<p>Graphitic carbon nitride (g-C₃N₄) has emerged as a versatile, metal-free semiconductor with applications spanning over a broad range of domains encompassing energy storage, environmental remediation, and sensing. Despite significant progress in recent years, there remains a lack of comprehensive discussion on the g-C₃N₄’s evolving role in next-generation technologies and the engineering strategies needed to overcome existing challenges. In this review article, the critical assessment of the physicochemical properties of g-C₃N₄, which holds potential to enable its function across diverse applications, has been elucidated. Current advances in doping, heterojunction formation, and composite engineering that enhances its catalytic and electronic performance has been summarized. The article also presents future research directions to unlock the full potential of g-C₃N₄ as a useful material in sustainable and intelligent systems.</p> Graphical Abstract <p></p>