In global subduction systems, the subduction inputs include normal oceanic slabs and buoyant oceanic plateaus. Both exert different geological effects on subduction zones. Thus, studying the interactions among the oceanic plateau and subduction zone will be significant for understanding subduction zone geodynamics and the lateral accretion processes of the continental crust. This study summarizes the geological and geophysical characteristics of typical oceanic plateaus that are currently close to subduction zones. These, combined with the geological and geophysical features of adjacent subduction zones and recent numerical simulation data, are used to discuss the geological effects of the interaction between oceanic plateaus and subduction zones. In terms of kinematics and geometry, buoyant oceanic plateaus generally resist subduction, leading to subduction retreatment and the reversal of subduction polarity, thereby forming new subduction zones. The subduction process in some subduction zones is terminated by the arrival of oceanic plateaus, and the plateaus finally accrete to the mature arc/crustal margins and become part of the continental crust. However, recent studies have shown that part of the oceanic plateaus do not lead to the termination of the subduction process, but rather contribute to the occurrence of flat subduction, thereby resulting in tectonic shortening and the thickening of the overlying plate in the subduction zone area and the gradual migration of magmatic activity toward the intraplate setting. Geochemically, these oceanic plateaus with enriched compositions not only affect subduction zone lava geochemistry and the formation of hydrothermal deposits, but may also contribute to the formation of mantle heterogeneity. Finally, this study proposes some key scientific issues on the interaction of oceanic plateaus with subduction zones, including the detailed crust/mantle structure of subduction zones, the geological and geochemical response of the island arc and backarc basin to the new subduction tectonic framework of “oceanic plateau-trench,” and quantitative correlations between the factors controlling whether plateaus are accreted or subducted remain unclear.