Triaxial test is approved to be the most suitable method for studying the mechanical properties of rocks and soils in lab. Through conventional triaxial tests, parameters like the strength of rocks and soils can be obtained, thus providing guidance for the design and construction of geotechnical engineering. With the development of geotechnical engineering, more and more new problems that can hardly be solved by conventional triaxial tests have arisen, which can be classified into two categories: one is the mechanical properties of special soils (rocks), and the other is the mechanical properties of the soils (rocks) under special conditions like geologic hazards and multi-field coupling. The paper introduced several new types of triaxial instruments and test techniques developed in response to the problems, and prospects have been made for further study of triaxial tests, which may provide reference for the optimization of triaxial tests.