Copper based sulfide photocatalysts have attracted extensive attention of researchers due to their narrow band gap, local surface plasmon resonance effect, good absorption ability to visible light, rich in reserves and non-toxic properties. However, the high recombination rate of photogenerated electrons and holes, and the low utilization efficiency of visible light hinder their application in the field of photocatalysis. Therefore, researchers have tried different modification strategies to improve their photocatalytic performance. This paper focuses on the modification strategies of copper based sulfides, mainly discusses the modification of the photocatalytic performance of copper based sulfides by morphology regulation, crystal phase regulation, and semiconductor heterojunction, etc., and analyzes the effect of different modification methods on the improvement of the photocatalytic performance. The application of copper based sulfides in the photocatalytic degradation of organic pollutants, photocatalytic splitting water for hydrogen production, photocatalytic reduction of CO2, etc. are discussed, and the development direction of copper based sulfide modification is prospected.