Mesoporous M-CeO2 (M = Ni, Co, Fe, Mn, and Cu) catalysts were prepared using the hard-template method and applied to investigate CO2 reverse water-gas shift (RWGS) reaction. The physicochemical properties were studied using H-2-TPR, XRD, BET, CO2-TPD, and H-2-TPD. Results show that the specific surface areas of the prepared Ni-CeO2, Co-CeO2, Fe-CeO2, Mn-CeO2, and Cu-CeO2 catalysts exceed 120 m(2)/g. CO2 RWGS reaction performances are affected by the d-orbital holes of transition metals. CO2 RWGS reaction catalytic activities are ranked as follows: Ni-CeO2 > Cu-CeO2 > Co-CeO2 > Fe-CeO2 approximate to Mn-CeO2. The Cu-CeO2, Fe-CeO2, and Mn-CeO2 catalysts maintain 100 % CO selectivity at the studied temperature.