Abstract: Sulfur, as an essential mesonutrient for plants, plays a critical role in key physiological processes such as protein synthesis, energy metabolism, and stress responses, which is vital for the growth, development, yield formation, and quality improvement of rice. Sulfate transporters (SULTR), serving as core regulators of sulfur metabolism, mediate sulfate uptake from the rhizosphere, long-distance transport within the plant, and intracellular allocation, thereby playing a pivotal role in maintaining sulfur homeostasis. This review comprehensively elucidates the functional mechanisms of the rice SULTR gene family from the perspectives of molecular characteristics, expression regulation, physiological functions, and stress responses, and discusses their potential applications in molecular breeding. The rice SULTR gene family comprises 14 members, which exhibit distinct expression patterns across different tissues, developmental stages, and environmental conditions. Their expression is regulated by multiple factors, including sulfur nutritional status, hormonal signals, and epigenetic modifications. Rice SULTR genes are involved in various functions under both biotic and abiotic stresses. The coordinated regulation of sulfate uptake and assimilation mediated by SULTR genes enhances plant tolerance to abiotic stresses such as heavy metals and drought. In biotic stress responses, certain SULTR gene members participate in disease resistance by modulating sulfur allocation or through effector-binding elements (EBE) in their promoter regions. The rice SULTR gene family holds significant potential for breeding applications. SULTR genes exhibit dual functions in heavy metal contamination control: while some members (e.g., OsSULTR1;2) act as uptake channels for hexavalent chromium 〔Cr(Ⅵ)〕 and may exacerbate toxicity, others reduce heavy metal bioavailability by promoting detoxification through sulfur metabolites. This functional divergence offers new strategies for improving rice varieties in contaminated areas. The identification of SULTR gene family members provides molecular targets for breeding sulfur-use-efficient rice cultivars. Modulating the expression of high-affinity sulfate transporters could facilitate the development of "sulfur-saving" rice varieties, while targeted modification of sulfur redistribution-related genes may simultaneously enhance disease resistance and grain quality. Future research should focus on clarifying the functional specificity and regulatory networks of rice SULTR gene family members, deciphering their cross-regulatory mechanisms under combined stress conditions to develop resilient rice varieties, and integrating multi-omics analyses with gene-editing technologies to accelerate targeted improvement efforts, thereby providing theoretical support for sustainable agricultural development.