Abstract: Polyvinyl chloride (PVC) gel is a class of polymers that is able to contract, bend, or expand under an applied voltage. PVC gel features a fast response, low cost, light weight, and high electromechanical efficiency, making it a promising candidate for artificial muscles. The paper reviews recent progress on PVC gel, including its compositions, modifications, fabrication technologies, design of novel configurations, and applications. The paper emphasizes the improvement of electromechanical performance of PVC gel through doping with functional additives, as well as rapid manufacturing techniques such as 3D printing and thermal melt processing. Based on the conventional configurations of PVC gel actuators employing anode-crawling mechanism, two novel deformation modes of PVC gel, namely electrostatic mode and electrohydraulic mode, are discussed in detail. Moreover, the applications of PVC gel in soft actuation, as well as in medical and optical fields, are systematically reviewed. Finally, the current challenges and future development trends facing PVC gel are discussed.