<p>This paper primarily reviews the impact performance of wear-resistant hard coatings, involving physical/chemical vapor deposition hard thin coatings in thickness from hundreds nanometers to a few micrometers and thermal spray hard thick coatings of several hundred micrometers. The metallic components with hard coatings used in high-end equipment such as nuclear power and aerospace usually need to simultaneously withstand kN order repeated heavy-load impacts. Nevertheless, the current impact test conditions mainly concern the relatively low loads from mN to N order in atmosphere. The impact behavior evaluations of hard coatings are described, as well as the factors affecting the impact performance of the ones, together with the mechanisms by which they are formed. Such understanding can provide assistance in the design and manufacturing of coated components for use in heavy-load impact environments.</p>