The research interest in the field of carbon nanotube field effect transistors (CNTFETs) in the post Moore era has witnessed a rapid growth primarily due to the fact that the conventional silicon based complementary metal oxide semiconductor (CMOS) devices are approaching its fundamental scaling limits. This has led to significant interest among the researchers to examine novel device technologies utilizing different materials to sustain the scaling limits of the modern day integrated circuits. Among various material alternatives, carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been extensively investigated owing to their desirable properties such as minimal short channel effects, high mobility, and high normalized drive currents. CNTs form the most important component of CNTFETs, which are being viewed as the most feasible alternatives for the replacement of silicon transistors. In this manuscript, detailed description of the recent advances of state of the art in the field of CNTFETs with emphasis on the most broadly impactful applications for which they are being employed is presented. The future prospects of CNTFETs while considering aggressively scaled transistor technologies are also briefly discussed. © 2023 IOP Publishing Ltd.