The race for technological advancement and the thirst for development demands a lot from our diminishing conventional energy sources. Fossil fuels are extensively being burnt to satisfy the world’s energy demand. In the last decade, the amount of exhaust gases from burning fossil fuels has skyrocketed, changing the atmosphere. These gases have adversely affected the environment. CO2 is one of the most abundant anthropogenic gases and a major cause of global warming. CO2 levels have risen significantly to 420 ppm from 350 ppm in the last 20 years and will continue to rise if action is not taken soon. Environmentalists have raised awareness of this issue around the world, and significant progress has been made in lowering the emission of anthropogenic CO2; nonetheless, environmental restoration still has to be done. Photocatalysis provides a rather unique solution to this severe problem. A photocatalytic CO2 reduction process mimicking natural photosynthesis is a cost-effective, clean, environmentally friendly and promising strategy for converting CO2 into fuels such as CH4, CH3OH and CHOH. This study emphasizes the photocatalysis mechanism, the charge transfer pattern and the CO2 reduction phenomenon altogether. The different enhancement strategies that have been employed, their CO2 reduction pathways, mechanisms, merits and limitations have been discussed. This technology is still in its early stages and requires much work to improve, but it will have a great impact in the future.Graphical abstract: