Abstract: Carbon dioxide (CO₂) is a renewable carbon source for producing high-value fuels and chemicals. Catalytic conversion of CO₂ into industry-related chemicals is one of the strategies for reducing greenhouse gas emissions. Recent studies have shown that the thermal catalytic hydrogenation of CO₂ to produce methane has become the most attractive choice due to fewer by-products, higher conversion rates and lower costs. Catalyst research is the key to this technology. This paper refers to the evolution of common catalysts for CO₂ methanation using thermal catalytic technology in recent years and analyzes the effects of supports, noble metals and non-noble metals on catalysts in terms of activity and selectivity. The effects of particle size, specific surface area, loading capacity, active sites, oxygen vacancies and dispersion on CO₂ methanation are also introduced systematically. Furthermore, the reaction path of methanation and the intermediates generated in the process are summarized. Finally, the primary research directions of CO₂ methanation in the future are presented to provide reference for studying thermal catalytic technology.