Gold nanoparticles (AuNPs) are one of the most studied nanomaterials with applications spanning from catalysis to biomedicine. While numerous chemical protocols exist that allow bespoke tailoring of chemical, physical and biological properties, their translation towards industrial-scale production remains a challenge. Batch synthesis often suffers from poor reproducibility and scalability, while emerging approaches, such as continuous flow synthesis, are not widely implemented in research labs. Herein, we provide a critical review of recent developments in the field of AuNP synthesis and identify synthetic guidelines for precision engineering of nanoparticle properties