estimate of what studios charge per hour by discipline, and how the directory breaks down by region and service. The estimates come from our published game outsourcing costs guide (or estimate your own with the rate calculator); the studio counts are this directory's own, counted from the live listings as of 14 November 2026. The statistics page has the full breakdown.
Frequently asked questions
What counts as a small game studio?
On this list, a team of ten or fewer people that builds games or makes their art — the smallest bucket the directory tracks. 47 of the 609 outsourcing studios here are that size and take that work. The broader indie game studios list covers teams up to 50; this page is the boutique end, where you deal directly with the people doing the work.
Is it risky to hire a game studio with under ten people?
The risk is concentration, not competence: no bench, so one illness or one overlapping contract moves your date. Manage it with scope sized to the team, short milestones with small payments, and source files delivered as you go rather than at the end. In exchange you get direct communication and minimum engagements sized in weeks.
How much does a small game studio cost?
The same market bands as any studio: per hour, 2D art runs $25-150, 3D art $30-200, and programming $35-250 across seniority. Headcount does not set the rate — seniority and region do. What small studios change is the floor: they will take orders sized in weeks that a large vendor's minimums would refuse.
Where can I find small indie studios open for contract work?
This list filters the gamedevoutsourcing.com directory to outsourcing studios of ten or fewer people that take programming, art, animation, co-development or full-production work. Each profile shows services, engines, and platforms, and contacting a studio is free with no platform fee. For slightly larger teams with the same direct-communication feel, the indie game studios list widens the cut to 50 people.
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