Xanthan gum has a significant presence in the petroleum industry, offering superior performance in viscosity, thickening, salt resistance, and contamination resistance compared to other polymers. Its effectiveness is particularly remarkable in challenging well drilling conditions such as offshore, coastal, high salinity layers, and permafrost layers. Xanthan gum plays a crucial role in sludge treatment, completion fluid, and tertiary oil recovery, contributing to accelerated drilling speed, well integrity, oil and gas field protection, blowout prevention, and substantial enhancement of oil recovery rates. As an ideal additive, xanthan gum holds promising prospects for further development in this industry.