Autophagy is a highly conserved catabolic process induced under cellular stress, which prevents cell damage and promotes survival. Autophagy dysfunction is associated with aging and a variety of degenerative diseases, including osteoarthritis (OA). Therefore, it is very important to maintain autophagy homeostasis and function. OA is a degenerative disease that causes irreversible and progressive de- struction of articular cartilage. However, there is no effective method to delay the progression of OA. In the past decade, more and more evi- dence has shown that autophagy plays important roles in the pathogenesis of OA, and regulating autophagy activity can prevent articular car- tilage degeneration. In view of the important role of autophagy in OA, this paper reviews the relationship between autophagy and OA, the key autophagy molecules and related signaling pathways that regulate the progression of OA, as well as related drugs targeting autophagy pathways for the treatment of OA.