During mine soil reclamation, succession reflects the development of biological communities, where the carbon cycle plays a crucial role in the process. However, how carbon cycle metabolisms operate in environments and which factors regulate these processes remain unclear. Using metagenomic sequencing, we systematically compare differences in carbon cycle metabolic and regulatory mechanisms between artificially reconstructed soil (AR) and natural soil (NS) during succession in an arid desert mining region. The results showed that carbon fixation dominated AR and NS (70.23 % and 70.16 % of the carbon cycle, respectively), with rTCA and DC/4-HB as predominant pathways. Successional differences were observed in the carbon cycle; carbon fixation and aerobic respiration increased in AR, but carbon degradation and aerobic respiration decreased in NS. Differential functional genes were primarily associated with carbon fixation and dominated by Actinobacteria, Proteobacteria, Acidobacteria, Bacteroidetes, Gemmatimonadetes, and Chloroflexi. Succession drove differences in carbon cycle regulatory mechanisms. The carbon cycle was indirectly driven by environmental factors, which shaped microorganisms in AR, but was both directly and jointly regulated in NS. Carbon assimilation was controlled by pH and Na+ in AR and NS. Carbon dissimilation was affected by bacterial and physicochemical properties in AR and NS; the latter showed successional variability. Based on NS, we established the ecological thresholds for reclaimed soils: Na+ should be maintained between 20.842 and 25.926 g center dot kg- 1, electrical conductivity should range from 183.533 to 1830 mS center dot cm- 1, and pH should be maintained between 8.623 and 9.063. And proposed a "stage-targeted" regulatory strategy.