Osteoarthritis (OA) is a chronic degenerative disease with a high incidence rate among middle-aged and elderly people. In the early stage, OA can be treated by conservative methods. In the late stage, most patients choose joint replacement and other surgical methods to treat OA, causing pain to patients and their families. Peroxisome proliferator activated receptor γ (PPAR γ) is a gene discovered in recent years that plays an important role in the degeneration or inflammation of OA cartilage, synovium, adipose, and other tissues. Signaling pathways such as AMPK, Wnt, and SIRT1 may be involved in this process. This review focuses on the role and mechanism of PPARγ gene’s function on OA via joint related tissues and signaling pathways.