Game UI and UX Design Outsourcing
36 studios in this directory offer game UI and UX design. Below: why game UI is not app UI, how to scope work so it survives implementation, and the platform constraints that decide the design.
Game UI is not app UI with different colours. It runs on gamepads and touch as well as mouse, has to stay readable at couch distance on a television and on a phone in sunlight, sits on top of a moving image rather than a white background, and often has to work in a language 30 percent longer than the one it was designed in. Designers who have only done product work usually miss at least half of that.
The other difference is implementation. A UI design that is not built with the engine's layout system in mind becomes an engineering fight. Unity UGUI, Unity UI Toolkit and Unreal UMG all have different capabilities and different costs for the same visual effect. Ask which the studio designs for, and whether they implement or only hand over comps.
How to scope game UI work
- Input methods that must be supported: gamepad, keyboard and mouse, touch, and whether focus navigation is required
- Target resolutions and safe areas, including television overscan and phone notch handling
- Engine UI system and version, since UGUI, UI Toolkit and UMG are not interchangeable
- Whether the studio delivers comps, a component library, or implemented screens in your build
- Localization headroom in every text field, plus font stacks for any CJK languages you plan to ship
- Accessibility requirements: text scaling, colour-blind safe palettes, and remappable input
How UI work is priced
UI is usually quoted per screen or per flow for design, with implementation billed separately by the hour. A component library costs more upfront than a set of one-off screens and pays for itself as soon as the screen count passes roughly a dozen, because every later screen is assembly rather than design.
The visual layer follows 2D art pricing, since it is executed by the same kind of artist. Typical market rates for 2D art work, per hour: $25-40 entry, $40-75 mid, $75-150 senior. Implementation follows programming rates, which run higher.
What to check in a UI delivery
- Test every screen with a gamepad, not just a mouse. Focus order is where most game UI fails.
- Check readability against your busiest gameplay background, not a flat colour.
- Run the longest string in your longest target language through every field.
- Confirm assets are delivered as a component set with states, not as flattened images per screen.
Ready to shortlist UI/UX studios?
36 studios in this directory cover UI/UX. The ranked list shows each one's engines, platforms, location and portfolio, and contacting them is free.
UI/UX outsourcing: common questions
How is game UI design different from app UI design?
Game UI must work on gamepad and touch as well as mouse, stay readable at television distance and on a phone in sunlight, sit legibly on top of moving gameplay, and absorb text that expands significantly when localized. It also has to be built against the engine's layout system, which constrains what is affordable to implement.
How is game UI/UX work priced?
Design is usually quoted per screen or per flow, with engine implementation billed separately by the hour. A reusable component library costs more upfront but pays back once the screen count passes roughly a dozen, since later screens become assembly rather than fresh design work.
Should the UI studio also implement the interface?
It depends on your engineering capacity, but decide before the contract. Designs made without the engine layout system in mind can be expensive to build. If the studio only hands over comps, have an engineer review them for feasibility in your UI system before design is signed off rather than after.
What should I test in a UI delivery?
Navigate every screen with a gamepad to check focus order, which is where game UI most often fails. Check readability against your busiest gameplay background rather than a flat colour, and run the longest string from your longest target language through every text field before accepting the work.
Ready to shortlist ui/ux studios?
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