AbstractCartilage loss due to age‐related degeneration and mechanical trauma is a significant and challenging problem in the field of surgical medicine. Unfortunately, cartilage tissue can be characterized by the lack of regenerative ability. Limitations of conventional treatment strategies, such as auto‐, allo‐, and xenografts or implants stimulate an increasing interest in the tissue engineering approach to cartilage repair. This review discusses the application of polymer‐based scaffolds, with an emphasis on hydrogels in cartilage tissue engineering. We highlight injectable hydrogels with various micro‐ and nanoparticles, as they constitute a novel and attractive type of scaffolds. We discuss advantages, limitations, and future perspectives of injectable nanocomposite hydrogels for cartilage tissue regeneration. © 2018 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Biomed Mater Res Part A: 106A: 2762–2776, 2018.