Stainless steel structures have gained increasing attention in the field of engineering due to their excellent corrosion resistance and favorable mechanical properties. However, stainless steel exhibits performance degradation under extreme environmental conditions. Investigating the performance evolution of stainless steel structures under corrosion-load coupling conditions is an essential prerequisite for advancing their broader engineering applications. This study systematically reviews the domestic and international research on the mechanical performance of stainless steel in corrosive environments from both material and structural perspectives. It elucidates the characteristics of stainless steel corrosion, including pitting corrosion, stress corrosion, and fatigue corrosion. Additionally, it summarizes and analyzes the degradation patterns of mechanical properties of steel structures exposed to corrosive environments, discusses methodologies for evaluating the service life of steel structures under corrosion, and identifies existing issues within the current research framework. Through this review, it becomes apparent that global scholars have achieved substantial research outcomes in this field, yet significant gaps remain. Most existing studies focus on analyzing the corrosion behavior of stainless steel materials but fail to propose constitutive models that accurately reflect the stress-strain relationship of stainless steel under corrosive conditions. This gap hinders a comprehensive explanation of the corrosion transmission mechanisms from the material to the structural level. Furthermore, previous research primarily centers on carbon steel materials when analyzing failure behaviors under corrosion-load coupling conditions. Consequently, there is a lack of accumulated research on the mechanical performance degradation of stainless steel structures. Studies investigating the damage to structural performance under load are also insufficient, which makes it challenging to reveal the degradation laws of the load-bearing capacity of stainless steel structures effectively. The inadequacies in constitutive modeling and structural performance research result in a shortage of adequate input data for quantitative analyses of structural resistance degradation by using time-variant reliability methods. This limitation compromises the comprehensiveness of service life evaluation systems for stainless steel structures in corrosive environments and undermines the technical foundation for designing durable structures.