Ferroptosis, as a new form of programmed cell death, affects the occurrence, progression and treatment of liver cancer. In this paper, the discovery, characteristics, regulatory mechanisms, inhibitors, inducers, and detection indicators of ferroptosis were systematically summarized and analyzed, and the effects of ferroptosis on the progression, metastasis, treatment, and prognosis of liver cancer were summarized. Finally, it was concluded that targeting ferroptosis is a promising treatment strategy for liver cancer.