Core meltdown may occur in the event of a catastrophic nuclear power plant accident. The reactor pressure vessel will be destroyed by the ultra-high temperature and extremely radioactive core melt, which even poses a risk of contaminating the surrounding area. As the main component of the core catcher, sacrificial concrete may alter the physical and chemical properties of the core melt during nuclear accidents, which is extremely significant for the safety protection of nuclear power plants. To gain a comprehensive understanding of the high temperature properties and failure mechanism of sacrificial concrete, researchers have conducted in-depth research on the high temperature mechanical properties and physical properties of sacrificial concrete, and the interaction between core melt and concrete in order to provide direction for the development and renewal of such materials. This review first introduced the service characteristics of a core meltdown accident as well as the key property requirement of nuclear sacrificial concrete under these extreme conditions. The main research on sacrificial concrete focuses on material modification and the improvement of material performance. The addition of graphene or polypropylene fiber is anticipated to improve the service performance of sacrificial concrete since the majority of researches demonstrate that high temperature circumstances will degrade the mechanical characteristics of sacrificial concrete and increase the danger of spalling. Additionally, simulation experiments and numerical modelling on accident condition response are mostly used to explore the interaction between the core melt and sacrificial concrete due to the high radioactivity of the core melt. Currently, there are still gaps in our understanding of sacrificial concrete that need to be addressed, and results have not been consistent from study to study. Therefore, the main development directions in this field include an in-depth knowledge of the deterioration mechanism during the service process of sacrificial concrete and a thorough understanding of the interaction between core melt and sacrificial concrete.