The current study reviews the recent development in the direct conversion of methane into syngas, methanol, light olefins, and aromatic compounds. For syngas production, nickelbased catalysts are considered as a good choice. Methane conversion (84%) is achieved with nearly no coke formation when the 7% Ni-1%Au/Al2O3 catalyst is used in the steam reforming of methane (SRM), whereas for dry reforming of methane (DRM), a methane conversion of 17.9% and CO2 conversion of 23.1% are found for 10%Ni/ZrOxMnOx/SiO2 operated at 500 o C. The progress of direct conversion of methane to methanol is also summarized with an insight into its selectivity and/or conversion, which shows that in liquid-phase heterogeneous systems, high selectivity (>80%) can be achieved at 50 o C, but the conversion is low. The latest development of nonoxidative coupling of methane (NOCM) and oxidative coupling of methane (OCM) for the production of olefins is also reviewed. The Mn2O3-TiO2-Na2WO4/SiO2 catalyst is reported to show the high C2 yield (22%) and a high selectivity toward C2 (62%) during the OCM at 650 o C. For NOCM, 98% selectivity of ethane can be achieved when a tantalum hydride catalyst supported on silica is used. In addition, the Mo-based catalysts are the most suitable for the preparation of aromatic compounds from methane.