Increased urbanization and technological advancement in recent years has resulted in increased discharge of heavy metals in the environment which has become a major menace all over the world. Due to their inert nature, metals can build up in the environment and have a negative impact on the living biota present. Bacteria play a crucial role in determining the environmental fate of metals by altering their structure and dispersal. Their contribution to the transformation and elimination of toxic metals is crucial. Despite the various roles played by bacteria in processing and detoxifying heavy metals in the environment, they are also vulnerable to metal toxicity. Heavy metals can cause adverse effects on bacterial cells depending on their bio-availability and the absorbed dose. This review discussed some of the various ways that heavy metals exert their toxic effects on bacteria cells and the likely factors that can aid their toxic effects to bacteria cells.