Biomass for activated carbon production has had been gaining interest in a wide variety of applications such as water filtration, gas adsorption, and electrochemical devices as a renewable carbon source while meeting desired porosity, surface area, conductivity, and stability requirements. Activated carbon production has been extensively investigated, proving to provide high performance in applications including electrochemical devices. Hydrothermal carbonization (HTC) has shown potential as a pretreatment method for activated carbon production, especially when surface functionalization is desired. However, research into catalytic HTC is still limited. In this review, the processing methods used to convert biomass waste products into high value activated carbon are briefly reviewed, with a focus on recent progress in catalytic HTC as a pretreatment method to activated carbon. Areas of interest for catalytic HTC for activated carbon production are identified. Recent studies have found that the use of catalysts enhances the degree of carbonization, surface modification, and introduction of key heteroatoms significantly augmenting the performance of activated carbon. With further development of catalytic HTC technology, more competent carbon material for electrochemical devices can be produced cost-effectively and move towards meeting the ever-increasing demands of activated carbons for high-performance electrochemical devices. Graphic Abstract