Display omitted •Gas sensors and its genera discoursed prudently.•Various gas sensing mechanism illustrated aptly.•Cited the prominence of recurrent review on volatile organic compounds, namely Toluene, Ethanol, Formaldehyde.•Analyzed the current trends and scope of detection of various volatile organic compound using sensors.•Overviewed the significance of utilizing nanomaterials in gas sensing. The presence of toxic and harmful gases utterly dangers human health and environmental well-being. Selective detection of these gases is immediately required to meet the demands of society. A promising and presently thriving area for monitoring volatile organic compounds (VOCs) and combustible gases stems from the evolution of detection strategies meld with metal-oxide-based nano-materials. Even though the prevailing literature in nanoscience covers numerous reports on chemical sensing merged with nanotechnology, a few have focused on gas detection. This review takes the lead to study, categorize, and inspect the progressive gas detection approaches accessible in literature. Each gas sensing technique is analyzed based on the detection principle and is reviewed on various aspects such as gas detection, sensitivity, response /recovery time, sensor parameters, procedural complexity, detection variables, and sensor characteristics. Furthermore, this investigation serves as a valuable reference for researchers to recognize the mechanism behind the gas sensor’s fundamental facets. Concisely, this review elucidates the state of this field and induces/propels further research in this field.