Abstract: Tobacco is an important economic crop. The cultivation and development of new varieties have made significant contributions to tobacco production. With the development of modern breeding technology, tobacco breeding has shifted from traditional breeding to precision breeding, which is a leap from the directional improvement of single gene/character to effective pyramiding breeding of multiple genes and characters. Tobacco targeted and precise improvement breeding, large-scale gene editing breeding, whole genome modular breeding and genomic selection, promoted the transformation of tobacco breeding concept and technology. In this paper, we provided an overview of the progress made in modern tobacco breeding theory and technology, development of new variety, and proposed the development strategies for tobacco modern breeding and smart breeding in the era of breeding 4.0, providing roadmap for promoting the innovative development of tobacco breeding.