Abstract Temperature dependences of the photoluminescence and X-ray excited luminescence intensity and thermally stimulated luminescence glow curves are measured in the 4.2–300 K temperature range for the undoped and Ce3+ - doped Gd3(Ga,Al)5O12 crystals. The conclusion is made that no low-temperature quenching of the Ce3+ - related photoluminescence takes place. In both the undoped and the Ce3+ - doped crystals, temperature dependences of the X-ray excited recombination luminescence intensity correlate with the position and shape of thermally stimulated luminescence glow curve peaks of the hole origin. Low-temperature quenching of the X-ray excited luminescence in these crystals is explained by the fact that at low temperatures, free holes are trapped at oxygen ions while electrons are trapped at various intrinsic defects. In Ce3+ - doped Gd3(Ga,Al)5O12 crystals, thermally stimulated release of the trapped holes and electrons and their subsequent recombination at Ce3+ ions result in the enhancement of the Ce3+ - related electron recombination luminescence with the increasing temperature in the 10–180 K range.