The blood-brain barrier (BBB) is an important protective structure to maintain the homeostasis of the central nervous system, limiting the invasion of most pathogens in the blood. Some viruses can cross the BBB to invade the central nervous system by cellular and (or) paracellular ways, causing neurological dysfunction. The cellular ways consist of direct infection of the brain microvascular endothelial cells and transcellular pathway. The paracellular ways are composed of breaching of the tight junction between endothelial cells and the “Trojan horse” pathway. In this review, the current research progress on viral impacts on the BBB is summarized.