WordPress 7.0 RC3 Release Candidate Available for Testing
Test WordPress 7.0 RC3 on a staging environment using the Beta Tester plugin, WP‑CLI, or Playground, and report any bugs to the Alpha/Beta forum before the final release on May 20, 2026.
Patch: Test WordPress 7.0 RC3 on a staging environment, report any compatibility issues to the Alpha/Beta forum, and update your theme/plugin readme to 'Tested up to 7.0' before the final release.
Summary
WordPress 7.0 RC3 is now available for download and testing, marking a key milestone in the 7.0 release cycle. The RC3 build includes 143+ issues fixed since RC2 and introduces the hard string freeze, meaning no new strings will be added after this point. Real Time Collaboration (RTC) will be omitted from 7.0 and reconsidered in 7.1, so RC3 is no longer a new Beta 1 release.
Developers can test RC3 via the WordPress Beta Tester plugin, a direct ZIP download, the WP‑CLI command “wp core update --version=7.0-RC3”, or the WordPress Playground. The final release is scheduled for May 20, 2026, and the community is encouraged to report bugs to the Alpha/Beta forum or WordPress Trac.
Additional resources include the 7.0 Developer Notes, closed ticket lists, Gutenberg commit logs, and testing guides, all aimed at ensuring a stable production release.
Key changes
- WordPress 7.0 RC3 includes 143+ issues fixed since RC2
- Real Time Collaboration will not be part of 7.0 and will be re‑evaluated in 7.1
- RC3 can be installed via Beta Tester plugin, direct download, WP‑CLI, or Playground
- Final release scheduled for May 20, 2026
- RC3 is not a new Beta 1 release
- Testing resources include Developer Notes, closed ticket lists, Gutenberg commits, and testing guides
- Hard string freeze occurs at RC3, preventing new strings after this point