The objective of this research is to identify critical success factors for governance in innovation ecosystems, through a systematic literature review (SLR). Data collected from the Scopus and Web of Science databases allowed for the observation of various author’s perspective on the topic. The textual corpus enabled the development of bibliometric analyses including an in-depth content analysis of the selected articles. The authors of the selected articles raised key questions about governance in innovation ecosystems, such as understanding how the actors involved influence the success of ecosystems. The findings facilitated the identification of critical factors for the successful implementation of governance in innovation ecosystems, which will guide future research with an emphasis on relevant theoretical contributions.