In order to analyze the research progress of photocatalytic degradation of PAHs in water environment, the removal efficiency of PAHs(polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons)in water environment catalyzed by UV light responding materials such as TiO₂ and other visible light responding materials such as BiVO₄ was reviewed. The photocatalytic degradation mechanism of PAHs was analyzed with naphthalene as an example. It is pointed out that the development of visible light responding materials and the further improvement of the optical responsiveness of materials are the current research hotspots. The combination of photocatalytic technology and other technologies is also the trend of highly efficient removal of PAHs.