The corresponding mRNA vaccines Comirnaty (BNT162b2) and Spikevax (mRNA-1273) have been authorized for emergency use since the COVID-19 outbreak. Most clinical researches have also discovered that the mRNA vaccine is a revolutionary strategy for preventing and treating numerous diseases, including cancers. Unlike viral vectors or DNA vaccines, mRNA vaccines cause the body to directly produce proteins following injection. Delivery vectors and mRNAs that encode tumor antigens or immunomodulatory molecules work together to trigger an anti-tumor response. Before mRNA vaccines may be employed in clinical trials, a number of challenges need to be resolved. These include establishing effective and safe delivery systems, generating successful mRNA vaccines against diverse types of cancers, and proposing improved combination therapy. Therefore, we need to improve vaccine-specific recognition and develop mRNA delivery mechanisms. This review summarizes the complete mRNA vaccines’ elemental composition and discusses recent research progress and future direction for mRNA tumor vaccines.