Gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA) is a four carbon, non-protein amino acid with widely application prospects in food, agriculture, medicine, chemical and other fields. The production of GABA through microbial synthesis has been gaining increasing attention due to its mildness and sustainable development advantages. Therefore, in order to achieve an environmentally, convenient, and more efficient metabolic production pathway for GABA that meets the stringent requirements for additives in the food, pharmaceutical, and livestock industries, the main synthesis pathways of GABA and the research progress of microbial synthesis of GABA are introduced systematically, and the future research directions and development trends are prospected.