There have been a few questions around our decision regarding the WordPress Release cadence, which I’m glad to address. After years of releasing WordPress three times a year, and a recent discussion with Core committers, we’re making a change — for now.

Starting in 2025, WordPress will move to a single major releaseMajor Release A set of releases or versions having the same major version number may be collectively referred to as “X.Y” -- for example version 5.2.x to refer to versions 5.2, 5.2.1, and all other versions in the 5.2. (five dot two dot) branch of that software. Major Releases often are the introduction of new major features and functionality. per year, with WordPress 6.8 “Cecil” marking the final major release for the calendar year. From there, the next major release will land in 2026, and we’ll continue on that annual cycle for the time being.

This decision reflects current realities — particularly the energy and resources being diverted due to ongoing legal matters. If those lawsuits are dropped or resolved, we’ll revisit this cadence and strongly consider returning to a three-releases-per-year schedule. That remains the ideal for a fast-moving, community-driven project like WordPress.

In the meantime, the annual cycle gives us the space to focus on essential work that often gets sidelined:

• Reducing technical debt and long-standing bugs
• Improving performance across coreCore Core is the set of software required to run WordPress. The Core Development Team builds WordPress.
• Supporting noncommercial community plugins
• Investing in design, testing, and the broader contributor experience

We’ll continue to issue minor releases as needed for maintenance and security, and we’re introducing quarterly core committer town halls to strengthen collaboration and alignment across teams.

Looking ahead, this cadence puts WordPress 7.0 on track for 2027 — and with the additional time, we’re aiming for more than just a version number. 7.0 will be a milestone: a thoughtful, intentional release that reflects how far the platform has come and the kind of future we’re building toward.