Natural gas in geological formations primarily exists in three occurrence forms: free state, adsorbed state, and dissolved state. Among these, water-soluble gas refers to unconventional natural gas resources dissolved in formation water. China possesses abundant water-soluble gas resources, estimated at approximately 1.2～6.5×1013 m3. With the rapid economic development in China and the increasing demand for natural gas resources, water-soluble gas, as a highly potential natural gas resource, holds broad prospects for development. Currently, water-soluble gas in China remains at the stage of theoretical exploration and small-scale trial extraction, while only Japan has accumulated some development experience abroad. Neither has yet established large-scale commercial exploitation models. Studies indicate that key future research directions for water-soluble gas development include technologies such as gas release and water-gas separation, CO? dissolution displacement and sequestration, multi-field coupled dynamic simulation, and multi-energy collaborative exploitation. Comprehensive utilization models are proposed, including energy storage for peak regulation and grid support, environmental and industrial applications, and integrated multi-energy systems. Research findings suggest that the economic exploitation of water-soluble gas requires breakthroughs in key challenges such as degassing efficiency and phase control under high-pressure conditions, dynamic monitoring and safety prevention, as well as economic feasibility. Directions for development are proposed, including interdisciplinary collaboration and international cooperation, technology integration and intelligentization. Additionally, promoting industrial chain layout through policy guidance and regional pilot projects is recommended, aiming to provide novel perspectives for the effective development of water-soluble gas in China and enhance national energy security.