Drupal 12 Release Date, Roadmap, and What to Expect
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Drupal 12 is the next major version of the open-source content management system trusted by government agencies and global pharmaceutical and life sciences companies worldwide. Drupal 11 launched in August 2024, and Drupal 12 is expected to arrive in late 2026 — continuing the platform's two-year major release cycle.
This guide covers the Drupal 12 release date, roadmap, anticipated features, and how to prepare your Drupal 10 or Drupal 11 site for the upgrade.
When Is Drupal 12 Coming Out?
Based on Drupal's official release schedule, Drupal 12.0.0 is planned for the week of December 7, 2026.
Drupal Version Timeline
Here is how Drupal's recent major versions have progressed:
- Drupal 9 — Released June 2020, reached end-of-life November 2023.
- Drupal 10 — Released December 2022, reaches end-of-life December 9, 2026.
- Drupal 11 — Released August 2, 2024, supported through approximately 2028.
- Drupal 12 — Expected to be released the week of December 7, 2026.
The Drupal community follows a predictable release cadence: a new major version every two years, with minor releases (11.1, 11.2, and so on) arriving roughly every six months. This schedule gives site owners and developers time to plan upgrades without rushing.
Drupal 12 Roadmap
While the full Drupal 12 roadmap is still taking shape, the Drupal community — including core product managers Gábor Hojtsy and Lauri Eskola — has outlined the strategic direction.
Version Cycle Changes
Drupal's release strategy has evolved significantly since the difficult Drupal 7 to Drupal 8 migration. Drupal's modern release model, spanning versions 9 through 12, follows a continuous upgrade path:
- Deprecated code removal: Each major version removes code deprecated in the prior version.
- Dependency updates: Major versions update core dependencies, including Symfony and PHP requirements.
- Smooth upgrades: Sites running the latest minor release of the current major version can upgrade with minimal friction.
The path from Drupal 11 to Drupal 12 should be considerably smoother than legacy Drupal upgrades, as long as you stay current on deprecations.
Strategic Focus Areas
Based on community discussions and the Drupal CMS (formerly Drupal Starshot) initiative, Drupal 12 will likely continue these themes:
- Ambitious site builders: Making Drupal approachable for non-developers through improved user experience (UX) and AI-assisted workflows.
- Composable architecture: Expanding the Recipes API for modular, reusable site-building components.
- Performance and security: Continued optimization of Drupal core.
- Enterprise-grade capabilities: Supporting multi-site governance, General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) compliance, and complex content workflows.
Expected Drupal 12 Changes
Drupal 12 features are not yet finalized, but based on the current roadmap and Drupal 11's trajectory, here is what to expect.
Updated Platform Dependencies
Like every major Drupal release, Drupal 12 will update core dependencies:
- PHP version: Drupal core's policy sets the minimum PHP requirement to the latest stable release available when the first Drupal 12 beta ships; current guidance points to PHP 8.5.
- Database requirements: Drupal 12 is expected to require PostgreSQL 18 and MariaDB 10.11, while MySQL 8.0 and SQLite 3.45 remain the baseline for those engines.
- Symfony version: Drupal typically adopts a current Symfony release; the exact version for Drupal 12 has not been officially confirmed at time of writing. Recent work has targeted the 8.1 version of Symfony, however.
These updates keep Drupal aligned with the broader PHP ecosystem and support long-term security and performance.
Stable Recipes API
The Recipes API, introduced experimentally in Drupal 10.3, remains experimental as of Drupal 11.4. It is expected to reach full stability in a later Drupal 11.x release or in Drupal 12. Recipes enable composable site building by automating the installation and configuration of modules, themes, and content types in reusable packages.
Deprecation Removals
Code deprecated in Drupal 11 will be removed in Drupal 12. This cleanup keeps Drupal core lean and reduces technical debt, but it means custom code relying on deprecated APIs will need updates before upgrading.
How to Prepare for Drupal 12
The best way to prepare for Drupal 12 is to stay current on Drupal 11. Here is the upgrade readiness path.
1. Update to the Latest Drupal 11 Release
Keep your site on the latest Drupal 11 minor release (for example, 11.3 or 11.4). Each minor release introduces deprecation notices that flag code needing updates before Drupal 12.
2. Run Deprecation Scans
Use the Upgrade Status module to scan your site for deprecated code in custom modules and themes. Automated tools like Drupal Rector can fix many deprecations automatically.
3. Update Contributed Modules
Confirm all contributed modules are compatible with your current Drupal version. Module maintainers typically release Drupal 12-compatible versions in the months leading up to launch.
4. Audit Custom Code
Review custom modules, themes, and integrations for deprecated API usage. The earlier you address deprecations, the smoother your Drupal 12 upgrade will be.
5. Plan Your Timeline
With Drupal 10 reaching end-of-life in December 2026, organizations still on Drupal 10 should prioritize upgrading to Drupal 11 now, then plan for Drupal 12 as a subsequent step.
Drupal 11 Recap: The Foundation for Drupal 12
Drupal 11, released in August 2024, laid the groundwork for Drupal 12. Key Drupal 11 features that will carry forward:
- Single-Directory Components (SDC) — Stable in core; simplifies frontend development.
- Workspaces — Stable module for staging content updates before publishing.
- Recipes API — Experimental in 11.0, still experimental as of 11.4, expected stable in a later 11.x release or in Drupal 12.
- Navigation module — Redesigned admin toolbar, introduced experimentally in Drupal 10.3 and officially stable as of Drupal 11.4.
- Performance improvements — Cleaner codebase, JavaScript minification, WebP images by default.
- Symfony 7 and PHP 8.3 — Modern dependencies for long-term support.
Organizations running the latest Drupal 11 release are already on the path to Drupal 12 compatibility.
Shifting Features to Drupal CMS and Its Related Initiatives
A number of of features are currently being developed outside of core, as part of the Drupal CMS initiative. For example:
- Drupal Canvas: the successor to Layout Builder offers more technical options for how to generate custom layouts, with support for Single Directory Components (SDCs), Drupal blocks, and React-based code components. Drupal Canvas also includes its own AI chat interface, to create components or entire layouts on-the-fly, and has its own tooling to sync components with front end technologies like Next.js or Astro, or popular component tools like Storybook.
- AI: While the generative capabilities of Drupal's AI ecosystem continue to mature, the significant momentum behind Drupal's AI Initiative and the broader ecosystem has seen significant progress in a number of areas, including governance and guardrails, observability and cost transparency, and granular context management. Additionally, Outside AI is a particular area of focus for 2026, making sure Drupal application can seamlessly work in tandem with the widespread AI-based technologies that are part of an organization's technology stack.
Related Resources
Planning your path to Drupal 12? Contact Acquia's Drupal experts to discuss your upgrade strategy.