OPENAI · FRONTIER FLAGSHIP: GPT-6 ASTRA · CHECKED 2026-11-05
OpenAI: GPT-6 Astra & 2026 Buyer's Verdict
OpenAI last shipped GPT-6.1 Terra on Oct 26, 2026, 11 days ago. Its last 4 release gaps were 56, 19, 7, 27 days, so a typical gap is about 23 days. No next model announced as of Nov 5, 2026.
1. SOURCED 2026 RELEASE TIMELINE (8 RELEASES)
Every 2026 OpenAI Release With Primary Source
Only public API and open-weight releases count toward the cadence calculation. Gated previews and app-only launches are listed for context and marked accordingly.
| RELEASE DATE | MODEL | RELEASE TYPE | GAP FROM PRIOR PUBLIC DROP | PRIMARY SOURCE |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2026-03-05 | GPT-5.4 | API release | First 2026 baseline | developers.openai.com ↗ |
| 2026-04-24 | GPT-5.5 | API release | 50d [source] | openai.com ↗ |
| 2026-07-09 | GPT-5.6 | API release | 76d [source] | openai.com ↗ |
| 2026-09-03 | GPT-6 Astra | API release | 56d [source] | openai.com ↗ |
| 2026-09-22 | GPT-6 Sol and Luna | API release | 19d [source] | openai.com ↗ |
| 2026-09-29 | GPT-6.1 Sol | API release | 7d [source] | openai.com ↗ |
| 2026-10-26 | GPT-6.1 Terra | API release | 27d [source] | openai.com ↗ |
| 2026-10-30 | GPT-6 Rosalind | trusted access only | Not counted (gated/app) | deploymentsafety.openai.com ↗ |
2. CURRENT MODELS, BENCHMARKS & API PRICING
Current OpenAI Models a Buyer Can Use Today
Every score and price links directly to its source (LMArena text leaderboard (Oct 27, 2026), Epoch AI, Artificial Analysis, or official lab documentation). Unpublished metrics are left as "Not published".
| MODEL & RELEASE DATE | INPUT / OUTPUT ($/1M) | CONTEXT | ARENA TEXT ELO | GPQA DIAMOND | OUTPUT SPEED |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
GPT-6.1 Sol ↗
TIER MODEL
Released 2026-09-29
· Effort: low · medium · high · xhigh · max (
reasoning={"effort": "low" | "medium" | "high" | "xhigh" | "max"} docs ↗)
Best at: OpenAI's near-Astra model at one-fifth of Astra's token price, with a 1.05M-token context window. ↗
Additional evals: AA Intelligence Index v5.0.1: 55 (Max) (Artificial Analysis) ↗
|
$2.00 / $10.00 ↗
Prompts up to 272K tokens; $4 / $15 above 272K. OpenAI describes Sol as near-Astra at lower cost.
|
1.05M ↗ | 1481 (Max effort) ↗ | Not published | Not published |
|
GPT-6 Astra ↗
FRONTIER FLAGSHIP
Released 2026-09-03
· Effort: low · medium · high · xhigh · max (
reasoning={"effort": "low" | "medium" | "high" | "xhigh" | "max"} docs ↗)
Best at: OpenAI's most capable model: 96.0% GPQA Diamond, 74.1% DeepSWE v1.1 and 57.9% Terminal-Bench 4.0 (OpenAI). ↗
Additional evals: DeepSWE v1.1: 74.1% (OpenAI) ↗ · Terminal-Bench 4.0: 57.9% (OpenAI) ↗ · AA Intelligence Index v5.0.1: 57 (Max) (Artificial Analysis) ↗
|
$10.00 / $50.00 ↗
Prompts up to 272K tokens; $20 / $75 above 272K. Batch and Flex: $5 / $25.
|
1.05M ↗ | 1476 (Max effort) ↗ | 96.0% (OpenAI) ↗ | Not published |
3. NEXT-RELEASE FORECAST & PLAIN-LANGUAGE METHOD
How We Estimate the Next OpenAI Release Window
Plain-language method: We take the last 4 public release gaps for OpenAI:
The shortest of those 4 gaps is 7 days, the median is 23 days, and the longest is 56 days. Adding those intervals to GPT-6.1 Terra (2026-10-26) places the historical cadence window between 2026-11-02 and 2026-12-21 (median date: 2026-11-18). Rough estimate from 4 gaps ranging 7 to 56 days. Labs do not follow schedules.
Official Statements & Labeled Rumors
- Official (Sep 29, 2026): OpenAI cancelled GPT-6.1 Astra in September and said other models are coming soon. No next model has been announced. [techcrunch.com ↗]
- RUMORRumor, reported by The Information on Nov 4, 2026: New OpenAI models, including next-generation Astra and Sol, could arrive as soon as Friday, Nov 6. The report says timelines could change. [The Information ↗]