Methane (CH₄) is the second largest greenhouse gas in the atmosphere and its warming potential is 23 times that of CO₂ on a century time scale. The contribution of atmospheric CH₄ to the current level of global warming is up to 20%. Uptake of CH₄ by forest soils plays an important role in the carbon (C) and nitrogen (N) cycles and C budget of forest ecosystems, accounting for 80% of the total biological CH₄ sink. In this paper, the primary factors affecting CH₄ generation and consumption processes in forest soils are reviewed. The mechanisms that determine the CH₄ uptake rate in forest soils with different available N status to N addition are also reviewed. The inadequacies of existing research are discussed and future research priorities are proposed. CH₄ uptake from forest soils depends on the balance between CH₄ generation and oxidation in soils, and is affected by environmental factors such as available soil substrate, soil temperature, soil moisture, soil pH, nutrient availability, and vegetation types. Atmospheric N deposition tends to inhibit the CH₄ uptake in N-rich forest soils, but obviously promotes the CH₄ uptake in N-poor forest soils. Moreover, it is found that smaller amounts of N tend to stimulate CH₄ uptake and larger amounts tend to inhibit CH₄ uptake by the soil. When all other variables are accounted for, the switch occurs at 100 kg N/hm². However, the mechanisms that determine the effect of N concentration on CH₄ uptake in forest soils are not clear. Evidence from high level N addition experiments cannot accurately explain the CH₄ uptake from forest soils under the scenario of chronic atmospheric N deposition. On the other hand, systematic research into the microbiological mechanisms that affect forest soil CH₄ uptake responses to increasing N deposition is scarce. Presently, the mechanisms responsible for the inhibiting effect of N addition on CH₄ uptake from water unsaturated soils are relatively clear and include the following four aspects: 1) The competition for methane monooxygenase between CH₄ and NH₃ in soils; 2) The physiological water shortage of soil microbes caused by osmotic pressure and added salt ions; 3) The toxic effects of metabolites such as nitrite and hydroxylamine; and 4) The inhibition caused by soil nitrogen turnover. In the future, research focusing on this area should explore the short term and long term responses of CH₄ physical diffusion and net uptake in forest soils to added N of different types and levels. This, along with quantification of the contribution of CH₄ accumulation and consumption in deep soils to the net CH₄ uptake flux at the soil surface, could reveal the physical and biochemical mechanisms of CH₄ uptake from forest soils responding to N addition. Furthermore, it is necessary to study the short term and long term responses of methane oxidizing bacteria activity and community structure to added N of different types and levels, and to clarify the internal relations between soil CH₄ uptake and community composition of methane oxidizing bacteria. This research could help to determine the microbiological mechanisms of CH₄ uptake from forest soils in response to N addition.