Compared with single vortex beam, vortex beam array has multiple phase singularities, which can not only increase information transmission capacity, but also increase the number of particles captured and observed. At present, there are various methods for generating vortex beam array in the field of optics, such as interferometry, Talbot effect method, optical wedge diffraction method, mode conversion method, Dammann vortex grating method, computational holography method, spatial light modulation method, and metamaterial pattern method. In this paper, the theoretical model, experimental principle, experimental results, and research status of these methods are introduced in detail, and their application prospects are presented.