ServiceNow release history, and what’s next.
Every family release from Aspen to Brazil, which ones are supported today, how the yearly upgrade cycle works, and what changed for developers along the way.
Last checked 17 October 2026 · updated with every release
Only N and N-1 get patches. When Brazil reaches general availability, Zurich drops out of support.
Every release, at a glance
Three naming eras in just over twenty years. Highlighted releases changed how ServiceNow developers work.
Glide era
2004 to 2011The platform began as GlideSoft. Releases were named after their date or season, such as Summer 2008 or Winter 2011.
- GlideSoft 2004
- Monthly releases 2006
- Summer 2007 Jul 2007
- Summer 2008 Sep 2008
- Winter 2009 Feb 2009
- Spring 2010 Jun 2010
- Winter 2011 Feb 2011
City names, A to Z
2011 to 2025From Aspen to Zurich, one letter per family release, mostly cities. Utah (a state) and Washington DC are the exceptions.
- Aspen Dec 2011 First alphabetical release name.
- Berlin Sep 2012
- Calgary Jun 2013
- Dublin Oct 2013
- Eureka May 2014
- Fuji Mar 2015 Scoped applications.
- Geneva Dec 2015 UI16 interface.
- Helsinki May 2016 Service Portal (previewed in Geneva).
- Istanbul Jan 2017 Automated Test Framework (ATF).
- Jakarta Jun 2017
- Kingston Nov 2017 Flow Designer and IntegrationHub.
- London Jul 2018
- Madrid Jan 2019
- New York May 2019
- Orlando Mar 2020
- Paris Jul 2020
- Quebec Jan 2021 App Engine Studio.
- Rome Jul 2021
- San Diego Feb 2022 Next Experience UI.
- Tokyo Aug 2022 ECMAScript 2021 (ES12) JavaScript mode for scoped apps.
- Utah Mar 2023
- Vancouver Sep 2023 Now Assist, the first generative AI features.
- Washington DC Mar 2024
- Xanadu Aug 2024
- Yokohama Mar 2025 AI Agents.
- Zurich Sep 2025 Last city name: the alphabet ends at Z. N-1
Country names, A again
2026 onwardsAfter Zurich the alphabet ran out, so ServiceNow started again at A with countries: Australia, then Brazil.
- Australia May 2026 First country name: the alphabet starts again at A. N
- Brazil Nov 2026 · expected Next
- Canada 2027 · planned
- Denmark 2027 · planned
All ServiceNow releases and dates
Dates are first availability as tracked by the ServiceNow Community; general availability was sometimes a few weeks later.
| Release | Released | Status | For developers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Denmark | 2027 (planned) | Planned | – |
| Canada | 2027 (planned) | Planned | – |
| Brazil | Expected November 2026 · early availability since September 2026 | Next release | – |
| Australia | May 2026 | Supported (N) | First country name: the alphabet starts again at A. |
| Zurich | September 2025 | Supported (N-1) | Last city name: the alphabet ends at Z. |
| Yokohama | March 2025 | Out of support | AI Agents. |
| Xanadu | August 2024 (early availability) | Out of support | – |
| Washington DC | March 2024 | Out of support | – |
| Vancouver | September 2023 | Out of support | Now Assist, the first generative AI features. |
| Utah | March 2023 | Out of support | – |
| Tokyo | August 2022 | Out of support | ECMAScript 2021 (ES12) JavaScript mode for scoped apps. |
| San Diego | February 2022 | Out of support | Next Experience UI. |
| Rome | July 2021 | Out of support | – |
| Quebec | January 2021 | Out of support | App Engine Studio. |
| Paris | July 2020 | Out of support | – |
| Orlando | March 2020 | Out of support | – |
| New York | May 2019 | Out of support | – |
| Madrid | January 2019 | Out of support | – |
| London | July 2018 | Out of support | – |
| Kingston | November 2017 | Out of support | Flow Designer and IntegrationHub. |
| Jakarta | June 2017 | Out of support | – |
| Istanbul | January 2017 | Out of support | Automated Test Framework (ATF). |
| Helsinki | May 2016 | Out of support | Service Portal (previewed in Geneva). |
| Geneva | December 2015 | Out of support | UI16 interface. |
| Fuji | March 2015 | Out of support | Scoped applications. |
| Eureka | May 2014 | Out of support | – |
| Dublin | October 2013 | Out of support | – |
| Calgary | June 2013 | Out of support | – |
| Berlin | September 2012 | Out of support | – |
| Aspen | December 2011 | Out of support | First alphabetical release name. |
How the ServiceNow release cycle works
Two family releases a year, and only the newest two are supported. That one rule drives every customer’s upgrade calendar.
