Lightweight tubular components occupy a significant proportion of automobile and aircraft body structures. To manufacture such complex-shaped and integrated structures, Hot Medium Pressure Forming (HMPF) as a cutting-edge technology can be used to enable the forming of lightweight materials with poor ductility that would have otherwise been unable to be formed through traditional technologies. HMPF has been extensively and rapidly developed for over two decades. This field has stimulated new innovations and has inspired a vast range of novel forming processes for different lightweight materials. However, to date there has been a lack of a comprehensive review of HMPF and the developments in this field. In this article, a critical review of HMPF is presented, with the intent of illustrating process principles, summarizing key innovations, effects of processing at elevated temperatures, process capabilities and accomplishments. Moreover, the equipment and forming medium used in the process and specific applications are comprehensively discussed. The materials of particular emphasis were aluminium and magnesium, high strength steel and titanium alloys which are attractive raw material candidates for automotive and aircraft industries. As a result of this review, the intended objective of the paper is to provide direct guidance for industrial engineers and researchers to design a particular HMPF process considering the raw material characteristics, component geometrical features and in-service properties, and uncover major trends for future scientific and application efforts.