There are many studies performed to assess the associations of CD95 A670G and G1377A polymorphisms with gastric cancer, and the association of CD95L T844C polymorphism with gastric cancer risk, but the data are remaining controversial. To get a comprehensive assessment of the association above, we performed a meta-analysis of published studies. PubMed, Embase, Web of Science, and Wanfang Medicine databases were searched for eligible studies. There were eight studies including 3,790 subjects on CD95 A670G polymorphism, eight studies including 4,563 subjects on CD95 G1377A polymorphism, and eight studies including 4,563 subjects on CD95L T844C polymorphism. Overall, CD95 G1377A polymorphism was associated with a significantly increased risk of gastric cancer (for AA versus GG: odds ratio (OR) = 1.24, 95 % confidence interval (95 % CI) = 1.02-1.52, P = 0.030; for AA versus GG + GA: OR = 1.27, 95 % CI = 1.05-1.53, P = 0.012). However, there were no associations of CD95 A670G and CD95L T844C polymorphisms with gastric cancer. Subgroup analysis by ethnicity found similar associations in Asians, but the associations in Caucasians were still unclear owing to the lack of relevant data. Therefore, the outcomes of this meta-analysis show that there is a significant association between CD95 G1377A polymorphism and risk of gastric cancer.