<p>Rice cultivation serves as a significant contributor to anthropogenic methane emissions. Several studies have shown that rice–upland rotation has potential in reducing CH₄ emissions during the rice season, but it is often accompanied by an increase in N₂O emissions. Effective mitigation strategies should aim to reduce these emissions without compromising yield. Therefore, conducting an analysis to evaluate the effect of rice–upland crop rotation on CH₄, N₂O, and yield becomes imperative. In this study, we conducted a meta-analysis employing 179 experimental cases to investigate the impact of rice–upland rotation during its rice season on CH₄, N₂O, crop yield, GWP (Global Warming Potential), and yield-scaled GWP. Additionally, we explored the response of these indicators to key factors like soil characteristics and field management practices. The results showed that: (1) Compared with continuous rice cropping during the counterpart season, rice–upland crop rotation increased rice yield by 7.0%, significantly reduced CH₄ emissions by 49.4%, and increased N₂O emissions by 17.2%, which overall resulted in a 39.4% reduction in GWP and a 36.6% reduction in yield-scaled GWP. (2) The nitrogen fertilizer application rate and organic fertilizer application rate were major factors affecting GWP in rotated rice paddies. The optimal nitrogen and organic fertilizer application rates are 100–200&#xa0;kg N ha⁻¹ and 5–10 t ha⁻¹, respectively. (3) Maize–rice rotation was a more carbon-mitigating alternative to continuous rice, reducing yield-scaled GWP by 47.4%. In summary, this analysis suggested that rice–upland crop rotation had potential in reducing greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions and could contribute to policy-making on low-carbon agricultural cultivation in rice fields.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>