Hi everyone,
This is the four‑week reminder that the PHP 8.6 beta1 release is approaching on Thursday, August 13, 2026.
The soft feature freeze happens two days earlier, on Tuesday, August 11, when the beta1 tag is created. During the beta period, all features (whether they require an RFC or not) may still be merged, but only with Release Manager approval.
Under the updated release process, beta1 is the deadline for all RFCs targeting PHP 8.6 to be fully decided. Any RFC intended for inclusion in PHP 8.6 must have its discussion concluded and its voting closed before August 13. New RFCs must therefore not target PHP 8.6.
The hard feature freeze occurs when RC1 is tagged on September 22, 2026. After the hard feature freeze, no new features may be accepted. The focus should shift entirely to fixing bugs, improving tests, and preparing documentation for all accepted features.
The full schedule is available at:
Thank you all for your continued work and contributions.
Your 8.6 RMs,
Matteo, Joe, and Daniel