Surface-enhanced Raman scattering (SERS) is a type of molecular vibration spectroscopy with numerous applications in materials, biomedicine, and the military due to its high sensitivity, good selectivity, and nondestructive nature. At present, the main strategy for SERS detection is using the intensity change of characteristic peaks of Raman reporters. The characteristic peaks of the Raman reporters would shift, resulting from the influence of various factors. SERS applications involving the shifting of Raman characteristic peaks have gradually gained popularity due to their higher stability and more reliable reproducibility when compared to intensity changes. In this review, we summarized the mechanism of Raman characteristic peak shifting and discussed recent advances in SERS detection based on Raman characteristic peak shifting in cancer and disease diagnosis, environmental monitoring, and food safety detection. These examples will provide new strategies and ideas for the development of high-stability SERS methods.