Abstract Many tight gas formations are water-wet and under-saturated where the initial water saturation in the reservoir is less than the capillary equilibrium irreducible water saturation. The use of water-based conventional fracturing fluids causes water to be trapped in the near-wellbore region, thereby significantly impairing the ability of gas to flow. Formations with sub-irreducible water saturation can be stimulated with fluids that minimize the interfacial tension (such as surfactant gels), minimize the amount of water used in the fluid (such as energized or foamed fluids), dehydrate the formation (such as alcohol-based fluids) or completely eliminate water (such as hydrocarbon-based or liquid carbon dioxide-based fluids). Since the rheology and proppant-carrying properties of these fluids vary, the uses of these fluids are different and will be discussed in detail in the paper. The paper will also present guidelines, based on formation properties, to indicate the need for considering unconventional fluids.