This study investigates the impact of gamification teaching on students’ motivation in physical education using questionnaires, teaching experiments, and mathematical statistics. A gamified sports teaching model, grounded in the self-determination motivation theory and analyzed through a multiple regression model, was designed to assess motivational stimulation. Results showed that gamified physical education significantly improved motivation in the experimental class compared to the control class (P < 0.05). The average physical education score in the experimental class was 77.67, 5.08 points higher than the control class. Internal motivation, identity regulation, intake regulation, and external regulation ratings were 4.132, 3.992, 4.172, and 4.156, respectively. Regression analysis confirmed that gamified teaching positively influenced motivation, with self-determination theory effectively mediating students’ physical education learning motivation.