The invention discloses a straight-chain liquid AKD surface sizing agent and a preparation method thereof. The straight-chain liquid AKD surface sizing agent is prepared from the following raw materials in parts by weight, 100-200 parts of starch, 1000-2000 parts of water, 4-8 parts of sodium hydroxide, 25-50 parts of a cationic etherifying agent, 5-10 parts of a dilute acid, 15-30 parts of a cationic monomer, 25-50 parts of acrylamide, 1-2 parts of an initiator, 5-10 parts of a dispersing agent, 20-50 parts of an AKD special cationic polymer emulsifier, and 60-150 parts of liquid AKD. The molecular structure of the straight-chain liquid AKD adopted by the invention has a lactone ring structure; reacting under neutral and alkaline conditions; the reaction functional groups and hydroxyl groups on fiber molecules are subjected to esterification reaction to be firmly bonded on the surfaces of the fibers; the hydrophobic long-chain fatty group turns to the paper surface, so that the hydrophobic effect is obtained, the stability and the sizing effect of the AKD surface sizing agent are remarkably improved by adding the AKD special cationic polymer emulsifier, meanwhile, the hydrolysis and migration tendency of AKD is limited, and AKD latex is well protected.