Semiconductor lasers in the near-infrared wavelength range based on GaAs substrates have made significant advancements. In the realm of high-power research, the tapered semiconductor lasers with a master-oscillator power-amplifier structure have garnered widespread attention due to its excellent characteristics, allowing for the simultaneous achievement of high power and high beam quality. The representative research results on GaAs-based tapered lasers at home and abroad in recent years were summarized, and the progresses in theoretical studies and experiments on the design of laser device structures (including the design of ridge and tapered regions as well as Bragg gratings) and the optimization of epitaxial layers were discussed. Focusing on the demands for high power, high beam quality, high brightness, and narrow linewidth applications, the research progress and performance characteristics of tapered lasers were summarized. The research work of the tapered lasers was briefly introduced. Furthermore, an outlook on the future development directions of tapered semiconductor lasers has been provided.