- 1 Early availability
A few customers and partners try the new family before everyone else.
- 2 General availability
The family is released to everyone and becomes the current release (N).
- 3 Patches
Cumulative fixes every four to six weeks, plus hotfixes for urgent problems.
- 4 N-1
When the next family ships, this one is still supported, but it is now the previous release.
- 5 End of support
Two families later it is unsupported. ServiceNow schedules the upgrade, with notices at 90, 60 and 30 days.
Store applications move with the platform: each release sets minimum app versions, and older versions are raised to them during the upgrade.
What happens during an upgrade
The platform replaces its own base records with the new versions. Anything you customised is skipped instead, and someone has to decide what to do with it. Every customised base script is upgrade work, every year.
- 1Clone production
Copy production into a sub-production instance so the upgrade is tested on real configuration.
- 2Upgrade sub-production
ServiceNow replaces its own base records (scripts, UI pages, ACLs) with the new versions.
- 3Review skipped changes
Records you customised are skipped, not overwritten. For each one in Upgrade History: merge, revert to base, or retain.
- 4Regression test
Run your Automated Test Framework (ATF) suites and key manual tests.
- 5Upgrade production
Repeat on production in an agreed window, then watch the first days closely.
JavaScript modes across releases
Server-side JavaScript has moved forward too. Which syntax you can use depends on the script’s JavaScript mode.
Older engine behaviour, kept so legacy scripts keep working.
The default for new global applications. No let, const, arrow functions or template literals.
Available from Tokyo (2022). The default for new scoped applications, and it can be turned on for individual global scripts. Supports a subset of ES2021 and ES2022: let and const, arrow functions, classes, destructuring, template literals and optional chaining.
ServiceNow release questions
What is the latest ServiceNow release?
As of 17 October 2026, Australia is the current family release, generally available since May 2026. Brazil is in early availability, with general availability expected in November 2026.
What comes after Australia?
Brazil, then Canada and Denmark, which the ServiceNow Community lists as planned for 2027. Names and dates are only final once ServiceNow announces them.
Why are ServiceNow releases named after countries now?
From 2011 to 2025 the family releases went through the alphabet with place names, from Aspen to Zurich. After Z, ServiceNow started again at A with country names: Australia in 2026, then Brazil.
How many ServiceNow releases are supported at the same time?
Two: the current family (N) and the one before it (N-1). Today that is Australia and Zurich. Patches and hotfixes are only made for supported families.
How often do I need to upgrade ServiceNow?
At least once a year. ServiceNow ships two family releases a year and only supports the latest two, so an instance that skips upgrades falls out of support within about a year. Many customers upgrade once a year; some take every release.
What happens if an instance is on an unsupported release?
ServiceNow schedules a mandatory upgrade to a supported release and sends notices 90, 60 and 30 days before it. Unsupported families get no patches or hotfixes.
What is the difference between a family release, a patch and a hotfix?
A family release is the named release (such as Zurich or Australia) that ships twice a year with new features. Patches are cumulative bug and security fixes for a family, released every four to six weeks. Hotfixes are urgent fixes for specific problems between patches.
What are skipped records during a ServiceNow upgrade?
When you customise a base record, such as an out-of-the-box business rule, the upgrade does not overwrite it. It is listed under Skipped changes to review in Upgrade History, where you merge the new version into your change, revert to the base version, or keep yours. Fewer customisations mean faster upgrades.
Which JavaScript version does ServiceNow support?
It depends on the mode. New global applications default to ES5 Standards. Since Tokyo, ECMAScript 2021 (ES12) mode is available: it is the default for new scoped applications and can be turned on for individual global scripts. The Script Checker lets you check a script against either mode.
Do ServiceNow certifications change with each release?
You do not retake the full exam. Through the Certification Maintenance Program, certified people pass a short, unproctored delta exam on the latest family release once a year, within a window that ran from mid-January to mid-April in 2026. A yearly maintenance fee may apply.
Sources and updates
Checked 17 October 2026 against ServiceNow documentation, the ServiceNow upgrade policy and the ServiceNow Community release tracker. Release names and dates after Australia are only final once ServiceNow announces them. Spotted something out of date? Tell me on GitHub.