Cognitive biases can arise from cognitive processing under affective states and reflect the impact of emotion on cognition. In animal studies, the existing methods for detecting animal emotional state are still relatively limited, and cognitive bias test has gradually become an important supplement. In recent years, its effectiveness in animal research related to neuropsychiatric disorders has been widely verified. Some studies have found that cognitive bias test is more sensitive than traditional test methods such as forced swimming test and sucrose preference test in detecting emotional state. Therefore, it has great potential to become an important tool to measure the influence of neuropsychiatric disorder-associated emotions on cognitive processing. Moreover, it also can be used in early drug screening to effectively assess the potential effects or side effects of drugs on affective state prior to clinical trials. In this mini-review, we summarize the application of cognitive bias tests in animal models of neuropsychiatric disorders such as depression, anxiety, bipolar disorder, and pain. We also discussed its critical value in the identification of neuropsychiatric disorders and the validation of therapeutic approaches.