Important PHP Updates: 8.5 Now Available, 8.4 Becoming Default, 8.1 Removal Reminder

PHP 8.5 is now available on WP Cloud.

PHP 8.4 will become the platform default on December 4, 2025.

PHP 8.1 will be removed on December 31, 2025.

WP Cloud follows the PHP project’s supported-versions life cycle. Each release branch is supported for two years from its initial stable release, plus an additional two years for critical security fixes only.

With this schedule in mind, we plan deprecations and default-version changes in advance and publish them on the WP Cloud blog and the Platform Update Schedule.

Below is what changes today and what to expect next.

PHP 8.5 now available on WP Cloud

As of November 21, 2025, PHP 8.5 is available on the WP Cloud platform.

Client hosts can begin provisioning new sites or updating existing sites to PHP 8.5.

WordPress 6.9 & PHP 8.5

WordPress core contributors have been preparing for PHP 8.5 in the upcoming WordPress 6.9 release, which is expected to be available on WP Cloud on December 2, 2025.

[…] we’re happy to report that all issues reported against PHP 8.5 have been addressed in WordPress 6.9 RC2. Compared to previous PHP releases relatively few changes were required, mostly to address new deprecations and warnings. Take a look at the PHP 8.5 support tracking ticket if you’re interested.

–Make WordPress Core: PHP 8.5 support in WordPress 6.9

PHP 8.4 becoming the platform default

Starting on December 4, 2025, WP Cloud will set PHP 8.4 as the platform default.

From that date:

If a PHP version is not specified during a create-site request, PHP 8.4 will be used.
Clients can still explicitly set any supported PHP version at creation time by passing the php_version field.
After creation, you can continue to manage a site’s PHP version via the php_version site meta.

PHP 8.3 and 8.2 remain fully supported. However, new sites that do not specify php_version will default to 8.4 from December 4, 2025 onward and until the next default change.

Reminder: PHP 8.1 removal on December 31, 2025

As announced previously, PHP 8.1 will be removed from the WP Cloud platform on December 31, 2025.

On that date:

Any remaining sites still running PHP 8.1 will be automatically upgraded to the platform’s default PHP version (PHP 8.4 at the time of removal).
After this date, PHP 8.1 will no longer be available on WP Cloud, and sites will not be able to use or switch back to it.

We recommend working with your customers to upgrade to PHP 8.2 or higher before this date. PHP 8.3 and 8.4 have demonstrated strong compatibility across typical workloads.

If you still host customer sites on PHP 8.1 today, treat December 31, 2025, as a hard cutoff and complete upgrades ahead of that date.

Checking PHP versions via the WP Cloud Atomic API

To see the full list of supported PHP versions, including 8.5, use the /verbose parameter on the get-php-versions endpoint. The response includes:

All currently supported PHP versions.
The platform default.
Each version’s status and until date, which should be treated as the absolute end date for that version on WP Cloud.

Example get-php-versions verbose response.

{
  "message": "OK",
  "data": {
    "default": "8.3",
    "available": {
      "8.1": {
        "until": "2025-12-31",
        "status": "deprecated"
      },
      "8.2": {
        "until": "2026-12-31",
        "status": "active"
      },
      "8.3": {
        "until": "2027-12-31",
        "status": "active"
      },
      "8.4": {
        "until": "2028-12-31",
        "status": "active"
      },
      "8.5": {
        "until": "2029-12-31",
        "status": "active"
      }
    }
  }
}

Next steps and recommendations

We recommend that WP Cloud clients:

Audit current PHP usage.
Use the php_version site meta together with the get-sites endpoint to identify sites still running PHP 8.1.
Finish upgrades for PHP 8.1 sites.
Continue testing and customer communication so all PHP 8.1 sites upgrade to PHP 8.3, 8.4, or 8.5 before December 31, 2025.
Encourage newer versions.
For new sites and upgrades, we suggest targeting PHP 8.4 at the least to align with the longest available support window.
Use the Platform Update Schedule as the source of truth.
Confirm default and removal dates on the Platform Update Schedule and incorporate them into your own planning.

Key dates

Date	Change
Nov 21, 2025	PHP 8.5 becomes available on WP Cloud.
Dec 4, 2025	PHP 8.4 becomes the default PHP version for all new sites created via the WP Cloud Atomic API (unless another supported version is explicitly set).
Dec 31, 2025	PHP 8.1 is removed from the WP Cloud platform; remaining 8.1 sites are automatically upgraded to the platform default version. Sites should be updated to PHP 8.2 or higher before this date.

For longer-term planning, you can also refer to the projected removal dates for PHP 8.2, 8.3, 8.4, and 8.5 on the Platform Update Schedule.

Stay informed

We’ll continue to announce PHP and WordPress core changes on the WP Cloud blog and maintain the Platform Update Schedule for both PHP and WordPress core updates.

To stay ahead of upcoming changes:

Subscribe to the WP Cloud blog.
Bookmark and regularly review the Platform Update Schedule for the latest timelines and dates.

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