The work aims to review the progress of radar absorbing coatings in complex environments and have an outlook on the advantages, bottlenecks and development directions of various radar absorbing coatings in complex environments. With the focus on radar absorbing coatings for complex electromagnetic environment and complex service environment applications such as low frequency broadband, traveling wave suppression, high temperature resistance, corrosion resistance, and centimeter- millimeter wave compatibility, the basic design principles of these coatings were summarized, and the current status of radar absorbing coating research in above application environments was introduced. As the combat mode of weaponry shifts from defense-orientation to a combination of offense and defense, complex battlefield environments such as multi-spectrum detection, high speed, high temperature, and corrosion have put forward higher requirements for the combat capability of weaponry. The research and application of radar absorbing coatings in complex environments can effectively improve the survivability, penetration capabilities and combat effectiveness of weaponry. In order to meet the application requirements of radar absorbing coatings in complex environments, a new high-performance absorbing coating with multiple functions should be developed, which was a significant research direction in the field of stealth materials.