<p>The worldwide pollution in the soil by heavy elements is one of the most unremitting environmental and public health issues, significantly reduce the crop productivity and overall functioning of ecosystem. Phytoremediation especially when mediated by plant–microbe has become a potential and viable remediation method and therefore deserves consideration among emerging Green Technologies. But with the present climatic conditions, plants are subjected to higher temperatures, disturbed precipitation patterns and more often occurrence of drought all of which limit the growth and physiological functioning of plants. All these stressors lower the metal uptake capacity thus limiting the phytoremediation ability of conventional methods. The current review aims at filling critical gaps in the knowledge by paying attention to the multifunctional functions of the Plant Growth-Promoting Bacteria (PGPB) to increase the resilience of plants and bioremediation capability in multiple stresses of heavy metal toxicity and altering climatic conditions. This review also discusses the complicated physiological and molecular events by which PGPB reduce metal-induced oxidative stress, control phytohormone homeostasis, foster nutrient uptake, and directly affect metal speciation and bioavailability in the rhizosphere in unfavourable climatic conditions. Besides, the review critically analyses the difficulties and prospects involved in the translation of the PGPB-based inoculants between laboratory-controlled settings to large-scale field trials, such as commercial opportunities and the need to employ successful strain selection and formulation technologies. This paper sets the stage of advancement of climate-resilient, economically feasible, and sustainable methods of rehabilitating metal-contaminated soils and promoting the overall health of ecosystems by shedding light on the complex interactions between PGPB and the adaptive processes of plants to synergistic stress factors.</p> Graphical abstract <p></p>