OpenAI Sunsets Legacy GPT-5 Models in Codex to Streamline Compute

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OpenAI will retire GPT-5.2 and GPT-5.3-Codex from the Codex web interface on June 2nd, making GPT-5.5 the new default for free users. This shift reflects the rapid obsolescence of frontier models, as the five-month-old GPT-5.2 now accounts for less than 1% of production traffic.

OpenAI will sunset GPT-5.2 and GPT-5.3-Codex in its Codex coding platform on June 2nd for users logged in via ChatGPT. This cleanup follows a similar retirement of early GPT-5 models in April. GPT-5.5 will now serve as the primary frontier model (the most capable AI currently available) for free-tier users.
Sunset date
June 2nd, 2026
Models sunset
GPT-5.2 and GPT-5.3-Codex
New default model
GPT-5.5
API availability
GPT-5.2 and GPT-5.3-Codex remain available
Excluded model
GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark

The move simplifies compute fleet management as newer models rapidly displace their predecessors. OpenAI reports that GPT-5.2 has dropped to less than 1% of production usage since its December release. This highlights a shrinking lifecycle for frontier intelligence, where models are considered outdated by their creators in under six months.

While these models are leaving the web interface, they remain accessible via the OpenAI API for developers with specific legacy requirements. GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark is excluded from this sunset and will remain available. Users on free plans will automatically transition to the GPT-5.5 model for all web-based building and coding tasks.

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To simplify our Codex compute fleet management, we will be sunsetting GPT-5.2 and GPT-5.3-Codex in Codex on June 2nd when logged in with your ChatGPT account. For free plans, GPT-5.5 will be the default frontier model to build and work with going forward. These models will remain available on our API.

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Still wondering? A few quick answers below.

OpenAI is scheduled to retire these models from the Codex web interface on June 2, 2026. This change specifically affects users who access the platform while logged in with a ChatGPT account. After this date, these legacy versions will no longer be available as options within the standard web-based coding environment.

The sunset specifically targets GPT-5.2 and GPT-5.3-Codex. OpenAI is making this change to simplify its compute fleet management as newer models take over production traffic. Notably, the GPT-5.3-Codex-Spark variant is not included in this retirement plan and will remain available for users alongside the newer frontier model versions.

Yes, both GPT-5.2 and GPT-5.3-Codex will remain available through the OpenAI API after they are removed from the web interface. This allows developers who have built specific integrations or workflows around these older models to continue their work without interruption, even as the consumer-facing ChatGPT login interface transitions to newer defaults.

Following the sunset of the legacy models on June 2nd, GPT-5.5 will become the default frontier model for all users on free plans. This ensures that users continue to have access to OpenAI's most current capabilities for building and coding tasks as the company phases out older infrastructure that sees minimal active usage.

OpenAI is sunsetting GPT-5.2 because it now accounts for less than 1% of production usage and is considered outdated by the engineering team. Since its release in December 2025, rapid progress and the launch of newer iterations like GPT-5.5 have led the vast majority of users to migrate away from the older version.

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