Primary liver cancer is one of the most common malignant tumors in China, with high incidence and mortality, and the main pathological type is hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). Most patients with HCC are already at the advanced stages at the first diagnosis, with the 5-year survival rate being less than 16%. Early detection and early diagnosis of liver cancer can help improve the prognosis of patients. Blood testing is commonly used to screen patients with high risks of liver cancer because it is minimally invasive, objective, economical, repeatable and easy to monitored. This article summarized 3 types of reported indicators for blood screening of liver cancer:biomarkers that could be directly detected in the serum, biomarkers in the cargoes transferred by extracellular vesicles, and biomarkers in circulating tumor cells. The advantages and limitations of each category were discussed. We also provided perspectives for the promising strategies of blood testing for HCC screening and diagnosis in future.