Diterpenoids are the characteristic secondary metabolites of the soft corals of the genus Sarcophyton. The intriguing structure and broad spectrum of bioactivity of these metabolites have drawn great attention from the chemistry and pharmacology fields, and they have become a focus of study in marine natural products. In 1997 Indian researchers reviewed the related studies of the soft corals of the genus Sarcophyton. This paper summarizes the research progress in 12 identified and 13 unidentified species of this genus reported in 54 citations published from 1998 to the Oct. of 2013, involving 143 compounds.