As an effective surface strengthening process,shot peening has been widely used in surface engineering area. This paper is to review the current research status and applications of shot peening as an advanced surface modification technology. The fundamental of microshot peening,laser peening,ultrasonic / high energy shot peening and high pressure water jet shot peening are introduced and the advantages and disadvantages of these techniques are also summarized. Compared with conventional shot peening,wear resistance of material can be promoted by microshot peening,laser peening usually has the highest special resolution,nanocrystallization on the surface of material can be realized by using ultrasonic / high energy shot peening and stress concentration can be reduced by high pressure water jet shot peening which features a half flexible impact. Furthermore,it could be concluded that ultrasonic peening and combined peening( high energy-microshot peening,laser-mechanical shot peening) can provide better performance for the treated surface than any other single technique. In the end,the developing trend and promising research topics are also suggested for future studies.