Digital gamification in STEM education (2010–2025): a systematic review with bibliometric and temporal thematic mapping

Abstract

Digital gamification has become widespread in STEM education through platforms, learning management systems (LMSs), applications, response systems, immersive environments, and adaptive resources; however, the evidence remains dispersed across educational stages, subject areas, technologies, mechanics, and methodological designs. This study undertakes a systematic review with bibliometric analysis and temporal thematic mapping of digital gamification in STEM education during the period 2010–2025, in accordance with PRISMA 2020. The search was conducted in Scopus and the Web of Science Core Collection on 9 January 2026. Following deduplication, screening, and eligibility assessment, 158 studies were included. Although 17 records published between 2010 and 2014 were identified, 15 were excluded during title/abstract screening and the remaining two after full-text assessment; no study from that period met all eligibility criteria, and the included corpus begins in 2015. The analysis combined bibliometric mapping using Bibliometrix/Biblioshiny, keyword co-occurrence based on Author Keywords, temporal overlay, and descriptive synthesis of interventions, mechanics, platforms, educational stages, STEM subject areas, designs, instruments, and outcomes. A full-text methodological appraisal using MMAT 2018 found frequent support for measurement appropriateness and intervention delivery, alongside uncertainty in sampling, outcome completeness, confounding control, and mixed-method integration. The findings indicate an increase in output since 2020, peaking in 2025; a predominance of higher education; a focus on technology, engineering, and interdisciplinary studies; frequent use of rewards, progression, challenges, feedback, and social comparison; and a predominance of experimental or quasi-experimental designs, small or medium-sized samples, and brief interventions. The review identifies gaps associated with limited longitudinal data, heterogeneous methodological reporting, limited coverage of K–12 in engineering and technology, and the need for greater conceptual precision between gamification, game-based learning, and serious games.