<p><?tk 3?>In recent decades, the growth of rubbers has made a huge impact on polymer research and innovation. In fact, the aging process is a well-known challenge in rubber materials, as it affects their properties and, in turn, their service life. This makes this research item particularly intriguing. As these materials have potential applications in various engineering fields, obviously it would be of great interest to understand their degradation under real-life conditions. In this context, considerable efforts have been made to study their multi-physical properties under synergistic aging environments (e.g., moisture, thermal, oxygen, aggressive fluids, hygrothermal, thermo-oxidative, photo-oxidative,…). The current review paper sheds light on the degradation mechanisms of polymer rubbers and aims to provide a detailed insight into potential strategies to improve their durability. Interestingly, an in-depth analysis of the synergistic aging effects on rubbers is provided, highlighting the resulting microstructural modifications and changes in physico-chemical and mechanical properties. Likewise, the predictive models used to estimate the service life of rubber materials, are assessed. More importantly, the future directions for improving the durability of polymeric rubbers are critically discussed, with a view to extending their service-life under optimum performances. Finally, a detailed overview of the emerging applications of rubbers is presented. This review is intended to provide new insights into the durability of rubber materials to stimulate new research. It seeks to compile and compare research conducted over the past two decades, establishing a reference framework for future investigations.</p> Graphical abstract