Environmental factors such as drought, salinity and extreme temperatures are responsible for low productivity of crop plants worldwide. Plants adapt to such situations by various mechanisms. An insight into the different complex mechanisms can lead to the solution of the mystery of abiotic stress tolerance in plants. Several researchers all over the world have tried to unravel the gene networks responsible for abiotic stress tolerance. Initially single gene delivery system was the common means of developing transgenic plants against abiotic stress tolerance. After the discovery of transcription factors, it became clear that abiotic stress tolerance is regulated by numerous genes which get up regulated during stress conditions. In this review some of the main transcription factor genes utilized for development of transgenic abiotic stress tolerant plants will be discussed.