Economically viable hydrogen production by water electrolysis requires an inexpensive and efficient electrocatalyst. Transition metal carbides (TMCs) have many merits such as low price, platinum-like catalytic activity, high physical stability, and electrical conductivity. This review presents strategies for improving the catalytic activity of TMCs. It highlights synthesis using nanostructuring by inorganic-organic complexes and carbon supports to increase the number of active sites and to facilitate mass transport, and modification of electronic configuration by heteroatom doping, heterostructure, and phase control to increase intrinsic activity. The review concludes with an outlook on challenges to achieving practical TMC catalysts for the hydrogen evolution reaction.