Biodegradable polymers, metals, and ceramics have emerged as promising alternatives to prepare degradable implants in recent years, which are better alternatives to conventional non-degradable implants to treat a broad range of disorders. Surface engineering strategies are widely applied for enhancing their performance, including orthopedic, cardiovascular, and craniofacial devices, among many others. Bioactive ceramic coatings on degradable biomedical implants can enhance bio-integration and augment healing while tailoring the degradation rate of the device. Bioactive ceramics form a chemical bond with the surrounding tissue, thus helping in the integration process of the implanted polymer or metal device. Several coatings also impart antibacterial activity to minimize infections. Additionally, mechanical surface treatments have emerged as a promising route for surface engineering and have been predominantly used to modify the surface of degradable metallic implants. The mechanical treatment of the surface primarily enhances the bio-corrosion resistance of the implants without compromising biocompatibility. Surface mechanical treatments also improve the biomechanical performance of the implant through surface nanocrystallization. The present review gives an overview of bioactive ceramics commonly used as a coating material for degradable biomedical implants and the effect of bioactive ceramic coating on their biological, corrosion, and mechanical responses. This review also features state-of-the-art mechanical techniques utilized for surface modification of degradable implants. Gaps in the current technology that can be addressed in future research are identified to improve the clinical success of surface-modified degradable implants as they rapidly emerge as the next-generation devices.