Rheumatoid arthritis (RA) is a chronic autoimmune disease that significantly impacts joints. Experimental models are crucial tools for studying the pathogenesis and pharmaco-toxicological mechanisms of RA and screening RA drugs. Commonly used experimental RA models include animal models and in vitro models. With advancements in biotechnology and biomaterials, experimental RA models have evolved from induced and 2D in vitro models to spontaneous gene modification and 3D in vitro models. Moreover, some progress has been made in the study of traditional Chinese medicine disease and syndrome combination models. This paper summarizes the research progress made in the modeling, monitoring, and evaluation of experimental RA models to provide a reference for related research.