Objective To explore the downstaging conversion effect of sintilimab combined with anlotinib hydrochloride capsules and transarterial chemoembolization in unresectable advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. Methods A retrospective analysis was conducted on the clinical data of 45 patients with unresectable advanced hepatocellular carcinoma. All patients received treatment with sintilimab combined with anlotinib hydrochloride capsules and transarterial chemoembolization. Surgical resection was performed in patients who met the criteria for downstaging conversion to resectable hepatocellular carcinoma, and postoperative recurrence and metastasis were observed. Results Of the 45 patients, 13 cases (28.89%) successfully downstaged and converted to resectable hepatocellular carcinoma, and subsequently underwent hepatectomy. During conversion therapy, these 13 patients received 2-5 (3.15±0.80) sessions of transarterial chemoembolization and 4-9 (5.85±1.95) cycles of medication. All adverse events were graded as grade 1-2 according to the common terminology criteria for adverse events. All treatment-related adverse events were well-tolerated, mainly including hand-foot syndrome (6 cases), hypothyroidism (4 cases) and hypertension (3 cases). No treatment-related deaths occurred. All 13 patients received antiviral therapy preoperatively, including 5 cases treated with tenofovir alafenamide fumarate tablets and 8 cases with entecavir capsules. After conversion therapy, the alpha-fetoprotein levels of the 13 patients decreased from 1.84-8 857.23 (1 235.92±690.98) ng/mL before treatment to 1.65-656.45 (82.53±54.97) ng/mL. All 13 patients with successful conversion underwent uneventful surgical resection. The operation time was 100-208 (159.38±35.71) min, and the intraoperative blood loss was 100-800 (353.85±170.12) mL. Postoperative pathology revealed no obvious residual tumor cells in 1 patient, and residual cancer tissue was present in 12 patients. The postoperative follow-up period was 16-78 (46.54±22.78) weeks. Six patients remained recurrence-free, 5 cases developed intrahepatic tumor recurrence, and 2 cases had distant metastatic lesions (1 in the spleen and 1 in the lung), with an overall recurrence rate of 53.85%. Postoperative complications included pleural and peritoneal effusion (2 cases), peritoneal effusion (2 cases), abdominal infection (4 cases), pulmonary infection (3 cases), incision infection (1 case), and postoperative bleeding (1 case). All complications improved after symptomatic treatment, and no perioperative deaths occurred. Conclusion Sintilimab combined with anlotinib hydrochloride capsules and transarterial chemoembolization shows favorable downstaging conversion efficacy and good safety in patients with unresectable advanced hepatocellular carcinoma.