Skeletal muscle atrophy severely impacts one's quality of life. The effects and mechanism of polydatin on skeletal muscle atrophy are unclear. This study investigated the effects and mechanism of polydatin on TNF-α-induced skeletal muscle cells. The skeletal muscle cell atrophy model was established by inducing C2C12 cells with TNF-α. Cell viability, IL-1β levels and cell apoptosis were assessed. The mRNA and protein expression levels of apoptosis-related proteins were measured. Meanwhile, the binding of polydatin to AKT was analyzed by molecular docking. TNF-α reduced cell fusion and viability while up-regulated IL-1β level and promoted cell apoptosis. TNF-α activated AKT, NF-κB, and p38 MAPK signaling pathways. Polydatin reversed these effects induced by TNF-α, with a low concentration being more effective. Polydatin was predicted to bind to GLY162, PHE161, GLU198, THR195 and GLU191 sites of AKT protein through van der Waals force and conventional hydrogen bonds. Overexpression of AKT led to increased phosphorylation levels of AKT, p38, and p65 proteins, as well as IL-1β levels and cell apoptosis. Polydatin inhibited TNF-α-induced apoptosis of C2C12 cells by regulating NF-κB and p38 MAPK signaling pathways through AKT. This suggests that polydatin shows promise as a new drug for the treatment of skeletal muscle atrophy.