Ferns produce spores that germinate to form gametophytes which live independently. The gametophytes later develop antheridia and archegonia and produce new sporophytes upon fertilization. Spore germination is a key step for ferns to switch from the gametophytic phase to the sporophytic phase.Spore germination also is a good single\|cell model for exploration of cell nuclear polar movement, asymmetrical cell division, tip\|growth of rhizoids and other unique cellular differentiation events. Furthermore, fern spore germination is affected by various environmental factors. So far, fern spore germination features in response to environmental factors have been investigated in about 200 species. The present paper gives an overview of this research progress and summarizes the common responses to environmental factors for germination of fern spores as follows: (1) Fern spore germination is affected by light intensity, and the action spectrum for germination is diverse among species. The four representative influence modes include a) red light\|stimulated and far red light\|inhibited spore germination which operates as a switch, b) far red\|uninhibited spore germination, c) blue light\|inhibited spore germination, and d) spore germination in the dark. (2) Gravity directs the early nuclear polar movement in spores of Ceratopteris richardii, which irreversibly determines the axis of spore cell development. (3) Gibberellins (GA) can function to increase the germination rate of spores or break spore dormancy. Antheridiogen has a similar role as GA, which is to initiate and promote spore germination from many species. Abscisic acid, jasmonic acid and ethylene have only minor effects on spore germination. (4) The spores of diverse species have different optimal culture medium compositions for germination and growth. Spores can obtain the maximum germination rate in their favorable mineral and sugar content in MS medium. Moreover, spores from different species may need an optimized pH to obtain the highest germination rate. Furthermore, the metal ions including Ca2+, Mn2+ and Mg2+ in spore coat, Cd2+ or La3+ in culture medium, and CO2 content in environment also have effects on spore germination. (5) Many fern spores can germinate under 15-30℃, and 25℃ is suitable for most spores. (6) Storage at 4℃ or in liquid nitrogen can increase spore longevity and maintain germination rate.