Core-wall systems are widely adopted in tall buildings owing to their efficiency in resisting gravity and lateral loads, architectural adaptability, and construction practicality. However, as structural height and slenderness increase, standalone core-wall systems may exhibit excessive lateral drift, residual deformation, and concentrated seismic demand that undermines serviceability and post-earthquake repairability. Belt-truss and outrigger mechanisms are therefore introduced to engage perimeter columns, enhance overturning resistance, and improve seismic performance across multiple hazard levels. This review synthesizes representative peer-reviewed research on the performance-based seismic evaluation of core-wall tall buildings with and without belt-truss systems, emphasizing configuration type, vertical placement, stiffness distribution, analytical framework, and engineering demand parameters. The literature demonstrates that belt-truss effectiveness is governed by core stiffness, perimeter column stiffness, outrigger rigidity, supplemental damping, soil–structure interaction, and the chosen performance objective. Optimal placement is response-metric dependent: lower-level positioning may reduce base overturning moment, while mid-height or upper-level placement may better moderate story drift or floor acceleration. Nonlinear time-history analysis and fragility-based procedures offer substantially greater reliability than simplified elastic methods. The review identifies critical knowledge gaps and proposes a research agenda to advance resilient, low-damage tall building design.