GPT Image 3: release date, news and how to use it
By GetStepSnap · Checked against OpenAI's own pages on October 19, 2026 · Updated when OpenAI announces it
GPT Image 3 isn't out yet. As of October 19, 2026, OpenAI's API docs list two image models, GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst and GPT Image 2.5 Flare, and its changelog doesn't mention GPT Image 3. The newest release is GPT Image 2.5, out since September 8, 2026.
We don't guess release dates or features here. When OpenAI announces GPT Image 3, we'll put a tool for it at the top of this page the day its API opens, with our own tests.
Every GPT Image model so far
Newest first, with OpenAI's own model IDs and the day its changelog gives:
| Name | Model ID | Released | What OpenAI says |
|---|---|---|---|
| GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst | gpt-image-2.5-sunburst | September 8, 2026 | OpenAI's most capable image model, for work where editing precision matters most. |
| GPT Image 2.5 Flare | gpt-image-2.5-flare | September 8, 2026 | Fast, high-quality everyday images. Both 2.5 versions added xhigh and max quality and kept GPT Image 2's token prices. |
| GPT Image 2 | gpt-image-2 | April 21, 2026 | Flexible image sizes, high-fidelity image inputs and token-based pricing. Transparent backgrounds came in preview on August 20, 2026. |
| GPT Image 1.5 | gpt-image-1.5 | December 16, 2025 | Released together with chatgpt-image-latest; OpenAI called them its most advanced image models at the time. |
| GPT Image 1 Mini | gpt-image-1-mini | October 6, 2025 | A cheaper version of GPT Image 1, released at OpenAI's DevDay. |
| GPT Image 1 | gpt-image-1 | April 23, 2025 | The first GPT Image model in the API. |
OpenAI removed its older DALL·E 2 and DALL·E 3 models from the API on May 12, 2026.
What you can use now
GetStepSnap runs OpenAI's newest image model without a subscription: you buy credits once and pay per image. Today that's GPT Image 2.5 Flare, at 2 credits an image, for posters and edits of your own photo. For pages full of small words, there's also GPT Image 2, and GPT Image 2.5 vs Nano Banana Pro shows how OpenAI's model compares with Google's on the same prompts. Other image models out this fall: FLUX 3, which runs here, and Qwen Image 2.1 and Krea 3, which don't.
Try GPT Image 2.5Questions
Is GPT Image 3 out?
No. As of October 19, 2026, OpenAI's API docs list GPT Image 2.5 Sunburst and GPT Image 2.5 Flare as its image models, and its changelog doesn't mention GPT Image 3. The newest release is GPT Image 2.5, out since September 8, 2026.
When will GPT Image 3 come out?
OpenAI hasn't given a date, and we didn't find an announcement in its API docs or changelog as of October 19, 2026. We'll update this page the day one appears.
Is GPT Image 2.5 the same as GPT Image 3?
No. GPT Image 2.5 is OpenAI's current image model, in two versions: Sunburst for precise edits and Flare for fast everyday images. GPT Image 3 hasn't been announced.
What's the newest GPT Image I can use today?
GPT Image 2.5. GetStepSnap runs its Flare version without a subscription: sign in with Google and pay per image with credits, 2 credits an image.
Will GetStepSnap add GPT Image 3?
Yes, once OpenAI releases it and we can run it through an API provider. We'll test it the day it opens and put the tool and the results on this page.
Sources, checked October 19, 2026: OpenAI API: Models, OpenAI API changelog.
