Implants used for various indications in orthopaedics and traumatology could fail for many reasons; surface modifications were a step towards improving implant behaviour and reducing failure with a subsequent increase in longevity. The main themes for surface modifications are improving osteointegration and enhancing their antibacterial characteristics. Surface modification could be obtained through various physical, biological, and chemical processes or a combination of them. Multiple materials were applied to improve osteointegration, including hydroxyapatite (HAp) coatings and its substitution, collagen coating, magnesium ion coating, chitosan coating, and nanoscale surface modification. To boost the antibacterial implant surface characteristics by topographic modifications (such as producing Ti dioxide (TiO2) nanowires), chemical modification (such as silver coatings), and biological modifications (such as incorporating antibiotics in locally applied hydrogels). However, surface modification techniques could lead to some drawbacks, such as concerns related to reactions to wear particles; that is why future advancements are needed for further improvement, such as the introduction of smart self-healing coating, producing patient-specific surface modifications using 3D technologies, and using targeted antibacterial such as bacteriophages.