In response to renewed interest in analytical tools that address complex policy problems and move beyond linear‐rational approaches in policy appraisal, Social Multi‐Criteria Evaluation (SMCE) integrates participatory approaches with multi‐criteria analysis (MCA), thereby incorporating specialised knowledge and diverse social values and perspectives in the assessment and comparison of policy options. The framework has not yet been explored in the public policy literature. This systematic literature review examines empirical SMCE applications since its formalisation in 2004 and discusses emerging lessons. The 54 identified cases cover diverse policy fields, problems addressed, and government levels across 20 countries, primarily in Europe. The findings highlight SMCE's flexibility but also frequent partial implementation, driven by context‐specific adjustments. Results largely align with research on MCA and participatory approaches in policy appraisal and point to the framework's potential to act on several attributes of policy problems and support integration of different policy formulation tools and tasks.