<p>Aqueous metal-air batteries have received great attention as possible candidates for environmentally sustainable energy storage systems (ESS) based on their high energy density, high safety and low cost. Particularly, a variety of aqueous metal-air batteries have been studied for practical application. However, there are limitations arising from the intrinsic properties of their components and battery designs. To address these drawbacks, a wide range of materials have been developed as promising components for next-generation aqueous metal-air batteries. This review focuses on recent progress in materials design and engineering of aqueous metal-air batteries including Zn–, Al–, Mg– and Fe–air batteries, which highlights the development of novel materials and fabrication of innovative battery systems based on the metal anode, air cathode, aqueous electrolyte and electrocatalysts. Furthermore, flexible and flow batteries are intensively introduced as advanced aqueous metal-air batteries for future electronic devices. On the basis of these viewpoints, this review provides a future direction for the commercialization of aqueous metal-air batteries.</p>