Abstract: Earth is unique in our solar system for having active plate tectonics, and understanding its tectonic regimes and the early evolutionary processes are pivotal to geodynamic research. The initiation mechanisms, onset time and evolution of plate tectonics have a profound impact on the formation and maintenance of Earth's habitability; however, significant controversy remains regarding these topics. Based on geodynamic theories and numerical simulations, we systematically elucidate six potential tectonic modes of the early Earth: stagnant lid, mobile lid, plutonic-squishy lid, heat-pipe mode, drip-like subduction, and ridge-only mode, and further analyzes the dynamic characteristics, controlling factors, and geological evidence associated with each mode. We also describe four mechanisms for subduction initiation: plume-induced subduction, impact-driven subduction, subduction induced by spreading continents and plate-breaking. While subduction initiation is critical to establishing plate tectonics, its initial conditions and sustaining mechanisms require further constraints through integrated numerical modeling and geological records. Current perspectives on the onset time of global plate tectonics vary widely, with evidence suggesting it could have begun as early as the Hadean, around 4 billion years ago, to the Neoproterozoic era. This discrepancy reflects the incomplete and ambiguous nature of the geological record. The tectonic evolution of the early Earth was governed by multiple factors, encompassing mantle temperature, rheology, and magmatism. Following the cooling of the magma ocean, the Earth likely transitioned from a stagnant-lid state through various transitional modes, gradually evolving into the modern plate tectonic system. To summarize, the tectonic evolution of the early Earth represents a complex, non-linear dynamic process. Integrating geodynamic numerical simulations, multidisciplinary geological observations, and comparative planetary analysis is essential to unraveling the origin and evolution of tectonic regimes and their profound impact on the evolution of the Earth system.