CONTEXT: The United Nations Agenda 2030 indicated that higher education institutions need to be at the front line of achieving sustainable development goals through knowledge transformation and innovative learning and teaching of next generation professionals. The increasing global push for sustainable construction means that decision-makers need to be more agile in responding to this demand. Unfortunately, students have been passive knowledge receptors in a traditionally deductive instructor-centred learning approach. Serious gaming can be an engaging tool to support effective sustainable construction education to enable active experimentation, exploration, competition, cooperation and realistic experience. PURPOSE OR GOAL: This study aims to develop a preliminary framework for serious gaming on sustainable construction. The objectives of this paper are: (i) to develop a conceptual model highlighting the complexity of sustainable construction system; (ii) to identify the underpinning pedagogy principles of the game and discuss how the game can improve students’ understanding of sustainable construction; (iii) to describe the key design components, including gameplay, game mechanisms, and students’ performance evaluation system. APPROACH OR METHODOLOGY/METHODS: The literature review was conducted to retrieve key decision and performance variables related to sustainable construction. A system thinking approach was employed to develop the conceptual model based on the identified variables. The literature review also extended to the serious game framework development to identify and compare pedagogy principles and game design elements suitable for sustainable construction problems. ACTUAL OR ANTICIPATED OUTCOMES: The overall findings indicated that: (i) sustainable construction is a complex system where decision-making activities involve conflicting objectives between different actors in the supply chain; (ii) a card game concept will be utilised where players can take different roles and objectives; (iii) cyclical design will be used in the game where participants make choices, take actions, get the results, reflect on the results and proceed to take another action; and (iv) students’ understanding will be measured through in-game quizzes. CONCLUSIONS/RECOMMENDATIONS/SUMMARY: Using the systems thinking approach, this study provided a holistic insight into the serious game framework for sustainable construction education by revealing the system’s complexity, pedagogy principles, game design elements and the students’ evaluation system. The framework is a precursor for the game development process to plan and design a serious game that effectively conveys the learning objectives.