Get the upcoming WordPress releases 2025 schedule

WordPress Core Team Shares Plans for 2025

The WordPress project operates on a predictable schedule of major releases each year, bringing new features, performance improvements, and security enhancements to the popular content management system. Recently, the WordPress Core team officially shared insights into the proposed upcoming WordPress releases 2025 schedule, giving the community a clear roadmap for the platform’s evolution over the next twelve months. This forward visibility allows developers, users, and businesses to plan for updates and take advantage of upcoming functionalities.

Understanding this schedule is crucial for anyone invested in the WordPress ecosystem. It provides a framework for anticipating changes and opportunities, ensuring that websites and services built on WordPress remain current and optimized. The plan outlines three significant updates, continuing the pattern established in recent years.

Unpacking the Upcoming WordPress Releases 2025 Schedule

Following the established rhythm, 2025 is set to feature three major WordPress releases. This cadence allows for consistent progress while providing ample time for development, testing, and community contribution. The proposed dates offer specific milestones for each release:

These dates are not just targets for the core development team but are also significant markers for the broader WordPress community, including plugin and theme developers who need to ensure compatibility, and users preparing for upgrades.

Understanding the Timing Factors Behind the Release Schedule

Setting the upcoming WordPress releases 2025 schedule isn’t simply a matter of picking dates. The Core team takes several strategic factors into consideration. A primary influence is the global calendar, particularly year-end festivities and major WordPress events like WordCamp Asia and WordCamp Europe. By scheduling releases around these periods, the team aims to minimize disruption for contributors and attendees who are often deeply involved in the release process or busy with travel and events.

Héctor Prieto, an Automattician involved in the announcement, noted that while the dates for the first release, 6.8, were not entirely final when announced, they were solid enough to inform contributors’ availability. This phased approach, announcing tentative dates while remaining open to minor adjustments, highlights the collaborative nature of the project.

Focusing on the First Release WordPress 6.8

The first major update on the calendar is WordPress 6.8, scheduled for a stable release on April 15, 2025. This release is expected to incorporate enhancements from multiple iterations of the Gutenberg project, potentially including up to Gutenberg version 20.4. Integrating a significant number of Gutenberg releases means users can anticipate substantial improvements to the block editor experience, possibly bringing new creative tools and workflow efficiencies.

Keeping track of these planned updates helps users and developers prepare for changes in the editing environment and site building capabilities. For businesses relying on WordPress, understanding the scope of these updates allows for better planning around training, development, and theme/plugin compatibility testing.

While WordPress is a secure platform, understanding why WordPress is the secure choice often involves staying updated with the latest releases like 6.8, which frequently include security patches and improvements.

Join the Team Call for WordPress 6.8 Volunteers

Developing and releasing a major version of WordPress is a massive collaborative effort involving hundreds, if not thousands, of volunteers worldwide. The success of the upcoming WordPress releases 2025 schedule heavily relies on community contribution. As part of the preparation for WordPress 6.8, a call for volunteers was issued to fill various lead roles within the release squad. This call invites individuals with expertise in different areas of the project to step up and help guide the release process from conception to completion.

Contributing to core WordPress development is a significant way to impact the platform used by millions globally. It offers volunteers an opportunity to work alongside experienced contributors, deepen their understanding of WordPress internals, and give back to the community.

Discover the Volunteer Roles for WordPress 6.8

The call for volunteers for the WordPress 6.8 release highlighted several key leadership positions needed to ensure a smooth and successful release cycle. These roles require varying skill sets, from technical expertise to organizational and documentation skills.

Some of the lead roles sought for the 6.8 release included:

• Release Coordinator(s)
• Core Tech Lead(s)
• Editor Tech Lead(s)
• Core Triage Lead(s)
• Editor Triage Lead(s)
• Documentation Lead(s)
• Test Lead(s)
• Design Lead(s)
• Performance Lead(s)

Notably, there was no specific default theme lead role announced for 6.8, as this release is not planned to include a new default theme. The Release Lead position, a critical oversight role, is typically filled by project leadership. The possibility of reinstating roles like Marketing Lead, which was not present in the previous 6.7 release, or adding other necessary positions, remained open based on feedback and needs.

How You Can Contribute to the Next WordPress Releases

The official upcoming WordPress releases 2025 schedule serves as a clear invitation for community involvement. While lead roles require specific experience and commitment, there are numerous ways individuals can contribute to WordPress development, testing, and documentation at various levels. Whether you’re a developer, designer, writer, or simply a passionate WordPress user, your skills can be valuable.

Contributing to core involves working on the fundamental code of WordPress. Testing involves trying out development versions (like betas and release candidates) and reporting bugs. Documentation teams write and update the resources that help users and developers understand how to use WordPress. Design contributors work on the user interface and experience. Even participating in support forums or translating WordPress into other languages are vital contributions.

Staying informed about the Make WordPress Core blog is the best way to find current opportunities and understand how to get involved in the development cycle for 6.9, 7.0, and future versions. Contributing is not just about improving the software; it’s about being part of a global community dedicated to the open web.

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