| Sumario: | This study examines the available literature on the effects of serious games on people with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder. The studies were categorized based on the limitations in skills that these people address. Fifty‐four studies were selected, from different data sources. These studies address limitations in intellectual functioning and adaptive behaviour. The results showed that the majority of studies on the effects of serious games for people with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder had a positive impact. Also, most studies for people with autism aim to improve social and communicational skills, whereas conceptual and cognitive skills were mainly observed in studies for people with intellectual disabilities. Although this study covers serious games in all platforms or delivery systems, the overwhelming majority of the presented studies include computer serious games. Computer‐assisted learning through serious games is considered quite promising for people with intellectual disabilities or autism spectrum disorder. Lay Description: What is already known about this topic: People with intellectual disabilities have major limitations in adaptive behaviour and intellectual functioning skills.People with autism have significant challenges in social skills, speech communication, and repetitive behaviours.Technology enhances the learning process of people with intellectual disabilities or autism.Serious games is an effective means that helps people with intellectual disabilities and autism acquire skills. What this paper adds: Existing serious games for people with intellectual disabilities or autism have been systematically classified.Serious games for people with intellectual disabilities and autism are usually designed using participatory design or similar user‐ or learner‐centred methods.Computer serious games are preferred, compared with mobile serious games or games hosted in consoles.The most popular evaluation method to test effectiveness on serious games is pretesting–posttesting.Most serious games for people with intellectual disabilities and autism have been used in a non‐formal education context. Implications for practice and/or policy: Efforts should be made to design and evaluate serious games that address adaptive behaviour skills for people with autism.Efforts should be made to design and evaluate serious games that address adaptive behaviour, intellectual functioning, and social skills for people with ID.Effective existing serious games can provide guidelines for designing new games.
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