The invention provides a switch control type metal oxide lightning arrester. A high-voltage end of the lightning arrester is connected with a circuit breaker by a power transmission line, a low-voltage end of the lightning arrester is connected with the ground, the circuit breaker is used for performing breaking and closing operation under control of a control system, the lightning arrester comprises unit sections which are sequentially connected in series in a vertical direction, each unit section comprises an external insulation sleeve and a metal oxide resistance sheet, the metal oxide resistance sheet is arranged in the insulation sleeve, two ends of a bottom unit section of the lightning arrester are connected in parallel with a control unit, the control unit comprises a rapid switch and a controller, the controller is connected with the rapid switch, the control system is used for sending a control signal to the controller before sending a closing or breaking command to the circuit breaker, so that the controller triggers the rapid switch to be switched on, and the bottom unit section is short-circuited after the rapid switch is switched on. With the lightning arrester provided by the invention, the residual voltage of the lightning arrester can be reduced on the basis of maintaining a performance parameter of the metal oxide resistance sheet for an existing lightning arrester unchanged, the protection level and the shock-resistant performance of the lightning arrester are improved, the closing resistance of the circuit breaker is omitted, and the cost is reduced.