Jane McGonigal is born in the United States. Exact location is not specified in all sources but she has identified as being a New Jersey native.

McGonigal graduates summa cum laude from Fordham University with a Bachelor of Arts degree in English. During this time, she likely develops a strong foundation in storytelling and critical thinking, skills essential for her later work in game design and narrative development.

McGonigal earns her Ph.D. in Performance Studies from UC Berkeley. Her doctoral research likely involved exploring the intersection of games, performance, and human behavior, setting the stage for her groundbreaking work in the field of gamification and game-based solutions.