In this study, we investigate the (3+1) q-deformed tanh-Gordon equation due to its importance in the context of mathematical physics. It describes solitonic solutions in quantum field theory; it can sometimes be used in condensed matter physics to describe interactions between particles in magnetic materials or superconductors; it can model light propagation in nonlinear optical fibers or photonic crystals where the refractive index has a q-deformed structure; and it also can be applied in studying shock waves, turbulence and rogue waves where the deformation introduces corrections to classical wave phenomena. Utilizing the $$(\frac{{\mathfrak {G}}^{\prime }}{\omega {\mathfrak {G}}^{\prime }+{\mathfrak {G}}+r})$$
(
G
′
ω
G
′
+
G
+
r
)
-expansion technique, we derive novel analytical solutions that enhance our understanding of the underlying dynamics. Additionally, we employ a finite element method (extended cubic B-spline method) to validate our analytical findings and explore the behavior of the q-deformed equation under different parameter regimes. Our results demonstrate the versatility of the q-deformed framework in generating rich optical phenomena, paving the way for future research in both theoretical and applied physics.