Abstract: High molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (HMW-PAHs) are persistent pollutants that are more difficult to degrade than low molecular weight polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons. Microbial remediation is an effective means to solve the issue of HMW-PAHs pollution. This article takes two typical HMW-PAHs (namely pyrene and benzoapyrene) as examples to outline the main degradation pathways, the factors affecting the microbial degradation efficiency, and enhancement methods to improve the rate of degradation. We also provide an in-depth analysis of the microbial degradation mechanism and propose prospective areas for future research and development. The results show that: (1) Most microorganisms have good degradation performance on HMW-PAHs under moderate temperature and neutral conditions, and different polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons interact during the degradation process. (2) As far as the microbial enhanced degradation of HMW-PAHs is concerned, Surfactant Tween 80 has a more obvious promotional effect on degradation, biochar is an excellent immobilization material, and expressing degradation genes in recipient strains to construct genetically engineered bacteria is an effective way to promote the degradation of HMW-PAHs by microorganisms. (3) Pyrene and Benzoapyrene are mainly degraded through K-zone oxidation and LMW-PAHs pathway. (4) The hydroxylation catalyzed by dioxygenase is an important step in the degradation process of HMW-PAHs and the initial oxidation process of polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons also involves Cytochrome P450 monooxygenase activity. At present, the long-term stability of genetically engineered bacteria is a bottleneck issue that limits the wide application of related technologies, in the future, a comprehensive analysis of the microbial degradation mechanism of HMW-PAHs at genetic, transcriptional, protein, and metabolic levels is required in order to provide theoretical support for the construction of highly efficient and stable recombinant strains.