Serious Games in Science Education: A Systematic Bibliometric and Content Analysis

This study examines recent research trends in the use of serious games for science education through a bibliometric analysis of 340 articles and a qualitative content analysis of 56 studies published between 2020 and 2025 in the Web of Science Core Collection. By combining these approaches, the study provides a comprehensive view of both research patterns and how serious games are designed and used in science education. The findings indicate that the field is maturing, with research moving beyond general effectiveness toward understanding how serious games support learning in different contexts. Most studies report positive effects compared to traditional instructional methods. However, results vary across contexts and depend on factors such as design, implementation, and learner characteristics. Research is mainly focused on higher education and is largely driven by leading countries such as the USA and China, although participation from developing countries is increasing. The growing use of immersive technologies, such as augmented and virtual reality, offers new opportunities for interactive and multimodal learning but may also increase cognitive load in certain contexts. There is also growing interest in non-digital games, which have received limited attention despite their effectiveness. Overall, the findings show that more systematic research and clearer design frameworks are needed to better understand how serious games can be used in science education.