<p>Mongolia hosts about three thousand lakes across arid and semi-arid continental interiors, where tectonic, climatic, and ecological diversity makes lacustrine systems sensitive archives of Late Quaternary to modern environmental change. Located at the intersection of the mid-latitude westerlies, the East Asian summer monsoon, and the Siberian High, Mongolian lakes record spatially heterogeneous responses to climate forcing, basin evolution, and cryospheric dynamics. Since the early 1990s, lake-based research in Mongolia has expanded substantially; however, a nationally integrated synthesis linking geological timescales, basin controls, and the evolution of research themes has remained limited. Here we review 214 lake-related studies published between 1990 and 2025, classified by publication year, study region, research focus, author nationality, and journal–publisher structure in order to evaluate how Mongolian lake research has developed and become increasingly integrated into the international scientific literature. This classification also provides insight into the evolution of publication outlets and language transitions within global lake research. The synthesis reveals strong regional contrasts in lake evolution, reflecting interactions among tectonic processes, hydroclimatic variability, and cryospheric change. Over time, research has shifted from climate-driven lake-level reconstructions toward multi-proxy interpretations supported by improved chronological frameworks and remote-sensing observations. Future research will benefit from integrating high-resolution sediment archives, improved chronological frameworks, and long-term hydrological monitoring. Important knowledge gaps remain in desert and steppe lake basins of eastern and southern Mongolia, where sedimentary records and coupled climate–human impacts remain comparatively underexplored. The synthesis also highlights key knowledge gaps and emerging research priorities for future lake-based Quaternary studies in Mongolia.</p>