In view of the quenchingpartitioningtempering (QPT) process proposed in the development of advanced high strength steel, a review of high strength QPT steel is conducted from three aspects: heat treatment, microstructure evolution and carbon partitioning process. The strengthening and toughening mechanism based on microstructure regulation is summarized from the optimization of mechanical properties. It is proposed that the optimum microstructure of ultra-high strength QPT steel consist of filmy retained austenite and lath martensite with a thickness of hundreds of nanometers, and dispersed nanosized carbides in the matrix. Moreover, QPT procedure is not only limited in low/medium- and high-carbon microalloyed steels, new QPT process and hydrogen embrittlement (HE) are investigated to design QPT steels with comprehensive strength, ductility, toughness and HE resistance. This work summarizes the newest approaches in QPT steels and discusses the foundation and application research trends of QPT procedure.