As a new technology to improve material’s resistance to steam oxidation, shot blasting of austenitic steel inner wall is becoming more and more widespread and mature when used in heated surface tubes of ultra-supercritical thermal power units. The formation of oxide scale structure of traditional austenitic steel during steam oxidation, the influence of material’s critical Cr content on Cr-rich layer formation and the relationship between scale structure and critical Cr content were outlined. The mechanism of austenitic steel shot blasting to improve steam oxidation resistance was: a micron-scale layer was formed on the inner surface of the tube by shot blasting and grain fragmentation, lattice distortion and increased dislocations occurred in the shot blasting layer. During the steam oxidation processing, a short circuit was provided for the diffusion of Cr atoms into the surface, increasing the Cr concentration on the surface of the shot blasting layer to form a Cr-rich layer, reducing oxidation rate and improving steam oxidation resistance. It was summarized that the order of the steam oxidation resistance of shot blasted austenitic steel and traditional steel pipe in the temperature range of 600~750 ℃ at home and abroad was: in the range of 600~700 ℃, shot blasting SUPER304(S30432)>TP310HCbN(HR3C)≈shot blasting TP347H≈shot blasting TP321H> SUPER304≈TP347HFG>TP304≈TP347H>TP321H. In the range of 700~750 ℃, TP310HCbN(HR3C)>shot blasting TP347H>shot blasting TP321H. The effects of various factors on the shot blasting quality in the shot blasting process, the metallographic and hardness evaluation methods for shot blasting quality, and the actual application status of shot blasting austenitic steel were also summarized. Finally, the problems of shot blasting austenitic steel about processing, welding and service life were still to be solved, and the promotional use of shot blasting to martensitic steel was prospected.