Studying Animation and Video Games in France

The video game and animation industries offer many professional opportunities in France. France’s strengths include the quality of its degree programmes, which last between 3 and 6 years, as well as the expertise and versatility of French technicians, who combine drawing skills with technology.

France also has a large network of studios and companies working in video games, animation and virtual reality. Studios such as Ubisoft, Asobo Studio, Arkane Studios, Mac Guff and TAT Productions have contributed to the international recognition of French creativity.

French animation cinema also holds a major position on the international stage. France is the leading producer in Europe and the fourth-largest producer worldwide, with many renowned studios behind international successes such as Despicable Me, Minions and Sing. In recent years, French animation cinema has received numerous international awards, including 9 Oscars and 4 awards at the Tokyo Anime Award Festival.

French Animation Schools Recognised Internationally

In 2026, France strengthened its position in the annual ranking published by Animation Career Review. The country stands out with 8 French institutions ranked among the Top 50. The most remarkable achievement is that of GOBELINS Paris, which ranks first in the world among 199 schools worldwide.

Animation Career Review uses several criteria to establish its rankings, including academic excellence, the profile and number of faculty members, the selectivity of the institution, registration and tuition fees, as well as graduates’ success in the job market.

Five French Schools in the Top 20

France demonstrates its excellence in education, with five institutions ranked among the Top 20 worldwide:

GOBELINS Paris – This public art school, founded in 1963 and with campuses in Paris and Annecy, ranks first. It offers programmes in animation filmmaking, photography, video, motion design, graphic design, interactive graphic design and video games;
ESMA – Ranked 8th, ESMA is a school of applied arts with more than 20 years of experience and campuses in Montpellier, Toulouse, Nantes and Lyon. It offers programmes in 3D animation filmmaking, graphic design and digital strategy;
RUBIKA – This digital creation school, specialising in video games, animated films and industrial design, ranks 9th. It has campuses in Valenciennes and Montbéliard (France), as well as in Canada, India and Kenya;
ARTFX School – Ranked 11th, ARTFX has campuses in Montpellier, Lille and Paris and is an independent international higher education institution. It specialises in 2D and 3D animation, visual effects and video games;
MoPA School of Animation – Ranked 19th, this school is internationally recognised for its excellence in 3D animation filmmaking. It is located in Arles, in the Occitanie region.

France in the Global Top 3

In addition to the five schools ranked in the Top 20, three other French institutions feature in the Top 50:

École Émile Cohl (38th) – Located in Lyon, this private art school specialises in drawing, illustration, animation, video games and much more;
ISART Digital (39th) – Founded in Paris in 2001, this private higher education institution offers programmes in video games, 3D animation, sound and music design, with a presence in France and Canada;
École Georges Méliès (49th) – Founded in 1999 in the Paris region, this school offers programmes focused on animation filmmaking, digital visual effects and video games.

Worldwide, France ranks third, almost on a par with Australia and the United Kingdom, and ahead of Canada, China, Japan and India. This position reinforces France’s reputation as a centre of excellence in animation and animated filmmaking internationally.

Would you like to study animation in France? Applications to some of the institutions featured in the ranking, as well as to other French institutions, can be submitted through the CampusArt platform.

What is CampusArt?

CampusArt brings together 122 public and private higher education institutions in the fields of design, fine arts, fashion, film, music, architecture, multimedia, interior design and heritage.

This platform, coordinated by Campus France, aims to make applying for artistic programmes easier. By applying through CampusArt, you only need to prepare one application for several programmes, submitting your portfolio directly online.

France, a Partner in the Creative and Animation Industries in Kosovo

In Kosovo, France is particularly committed to supporting the development of creative industries, notably through the Genesis project. Between 2024 and 2026, this French-funded project provided training for up to 65 young Kosovar professionals in multimedia fields (animation, video games, audiovisual production, etc.), while also supporting some of them in setting up their own businesses and developing contacts with French professionals.

Discover also our interview with Lekë Sahatqija, a video game development professor at AAB College and a computer engineer at Bambus Group, who studied Computer Science and Telecommunications for five years at INSA Lyon. After completing his studies in France, Lekë Sahatqija gradually specialised in video game development by joining Kosovar companies.

According to him, “What makes engineering in France unique is the way it is taught. You don’t just learn the tools, but also how they work and why they work the way they do. As the world is evolving very rapidly today, this approach makes it much easier to adapt to new tools.”