Abstract: The exploratory project rooted in breakthrough innovation, as an innovative project management practice in complex situations such as emerging technologies and new product development, promotes innovative development in terms of exploring the unknown and verifying new ideas. Based on the related research of self-determination theory and work gamification, exploratory projects are used as the research situation to explore the influence mechanism of work gamification on the innovative behavior of project members. The study founds that: first, the achievement elements, immersion elements and social elements have a positive influence on the innovation behavior of the exploratory project members; and second, the harmony work passion explains the mechanism of "self-comparison" and "social comparison", which has a significant intermediary effect on the innovation behavior; third, the competitive characteristics play a positive regulating effect between harmonious work passion, workplace jealousy and innovative behavior. This paper constructs the influence mechanism of the innovative behavior of exploratory projects, and provides the situation-matching work gamification management mode for exploratory projects, so as to improve the innovative behavior of project members and provide some reference for the management practice of exploratory projects.