Ferroptosis represents a unique form of cell demise within the cellular framework, characterized by its reliance on intracellular iron levels, distinguishing it from apoptosis, necrosis, and autophagy. Emerging research indicates ferroptosis can restrict tumor growth, revealing potential new avenues for novel cancer treatments. The ability of ferroptosis to impede cancer cell proliferation highlights its promise as an innovative anti-tumor strategy. The fate of the cell is ultimately determined by the cellular machinery that governs ferroptosis. This central regulatory hub meticulously assesses the diverse pro-survival and pro-death cues it receives from subcellular organelles before making the determination of whether to initiate ferroptosis. This summarizes current knowledge about the regulatory mechanisms of ferroptosis, the crosstalk between apoptosis and ferroptosis, and the relationship between ferroptosis and specific organelles. Finally, some examples of drugs related to this topic are also discussed.