Abstract In the face of escalating global energy demands and growing environmental concerns associated with conventional energy sources, integrating renewable energy systems has become imperative. Solar and wind have become key contributors to a cleaner and more sustainable energy future among these renewable energy sources. However, their intermittent nature, unpredictability, and infrastructural demands present significant challenges. Hybrid renewable energy systems (HRES) have emerged as a transformative solution to address these challenges. This paper conducts a comprehensive review of HRES, explicitly focusing on integrating wind and solar energy sources to address the limitations of individual systems. The review encompasses a systematic analysis, commencing with identifying optimal deployment areas for hybrid systems, considering geographic and climatic factors that maximize energy yield. Also, reviewed the in-depth exploration of the pivotal components. Additionally, the paper critically examines the crucial aspect of sizing HRES systems, shedding light on recent methodologies applied to HRES. Furthermore, the paper investigates modern advanced technologies used in HRES, particularly the latest analytical software, its methodologies, and the incorporation of effective designs for hybrid wind and solar systems. In addition to evaluating the current state of HRES technology, this article also discusses the scope of future research prospects and emerging trends in the field. It also contemplates integrating other renewable energy sources, such as biomass, with wind and solar energy according to the availability and advantages of these sources and other associated aspects. This paper will help understand the current developments in the field of HRES.