Articular cartilage repair is one of the most challenging problems in biomedical engineering because the regenerative capacity of cartilage is intrinsically poor. The lack of efficient treatment modalities motivates researches into cartilage tissue engineering such as combing cells, scaffolds and growth factors. In this review we summarize the current developments on scaffold systems available for cartilage tissue engineering. The factors that are critical to successfully design an ideal scaffold for cartilage regeneration were discussed. Then we present examples of selected material types (natural polymers and synthetic polymers) and fabricated forms of the scaffolds (three-dimensional scaffolds, micro- or nanoparticles, and their composites). In the end of review, we conclude with an overview of the ways in which biomedical nanotechnology is widely applied in cartilage tissue engineering, especially in the design of composite scaffolds. This review attempts to provide recommendations on the combination of qualities that would produce the ideal scaffold system for cartilage tissue engineering.