Tribological contacts play an essential role in the prevalent and required endeavor for increased sustainability and efficient use of resources. Considering the energy losses related to friction and wear, a huge possibility of saving resources, energy, and CO2 is often overlooked. Here, solid lubricants are an attractive option, especially for applications pushing their conventional liquid counterparts to their thermal and chemical stability limits – typically at elevated temperatures above 200 °C or under extreme conditions excluding liquids (i.e. space industry, semiconductors, or life science). Therefore, this study examines different solid lubrication concepts in thin film materials, classifying them concerning predominant mechanisms, application ranges, and performance. As a starting point, carbon-containing thin film materials will be discussed comprising diamond-like carbon (DLC) coatings and non-reactively sputter deposited transition metal (TM) carbide thin films (i.e., HfC, TaC, or WC). Here, advances in PVD growth techniques (i.e., HiPIMS) and their impact on tribological performance are in focus. Furthermore, insights on the limits of carbon as the source for solid lubrication will be given by a set of high-resolution characterization techniques (i.e., HR-TEM, APT, etc.). The second part presents an alternative class of TM dichalcogenide coating materials (compared to MoS2) and their in-situ formation. In detail, in an innovative approach, selenium nanopowders are converted in-situ into lubricious 2D selenides on sliding W and Mo films, achieving a coefficient of friction (COF) down to 0.1 in ambient air. This in-situ formation is an exciting concept, especially for extreme environmental conditions. Nevertheless, further advances in solid lubricants are required to overcome the limitations for high-temperature applications (above 450 °C). Here, a concept on B2O3 formation in TM borides (i.e., TiB2±z or WB2±z) leads to a drastic reduction of COF from 0.6 to 0.2 at 500 °C (and higher temperatures), highlighting the capabilities of boron-containing thin films in high-temperature tribological contacts. In summary, the different concepts of solid lubrication in thin film materials emphasize the potential of exploring new materials and the need for an in-depth understanding to push these materials in potential applications.