This page provides an estimated release schedule for each supported minor version in the release channels. For clusters not enrolled in a release channel, version milestone dates can be derived from the release channel schedule.
To learn how Google Kubernetes Engine (GKE) upgrades clusters, see About GKE cluster upgrades. For more details about GKE version support policies, see GKE versioning and support. To learn about auto-upgrade targets, see What happens when a version becomes an auto-upgrade target in a release channel.
This page is for Admins, Architects, and Operators who manage the lifecycle of the underlying tech infrastructure. To learn more about common roles and example tasks that we reference in Google Cloud content, see Common GKE Enterprise user roles and tasks.
Dates provide a general estimate
The dates in the table are best-effort predictions. Based on qualification and stability of releases, availability and upgrade dates might be delayed. Future dates are updated periodically when new information becomes available, and past dates are updated for accuracy.
To stay up-to-date on version availability and auto-upgrade timing, revisit this page, and subscribe to GKE upgrade notifications. To get auto-upgrade targets for a specific cluster, see Get information about a cluster's upgrades (Preview).
The timing of automatic upgrades
After a version is announced as an auto-upgrade target, the date of the actual cluster upgrade depends on some of the following factors:
- The timing of the rollout of the version to the cluster's region. GKE follows a multi-day rollout schedule (typically four or more days) to make new versions available and to auto-upgrade cluster control planes and nodes. Rollouts are paused during weekends and holidays, and include time to observe and monitor for problems.
- The cluster's configuration of maintenance windows and exclusions.
- The cluster's exposure to Kubernetes deprecated features and APIs.
- The cluster's participation in a rollout sequence.
If your business schedule or constraints require different upgrade paths or strategies, you can adjust the scope and timing of the automated upgrades to better align with your business needs. For more information, see Maintenance exclusion and Scope of maintenance.
Estimated schedule for release channels
GKE automatically upgrades clusters in a release channel on or after the dates specified in the Auto Upgrade column of the following schedule. The patches of a minor version remain available in all release channels until the end of standard support (formerly known as end of life), except for clusters enrolled in the Extended channel, where the minor version and its patches remain available until the end of extended support. You can use maintenance exclusions to prevent a cluster from being automatically upgraded until its end of support date.
Dates are best-effort predictions and are updated periodically when new information becomes available. Consider the English language documentation as the source of truth if the dates in other languages differ due to delays in translation.
See the following schedule for clusters enrolled in a release channel follow this schedule:
| Minor version (release date) | Rapid | Regular | Stable | Extended | End of standard support (formerly end of life)3 | End of extended support3 | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Available1 | Auto Upgrade2 | Available1 | Auto Upgrade2 | Available1 | Auto Upgrade2 | Available1 | Auto Upgrade2 | |||
| 1.26 | 2023-02-21 | 2023-06-16 | 2023-04-07 | 2023-06-23 | 2023-06-16 | 2024-01-25 | N/A5 | N/A5 | 2024-06-304 | N/A5 |
| 1.27 | 2023-06-09 | 2023-08-09 | 2023-06-16 | 2024-02-03 | 2023-07-06 | 2024-04-29 | 2023-06-16 | N/A5 | 2024-10-01 | 2025-06-14 |
| 1.28 | 2023-09-04 | 2024-01-05 | 2023-11-30 | 2024-06-11 | 2024-01-05 | 2024-07-23 | 2023-11-30 | 2025-04-14 | 2025-02-04 | 2025-12-04 |
| 1.29 | 2024-01-05 | 2024-04-15 | 2024-01-25 | 2024-07-09 | 2024-06-11 | 2024-08-09 | 2024-01-25 | 2025-10-04 | 2025-03-21 | 2026-01-25 |
| 1.30 | 2024-04-29 | 2024-07-30 | 2024-07-30 | 2024-09-17 | 2024-08-13 | 2024-09-24 | 2024-07-30 | 2025-11-25 | 2025-09-30 | 2026-07-30 |
| 1.31 | 2024-08-20 | 2024-09-17 | 2024-10-22 | 2024-126 | 2024-116 | 2024-126 | 2024-10-22 | 2026-05-30 | 2025-12-22 | 2026-10-22 |
Estimated schedule for clusters with no channel (static)
GKE automatically upgrades clusters in a release channel on or after the dates specified in the Auto Upgrade column of the Stable release channel schedule. You can use maintenance exclusions to prevent a cluster from being automatically upgraded for up to 30 days when your cluster isn't enrolled in a release channel.
Clusters not enrolled in a release channel follow this availability and support schedule:
- Available date: The same available date for the Kubernetes minor version on the Regular Channel, and the same available patch versions as the Rapid channel for those minor versions available in the Regular channel
- Auto upgrade date: The same auto upgrade date for the Kubernetes minor version on the Stable Channel, and the same auto upgrade date for patch versions as the Regular channel
- End of standard support (formerly known as end of life): The same end of support date for the Kubernetes minor version on release channels other than the Extended channel
Notes
-
The Available date is the approximate date when the Kubernetes version first reaches production, and it takes about one week for it to become available in all regions. ↩
-
Kubernetes versions are generally available on each release channel a few weeks before auto upgrades start so that you can test the new version. On/after the auto upgrades start date, clusters subscribed to release channels will be auto upgraded to the referenced minor version. ↩
-
End of support: For clusters in the Rapid, Regular, Stable channels, or no channel, new features, security patches, or bug fixes will be made available for this minor version until its end of standard support (formerly known as end of life) date. For clusters in the Extended channel, GKE continues to support the minor version until its end of extended support date. If a cluster is running a patch version of a minor version that has reached its end of support date, GKE auto-upgrades the cluster to ensure cluster operability and compliance. To learn more, see the GKE minor version lifecycle. ↩
-
After June 30, 2024—when 1.26 reaches end of support—GKE will begin to automatically upgrade clusters still using version 1.26 and deprecated APIs (removed in version 1.27) to version 1.27. GKE will stop pausing automatic upgrades after June 30th, 2024 for clusters still using deprecated APIs removed in version 1.27. We recommend that you upgrade your clusters to version 1.27 as soon as possible as GKE minor versions that have reached end of support will no longer receive security patches and bug fixes. To learn more about the GKE minor version lifecycle, see GKE versioning and support. ↩
-
You can only enroll clusters running version 1.27 or later in the Extended channel. Earlier versions aren't eligible for long-term support with the Extended channel. To learn more, see Get long-term support with the Extended channel. ↩
-
Dates with only a month (for example, 2025-03) or quarter year (for example, 2025-Q3) are approximations that will be updated with a date when it is known. ↩