The high toxicity and low degradability of petroleum hydrocarbons (PHs) in soil have made them a pollutant of global concern. Microbial remediation has advantages such as environmental compatibility and cost-effectiveness, but it is still restricted in application by low substrate bioavailability, incomplete understanding of key metabolic pathways, and interference from environmental factors. This article systematically analyzes the aerobic/anaerobic degradation metabolic pathways and key enzymatic reactions of petroleum hydrocarbons, and summarizes the responses of soil functional bacterial communities and the characteristics of community succession. This paper reviews the strategies of bioenhancement, biostimulation and combined remediation in in-situ and ectopic remediation, and assizes the advantages and bottlenecks of emerging technologies such as enzyme immobilization, genetically engineered microbes, and plant-microbial synergy. The coupled effects of critical environmental factors, including soil mass transfer conditions, pH, temperature, and electron acceptors on remediation efficiency are also discussed. Finally, future research priorities are outlined, focusing on the development of high-resistance and broad-spectrum functional strains, elucidation of functional genes (particularly in anaerobic pathways), scalable production of biosurfactants, and post-remediation assessment of soil microbial community structure and ecological functions. This work aims to provide both theoretical and practical foundations for efficient and sustainable remediation of PH-contaminated sites.