Glycosphingolipids (GSLs) are widely distributed in the phospholipid bilayer of various cell membranes, which play an important role in maintaining cell membrane stability, and regulate various cellular processes including adhesion, proliferation, apoptosis and recognition, as well as participate in various cellular activities. In addition, GSLs are not only involved in the process of apoptosis, but also regulate multiple signals in tumorigenesis and tumor development. The tumor-associated GSLs are expected to be used as diagnostic markers and immunotherapeutic targets for malignant tumors. These findings have important implications for the study of apoptosis and provide the new direction of tumor therapy. This review summarized the latest research progress of GSLs-mediated apoptosis and its effect on the genesis, development and metastasis of tumor cells. Moreover, we discussed the metabolic pathway of GSLs-mediated apoptosis and its application in tumor therapy, as well as the development prospect of targeted therapy strategies based on GSLs.