Photo-responsive liquid-crystalline polymers (LCPs) containing photoisomerizable molecular switches (such as azobenzene, AZ) or photothermal agents (such as graphene), are a type of widely investigated smart materials, which can undergo an order-disorder transition, inducing a macroscopic shape change. Presently, light-driven oscillators of LCPs have been achieved mainly by two methods. One is that the actuator displays chaotic swing for the nonlinear change of mechanical properties of LCPs containing AZs under continuous UV or visible light illumination. The other is constructing nonequilibrium systems and relying on the self-shadowing effect during motion. The actuator can realize periodical and sustained motion without additional manual control components, which can be extensively exploited in light signal modulation, mobile robots, energy harvesting, mills, motors, etc. This paper reviews the research progress of light-driven oscillators of LCPs in the past few years, and also introduces its fabrication methods, motion mechanisms and application areas in details. Finally, it provides a view of prospective of its future development trend for light-driven oscillators of LCPs.