Reducing the operating temperature is critically important to promote the widespread implementation of the solid oxide fuel cell (SOFC) technology due to the associated advantages including reduced materials and processing cost as well as enhanced long-term stability. The principal approach to achieve reduction in operating temperature is to reduce the electrolyte thickness and adopt alternative electrolyte materials that exhibit much higher ionic conductivities than the state-of-the-art yttria-stabilized zirconia electrolyte at comparable temperatures. Here, electrolyte materials for low-temperature SOFC, including lanthanum gallate-based, ceria-based, and bismuth oxide-based materials， were briefly reviewed. The structure and specific properties such as effects of dopants, conductivity and chemical compatibility were discussed. The merits and drawbacks of these various electrolytes were also compared.