Traditional lithium–air batteries (LABs) have been seriously affected by cycle performance and safety issues due to many problems such as the volatility and leakage of liquid organic electrolyte, the generation of interface byproducts, and short circuits caused by the penetration of anode lithium dendrite, which has hindered its commercial application and development. In recent years, the emergence of solid-state electrolytes (SSEs) for LABs well alleviated the above problems. SSEs can prevent moisture, oxygen, and other contaminants from reaching the lithium metal anode, and their inherent performance can solve the generation of lithium dendrites, making them potential candidates for the development of high energy density and safety LABs. This paper mainly reviews the research progress of SSEs for LABs, the challenges and opportunities for synthesis and characterization, and future strategies are addressed.