Blender 5.0 Release: What do we know and anything to get excited about?

A New Number Means a New Era? Right? 🤔

Keep tabs on it: 

Follow and bookmark these links to keep a pulse on Blender 5.0 development. 

• Blender 5.0 Release Notes, 
• Download Blender 5.0 Alpha, 
• Reddit Blender 5.0 Discussion,
• Blender Project Updates for 2025,
• A conversation about learning Blender through the versions. 

Release Dates (Tentative): 

• Beta - October 1st, 2025
• Release Candidate - November 5, 2025
• Release - November 11, 2025

Cool Highlights:

These are gleaned from the release notes link above. Bookmark it and keep a pulse on it yourself. 

• HUGE geometry now works (like, millions of vertices).
• Grease Pencil gets motion blur!
• UI is getting even smoother.
• Older big-endian system support has been dropped. While nobody was likely using them, it’s still cool to know Blender supported them all the way up to this point. 
• Major areas (Cycles, Geometry Nodes, Sculpt) are still in development, will update once more is released. 

(By Daniel Bystedt) 

Big Files = No Problem-ish 🤞

If you've ever tried importing a highly detailed 3D scan or massive geometry set, you know the pain. Blender 5.0 introduces support for massive buffers in .blend files, making it possible (IF you still have the crazy machine for it) to interact with the files. 

⚠️ Note: Files saved in 5.0 may not open in versions before 4.5.

Why it matters:

Artists working with dense models, simulations, or game assets can breathe easier. Blender is catching up to your creativity.

Link to Core Release Notes

UI Tweaks: 

UI updates may not grab headlines, but they shape how you feel working in Blender every day. Version 5.0 continues the cleanup with:

• Better drag-and-drop (especially for shape keys)
• Improved outliner behavior and feedback
• Unified widget styles across the interface
• More polished menus and layout adjustments

Why it matters:

These subtle refinements help reduce friction, improve discoverability, and make Blender feel more approachable, especially for new learners or those teaching it. Think of it as a fresh coat of paint on your home. 

Link to UI release notes

Grease Pencil Gets Motion Blur

You can now add motion blur to Grease Pencil renders, an exciting development for hybrid 2D/3D animation. Grease Pencil is a feature that allows users to draw 2D lines and strokes directly in a 3D scene.

🎞️ Render → Enable “Motion Blur” → Adjust Steps

It doesn’t yet appear in the viewport or compositor, but it’s a strong sign that GP is becoming even more production-ready.

Why it matters:

2D animators and illustrators using Blender will find that their output feels more fluid and cinematic.

Link to Grease Pencil Notes

No More Mouse Fights with the Video Sequencer!

A small but mighty tweak: when you press Shift + A to add a strip, it now appears exactly where your mouse is. No more accidental misplacement.

Why it matters:

If you're editing in Blender, this is one less thing to fight with. More flow, less fuss.

Link to Sequencer Notes

What’s still cooking in development, and our guesses?

Many sections of the Blender 5.0 release notes, like Cycles, Geometry Nodes, Sculpting, Rigging, and Compositing, are still blank or under construction. That’s pretty typical at this stage.

One exciting bit we’ve heard: UV Sync Selection is finally getting fixed or improved. This has been a long-standing request (just ask Jonathan Lampel and others at BCON LA!).

On the modeling side, it looks like more operators will support Edit Mode symmetry, which has been only partially implemented and not very practical until now.

There’s also some speculation around animation layers, could this be the release where they finally land? Time will tell!

Since 5.0 is a major version bump, it’s also the window for breaking changes. That likely means some add-ons will need updates and might not work immediately.

We’ll keep listening and updating this post as more details come out.

Thanks for reading, and now, a quick word from our sponsor. :)

Wanna Prep?

If you want to hit the ground running when Blender 5.0 lands, now’s the perfect time to build your foundation. Our CORE program is a 9-course learning path designed to teach you the skills that matter, including modeling, lighting, animation, and more, without getting lost in the noise of constant version updates.

Check out the CORE Series on CG Cookie and or Superhive