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- Sep 24, 202675% CONFIDENCEfrom the source
OpenAI Retires 6 Sora 2 Video Generation Models and Videos API
- On 24 September 2026 OpenAI removes the Videos API and all Sora 2 video generation model aliases and snapshots from its API:
sora-2,sora-2-pro,sora-2-2025-10-06,sora-2-2025-12-08andsora-2-pro-2025-10-06[1][3] - The deprecation was announced on 24 March 2026, when OpenAI notified developers using the Videos API and the Sora 2 aliases and snapshots of the shutdown six months later[1][3]
- No recommended replacement model or endpoint is listed for any of the six entries in OpenAI's deprecation table[1]
- The six-month notice matches OpenAI's stated policy of giving at least 6 months' notice for generally available models (3 months for specialized variants, as little as 2 weeks for preview models)[1]
- OpenAI's convention is that a model or endpoint becomes deprecated immediately upon announcement and then has a shutdown (or "sunset") date, with impacted customers notified by email and in the documentation[1]
- The API retirement is the second stage of a two-stage Sora shutdown: the web and app version, including the sora.chatgpt.com platform for image and video generation, went dark on 26 April 2026, with the API following on 24 September 2026[3]
- OpenAI urged users to download their content before the cutoffs — videos and images can be exported from the Sora library — and said data is permanently deleted once all deadlines pass; it had not decided whether to offer a final export window, promising an email if one happens[3]
- The Decoder frames the shutdown as part of a strategic pivot, redirecting compute toward coding tools, enterprise customers and a "super app" bundling ChatGPT and other tools, with Sora continuing as a research project on world models aimed at "automating the physical economy"[3]
- It sits alongside a wave of other 2026 retirements on the same page, including legacy GPT model snapshots on 23 October 2026, GPT Image models on 1 December 2026, GPT-5 and o3 snapshots on 11 December 2026, and the Evals platform, Agent Builder and reusable prompts on 30 November 2026[1]
References 380% CONFIDENCE
The first entry is always the pin's source. Overall confidence is a weighted average of how firmly each reference supports the start and end times used above; a reference counts half as much for every 180 days older than the newest.
- [1]75%platform.openai.com/docs/deprecations#2026-03-24-sora-2-video-generation-models-and-videos-apiplatform.openai.com· Posted Sep 20, 2026· Starts Sep 24, 2026 ✓· 40% of score
OpenAI's[2] own deprecation page, announced 2026-03-24, gives the shutdown date as 24 September 2026. A shutdown date is the vendor's commitment to developers and is occasionally pushed back, never brought forward.
- [2]85%OpenAI deprecationsplatform.openai.com· Added Sep 20, 2026· 40% of score
OpenAI's[1] full deprecation index, which lists every announcement and the notice period each model gets; this pin's own section is its source.
- [3]82%OpenAI sets two-stage Sora shutdown with app closing April 2026 and API following in September - The Decoderthe-decoder.com· Published Mar 28, 2026· 20% of score
Reports 'The web and app version goes dark on April 26, 2026, with the Sora API following on September 24, 2026.'[1]
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