Exploring high-efficiency photocatalysts for hydrogen generation from water splitting has recently spurred enormous scientific interest. Herein, the formation of Pt/GO-ZnS photocatalysts via a step-wise strategy and the mechanism of improved hydrogen production efficiency are systematically studied. Thus-prepared optimal Pt/GO-ZnS composite (with the ratio of Pt and GO are 1 and 2 wt%, respectively) exhibits excellent photocatalytic hydrogen production performance of 1082 mmol h(-1) g(-1) under simulated sunlight irradiation, which stays 2.8 and 2.6 times higher than that of ZnS/GO (2 wt%) and ZnS/Pt (1 wt%), respectively. Exhaustive experimental studies reveal that the outstanding activity of Pt/GO-ZnS is attributed to the efficient interfacial charge transfer and enhanced visible light harvesting caused by the synergetic effects of GO and Pt. In further contexts, the photocatalytic mechanism is explored: Photo-generated electrons in the conduction band of ZnS can be immediately trapped through GO and rapidly transferred onto Pt nanoparticles thanks to the tight interface. This study represents an effective and facile strategy to rationally design advanced photocatalytic system in solar energy conversion. (C) 2020 Hydrogen Energy Publications LLC. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.