Abstract In the last decade, the Rotating Detonation Combustor (RDC) has received growing attention among the different Pressure Gain Combustion concepts due to the simplicity of the design and the potential ease of integration in gas turbines. However, multiple technological challenges are still associated with its development. Researchers have pointed out concerns related to the heat loads determined by the high temperature and the complex flow field occurring in this kind of combustion chamber based on a small but meaningful set of experimental and numerical results. An investigation of the open literature has shown a strong sensitivity of the heat loads with multiple designs and operational parameters. The aim of this work is to provide a fundamental review of the primary drivers affecting heat load in a typical RDC in order to define basic cooling requirements for possible actual design of the combustor. Along with this, a simplified approach has been implemented for the estimation of the requirements for cold side convection cooling with respect to different heat load scenarios, shedding light on the compatibility of pure convection cooling for Rotating Detonation Combustors. Finally, the results are used to determine guidelines for the design of a cooled and efficient RDC.