Development history and antifouling mechanisms of marine antifouling materials were briefly reviewed, and the latest research progress of novel environmental-friendly antifouling materials was presented. After tributyltin-containing self-polishing copolymer (SPC) coatings were prohibited, copper, zinc and silyl acrylate polymers-based coatings have been widely used. In order to further improve the antifouling properties and environmental protection performance, research is now focusing on grafted antifouling functional group materials, biodegradable macromolecule-based antifouling materials, main chain degradable self-polishing antifouling materials, anti-drag antifouling materials and biomimetic antifouling materials. Grafting methods and antifouling effects of several antifouling functional groups such as Schiff base, glyphosate and benzisothiazolinone were introduced. It was pointed out that such methods could improve utilization ratio of antifoulant and gain a steady release rate of antifoulant. However, such problems as reduced antifouling capacity due to grafting modification and complex synthesis process should be solved to apply such methods. Moreover, structure and synthesis methods of biodegradable macromolecule-based antifouling materials, especially main chain degradable and side chain hydrolysable were introduced emphatically. As these hydrolysable/degradable resins exhibited good mechanical properties and hydrolysis controlled performance, the anti-fouling coatings as-prepared could release antifoulant steadily even in static state. Therefore, the resins could be used to develop novel main chain degradable self-polishing antifouling coatings, so as to improve durability of the coatings in static state, the resins had good application prospects. Methods of reducing surface roughness of the antifouling coatings after hydrolysis such as macromolecule resin modification were introduced as well. Such anti-fouling coatings exhibited good anti-drag resistance. Finally, the progress of biomimetic antifouling materials was introduced.