Heterogeneous CO2 hydrogenation catalytic reactions, as the strategies for CO2 emission reduction and green carbon resource recycling, play important roles in alleviating global warming and energy shortages. Among these strategies, photothermal CO2 hydrogenation technology has become one of the hot catalytic technologies by virtue of the synergistic advantages of thermal catalysis and photocatalysis. And it has attracted more and more researchers’ attentions. Various kinds of effective photothermal catalysts have been gradually discovered, and nickel-based catalysts have been widely studied for their advantages of low cost, high catalytic activity, abundant reserves and thermal stability. In this review, the applications of nickel-based catalysts in photothermal CO2 hydrogenation are summarized. Finally, through a good understanding of the above applications, future modification strategies and design directions of nickel-based catalysts for improving their photothermal CO2 hydrogenation activities are proposed.