Acetylene (C 2 H 2 ) gas sensors were developed by synthesizing a reduced graphene oxide (rGO)-loaded SnO 2 hybrid nanocomposite via a facile two-step hydrothermal method. Morphological characterizations showed the formation of well-dispersed SnO 2 nanoparticles loaded on the rGO sheets with excellent transparency and obvious fold boundary. Structural analysis revealed good agreement with the standard crystalline phases of SnO 2 and rGO. Gas sensing characteristics of the synthesized materials were carried out in a temperature range of 100-300 • C with various concentrations of C 2 H 2 gas. At 180 • C, the SnO 2 -rGO hybrid showed preferable detection of C 2 H 2 with high sensor response (12.4 toward 50 ppm), fast response-recovery time (54 s and 23 s), limit of detection (LOD) of 1.3 ppm and good linearity, with good selectivity and long-term stability. Furthermore, the possible gas sensing mechanism of the SnO 2 -rGO nanocomposites for C 2 H 2 gas were summarized and discussed in detail. Our work indicates that the addition of rGO would be effective in enhancing the sensing properties of metal oxide-based gas sensors for C 2 H 2 and may make a contribution to the development of an excellent ppm-level gas sensor for on-line monitoring of dissolved C 2 H 2 gas in transformer oil.