# Game developers’ AI use rises to 40% in 2026 survey

> The GDC Festival of Gaming survey finds AI tools now part of the job for 40% of developers, up from 36% a year earlier.

Oossa · 2026-11-12 · https://oossa.com/en/game-developers-ai-use-rises-to-40-in-2026-survey

The GDC Festival of Gaming’s annual industry survey shows more developers are turning to generative AI. Forty percent of respondents say they use AI as part of their job, up from 36 percent in 2025. Usage is highest among free‑to‑play studios (58%) and mobile‑only teams (70%). Most developers use AI for research and brainstorming (73%) and for code generation or debugging (56%). The same survey notes that 34% of respondents have been laid off in the past two years.

## The facts

- 40% of developers use AI in their job (up from 36% in 2025).
- 34% of surveyed developers have experienced layoffs in the last two years.

## Why it matters

Studios can now rely on smaller teams to build game worlds, potentially lowering development costs.

## Sources & references

1. [More game developers are starting to use generative AI](https://www.theverge.com/games/1032085/gdc-festival-of-gaming-annual-survey-ai-layoffs) – The Verge, 2026-11-12

Last updated: 2026-11-12