OpenAI delaying GPT-5 launch 'for a few months' — here's what we're getting instead

chatgpt logo on phone and blurred image of Sam Altman
(Image credit: Shutterstock)

OpenAI has made another announcement regarding it's highly anticipated GPT-5 model. Unfortunately, it didn't clear up when the model will be launching and instead just confirmed a further delay.

Sam Altman, CEO of OpenAI, posted on X: “We are going to release o3 and o4-mini after all, probably in a couple of weeks, and then do GPT-5 in a few months.”

Altman went on to explain the reasons for this delay, stating, “We are going to be able to make GPT-5 much better than we originally thought. We also found it harder than we thought it was going to be to smoothly integrate everything. and we want to make sure we have enough capacity to support what we expect to be unprecedented demand.”

Article continues below

While this does mean an even longer wait for GPT-5, it is the closest we’ve got to an official release date in a while now.

Concerns around “unprecedented demand” is likely referring to the recent launch of 4o image generation. When OpenAI updated ChatGPT with its newest image software, it was inundated with demand, causing the company to quickly remove it from the free version to reduce usage.

In a previous announcement back in February, Altman stated that, when it does arrive, GPT-5 will be available via the free tier.

For subscribers, GPT-5 will run at a higher level of intelligence and Pro subscribers will unlock an even more advanced version of the model.

While the delay is bad news for those excited for a new update from ChatGPT, it isn’t all bad.

An update to o3 and o4-mini

Image of a phone with chatgpt logo on a keyboard

(Image credit: ChatGPT AI generated image)

Following on from the post on X announcing the delay, Altman followed up with, “We were able to really improve on what we previewed for o3 in many ways; I think people will be happy”.

o3 is part of OpenAI’s line of reasoning models. Where ChatGPT is designed for day-to-day interaction, solving simple problems quickly and efficiently, the o series is intended to fully think things through.

This means a more expensive and energy-consuming model, but one that can solve more complicated tasks and think logically. These types of models have the potential to be used on complicated problems like drug discovery, coding and complex scientific reasoning.

More from Tom's Guide

Category
Brand
Processor
RAM
Storage Size
Screen Size
Colour
Condition
Storage Type
Minimum Price
Any Minimum Price
Maximum Price
Any Maximum Price
Showing 10 of 121 deals
Filters
Arrow
Show more
Alex Hughes

Alex was an AI editor at Toms Guide. Before joining the Tom’s Guide team, Alex worked for the brands TechRadar and BBC Science Focus.

He was highly commended in the Specialist Writer category at the BSME's 2023 and was part of a team to win best podcast at the BSME's 2025.

In his time as a journalist, he has covered the latest in AI and robotics, broadband deals, the potential for alien life, the science of being slapped, and just about everything in between.

You must confirm your public display name before commenting

Please logout and then login again, you will then be prompted to enter your display name.