<p>Polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) are hazardous environmental contaminants that have been detected in environmental matrices such as soil and water. The prolonged persistence of PAHs has brought significant impact to aquatic life and human health, which led to the remediation of these contaminants for the recovery of the environment to a normal state. This review emphasizes the assessment of various oxidation techniques: chemical, advanced oxidation processes (AOPs), photocatalytic degradation and sulfate radical (SR)-based AOPs towards the degradation of PAHs in both wastewater and soil environments in the past two decades. Along with those, the utilization of combined treatment processes is considered as a good option in overcoming the limitations of single oxidation processes, leading to near complete degradation of the contaminants. Additionally, the limitations and challenges encountered with the future outlooks for full-scale implementation of oxidation methods for the treatment of PAHs in wastewater and soil are highlighted in enabling simultaneous reduction in the environmental impact and long-term growth sustainability. According to current state-of-the-art studies, the potential of AOPs, photocatalysis and SR-based AOPs are investigated for the degradation of PAHs in wastewater and soil, while the applicability of chemical oxidation for the treatment of these contaminants in wastewater requires in-depth studies.</p>