Magnesium alloys are already widely used in numerous applications in transportation and consumer products. Ways have been found to improve corrosion and creep resistance, formability in general, and processing routes have been optimized. But would Mg alloys also be suitable for use in an environment where friction, corrosion, thermal fatigue and creep resistance at elevated temperatures are issues? Due to lightweighting benefits, pistons would be an ideal application for Mg based materials. It is much more efficient to accelerate and to decelerate a lightweight material compared to a heavier one. Al alloy pistons are already fairly well established. But Mg could provide further benefits compared with Al due to its specific strength and mass. We will report the state of the art in Mg pistons, with our own and others approaches to improve properties and the challenges that Mg pistons have to face.