The safest viral vector system for gene therapy is based on recombinant adeno-associated virus (rAAV) up to date in Phase I clinical trials, which has been developed rapidly and applied for ischemic stroke gene therapy in animal experiments since the past seven years. rAAV vector has made great progress in improving gene delivery by modification of the capsid and increasing transgene expression by encapsidation of double-stranded rAAV genome. And in all, nine therapeutic genes in 12 animal studies were successfully delivered using rAAV vector to ischemic brain via different approaches in rat or mice stroke models for gene therapy and the results suggested that rAAV could mediate genes' expression efficiently; most of them displayed evidently therapeutic efficacy with satisfactory biological safety. Gene therapy involving rAAV vector seems effective in attenuation of ischemic damage in stroke and has greatly promising potential use for patients in the future. In this review, we will focus on the basic biology and development of rAAV vector itself as well as the recent progress in the use of this vector for ischemic stroke gene therapy in animal experiments.