OBJECTIVE: This review aimed to investigate the effectiveness of active video games as an adjunct to pulmonary rehabilitation for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. DESIGN: All entries to the following databases were searched up until 3 April, 2019: PubMed, EMBASE Ovid, the Cochrane Central Register of Randomized Controlled Trials, Web of Science, Wanfang, Weipu, and Chinese National Knowledge Infrastructure databases. RESULTS: A total of seven articles (three randomized controlled trials and four quasi-experimental studies) with 249 patients were included. Active video games can increase the 6-minute walk distance by 30.9 meters on average. Four studies assessed quality of life and showed significant improvement. Four studies have reported that patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease found active video games to be enjoyable. Patient adherence was assessed in two studies and showed high adherence with active video games. No adverse events related to active video games were reported. CONCLUSIONS: The review demonstrated that active video games as an adjunct to pulmonary rehabilitation of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease may prove to be useful and enjoyable. Additional studies should explore the differences between different types of active video games in order to create more effective game interventions for pulmonary rehabilitation.