Hydrogels are increasingly used in cell culture to mimic the extracellular environment and provide mechanical, structural, and compositional cues that influence cell behavior. Traditional materials like plastic and glass fail to replicate native cellular environments, making hydrogels a better alternative. This review introduces hydrogels to researchers unfamiliar with their use, focusing on commercially available systems. Hydrogels, which are water-swollen polymer networks, closely mimic extracellular matrices, have similar mechanics to soft tissues, and support cell adhesion and protein sequestration. They are useful for studying cell behavior, differentiation, and responses to mechanical and biochemical cues. Hydrogels can be 2D or 3D, with 3D systems better mimicking in vivo environments. The review discusses hydrogel fabrication methods, including physical and chemical crosslinking, and highlights key properties such as mechanical strength, swelling, mesh size, and degradation. It also covers hydrogel sterilization, cell isolation, and visualization techniques. The review evaluates various hydrogels, including natural (collagen, fibrin, alginate) and synthetic (polyacrylamide, polyethylene glycol) materials, discussing their advantages and disadvantages. It emphasizes the importance of selecting the appropriate hydrogel based on the desired biological application, and highlights the potential of hydrogels for studying cell behavior in complex environments. The review also discusses future directions, including dynamic hydrogels that respond to cellular signals and advanced fabrication techniques for 3D cell culture.Hydrogels are increasingly used in cell culture to mimic the extracellular environment and provide mechanical, structural, and compositional cues that influence cell behavior. Traditional materials like plastic and glass fail to replicate native cellular environments, making hydrogels a better alternative. This review introduces hydrogels to researchers unfamiliar with their use, focusing on commercially available systems. Hydrogels, which are water-swollen polymer networks, closely mimic extracellular matrices, have similar mechanics to soft tissues, and support cell adhesion and protein sequestration. They are useful for studying cell behavior, differentiation, and responses to mechanical and biochemical cues. Hydrogels can be 2D or 3D, with 3D systems better mimicking in vivo environments. The review discusses hydrogel fabrication methods, including physical and chemical crosslinking, and highlights key properties such as mechanical strength, swelling, mesh size, and degradation. It also covers hydrogel sterilization, cell isolation, and visualization techniques. The review evaluates various hydrogels, including natural (collagen, fibrin, alginate) and synthetic (polyacrylamide, polyethylene glycol) materials, discussing their advantages and disadvantages. It emphasizes the importance of selecting the appropriate hydrogel based on the desired biological application, and highlights the potential of hydrogels for studying cell behavior in complex environments. The review also discusses future directions, including dynamic hydrogels that respond to cellular signals and advanced fabrication techniques for 3D cell culture.