The SU-76 was developed in the summer of 1942 by the design bureaus of factory No. 38 in Kirov. A significant role in the creation of this self-propelled artillery system was played by Semyon Alexandrovich Ginzburg, who oversaw and directed the process. The first combat vehicles appeared in late autumn 1942, but they had an unsuccessful power unit consisting of two parallel-mounted GAZ-202 automotive engines with a power of 70 hp. This setup was difficult to manage and caused strong vibrations in the transmission, leading to frequent breakdowns. Initially, the self-propelled gun was fully armored, which created inconveniences for the crew. The shortcomings became evident during its first combat use on the Volkhov Front, and after the production of 608 vehicles, manufacturing was halted for design improvements. However, the urgent need of the Red Army for self-propelled artillery led to the decision to retain the parallel power unit, reinforcing its elements to increase the engine life. The upgraded version, without an armored roof, was named SU-76M and began production in the summer of 1943, managing to reach the front by the beginning of the Battle of Kursk. However, the results were disappointing. As a result of the investigation, S. A. Ginzburg was removed from design work and sent to the front, where he died on August 3, 1943. Zaltsman also suffered, being removed from his position as the People's Commissar of Tank Industry on June 28.

The need for a light self-propelled gun was so great that V. A. Malyshev, returning to the position of People's Commissar of Tank Industry, announced a competition for the best project. Teams from factory No. 38 led by N. A. Popov and the Gorky Automobile Plant led by N. A. Astrov participated. Their prototypes differed in design, but the main innovation was the use of GAZ-203 engines from the light tank T-70, which worked on a common shaft. The machine was reconfigured to accommodate the new installation. From late 1943, after the cessation of production of the T-70 and T-80 tanks, both factories, as well as factory No. 40 in Mytishchi, began mass production of the SU-76 with the GAZ-203 installation. As a result, the SU-76 became the second most produced combat vehicle after the T-34 in the USSR. A total of 13,684 upgraded SU-76s were produced, of which 9,133 were built by GAZ. Production ended in October 1945, and a few years later they were decommissioned.

Based on the late models of the SU-76, the first Soviet anti-aircraft self-propelled installation ZSU-37 was created in 1945, which was produced serially even after the base model was discontinued.