This review paper mainly focused on the turbulence models that are in practice to simulate and analyse hydraulic structures. Turbulence is the fundamental concept in fluid mechanics. Most flows in hydraulics are turbulent, characterised by high irregularity, fluctuation, and constant three-dimensional eddying motion. The turbulence exerts a significant influence on velocity, the development of flow, temperature, losses, heat transfer, sediment motion, and other factors, as it considerably contributes to the momentum, heat, and mass transport in hydraulic flow. In recent years, there has been a great interest in understanding the role of turbulence in hydraulics. An overview of the important role of turbulence in hydraulics and the models for calculating hydraulic flow effects are discussed briefly. Reynolds-averaged Navier–Stokes (RANS), direct numerical simulation (DNS), and large eddy simulation (LES) are the three numerical models. These are most frequently addressed with certain assumptions because simulating extensive and intricate geometries requires significant computational power. As a result, hybrid models combining RANS and DNS have been developed to facilitate research. Multiple investigations on turbulence modelling provide insights for both theoretical and practical research directions in the future.