Carbon dioxide (CO 2 ) emissions are a major contributor to the climate change equation, and thus strategies need to be developed in order to reduce increases in CO 2 levels in the atmosphere. One of the most promising approaches is to convert CO 2 into useful products in engineered processes. The photocatalytic reduction of CO 2 into hydrocarbon fuels is a promising way to recycle CO 2 as a fuel feedstock by taking advantage of the readily available solar energy. This article reviews the basics of CO 2 photoreduction mechanisms, limiting steps, possible strategies to enhance photoreduction efficiency, and the state-of-the-art photocatalytic systems for CO 2 reduction. In particular, a comparison between different catalytic systems, including biological (plants and algae), inorganics (semiconductors), organics (molecular complexes), and hybrid (enzyme/semiconductors) systems is provided.