Gamification elements and their impacts on physical activity: a systematic review

Objectives

To provide insights that support the development of more effective gamified elements to improve physical activity.

Design

Systematic review with narrative synthesis, with formal GRADE assessment of certainty of evidence.

Data sources

PubMed, Cochrane, ScienceDirect, and Scopus.

Eligibility criteria

We included quantitative studies, primarily randomised controlled trials, that examined gamification interventions with physical activity outcomes among adults aged 18 years or older. Only peer-reviewed, open-access English articles published between 2015 and 2025 were included; studies involving children/adolescents, studies whose population included minors within parent–child dyads, non-physical activity outcomes, or non-original research were excluded.

Data extraction and synthesis

Two reviewers independently screened and compiled the articles, extracted the data, assessed the risk of bias using JBI, and synthesised using a narrative form.

Results

Across the 15 included studies, most gamified digital interventions showed a positive effect on physical activity, with increases ranging from modest to substantial. Commonly used elements included points, badges, challenges, leaderboards, personalised goals, and feedback mechanisms. Interventions that incorporated social incentives, goal-setting, and progress tracking tended to yield the most significant improvements. Despite variations in population, study duration, and outcome measures, the overall evidence suggests that gamification has the potential to enhance physical activity. The GRADE certainty was rated moderate for daily step count, low for MVPA minutes, high for engagement/adherence, and very low for long-term maintenance. Key limitations include study heterogeneity, risk of bias across several domains, and insufficient long-term follow-up.

Conclusions

Gamified digital interventions show promise in improving physical activity, particularly when incorporating personalised goals and social incentives.

PROSPERO registration number

CRD420251126586