The patient-derived gastric cancer xenograft (PDGCX) model well maintains the heterogeneity of the primary tumor. Further establishment of an individualized metastasis model that simulates clinical features is of great significance for gastric cancer research. In this review, we focus on the establishment methods, influencing factors and evaluation indexes of the PDGCX metastasis model and summarize the method of screening gastric cancer metastasis-related genes. We further analyze the application of the PDGCX model in the identification of therapeutic targets and screening of potential markers for metastasis of gastric cancer.