Living timeline·Tech industry

Anthropic's Claude: From the Claude 3 Family to a Model the Government Switched Off

Updated Oct 14, 2026 · 43 dated entries · 51 sources from Anthropic, AWS, Anthropic Claude Platform Docs, Anthropic Platform Docs and 3 more

Edited by Ceniy Mei · How this page is made

Tech industryAnthropicClaudeExport controlsFrontier models

TL;DR

Anthropic began the Claude 3 line in March 2024 with Opus, Sonnet and Haiku tiers, then moved the series toward hybrid reasoning, computer use, coding and autonomous agent work. Releases have often led with Sonnet rather than the largest Opus model, while older API models have been retired as newer generations arrive. In 2026, Anthropic separated its most capable work into restricted Mythos models and publicly available Fable versions with stronger safeguards; a U.S. export-control order briefly caused Anthropic to disable both Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all users before access was restored. The current Claude 5.5 family spans Opus, Sonnet and Haiku, while access to Mythos and some higher-risk uses remains controlled through verification and trusted-access programs.

Key moments

12 entries that carry the story, oldest first. The full timeline follows.

  1. Mar 4, 2024The Claude 3 family arrives in three sizes
  2. Jun 21, 2024Claude 3.5 Sonnet puts the mid-tier ahead of the flagship
  3. Oct 22, 2024Computer use arrives with an upgraded Sonnet and Claude 3.5 Haiku
  4. Feb 24, 2025Claude 3.7 Sonnet introduces hybrid reasoning, and Claude Code arrives
  5. May 22, 2025Claude 4 ships Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 together
  6. Sep 29, 2025Claude Sonnet 4.5 is pitched as the best coding model in the world
  7. Feb 5, 2026Anthropic launches Claude Opus 4.6
  8. Apr 7, 2026Anthropic's Frontier Red Team publishes a cybersecurity assessment of Claude Mythos Preview
  9. Jun 9, 2026Anthropic launches Claude Fable 5 and restricted Claude Mythos 5
  10. Jun 12, 2026The US government orders Anthropic to cut off access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5
  11. Jun 30, 2026Anthropic says export controls on Fable 5 and Mythos 5 are lifted
  12. Sep 28, 2026Anthropic releases Claude Sonnet 5.5

Timeline

202520262027Mar 2024Oct 2026TodayMar 4, 2024: The Claude 3 family arrives in three sizesMar 13, 2024: Anthropic releases Claude 3 HaikuJun 21, 2024: Claude 3.5 Sonnet puts the mid-tier ahead of the flagshipOct 22, 2024: Computer use arrives with an upgraded Sonnet and Claude 3.5 HaikuDec 3, 2024: Anthropic revises Claude 3.5 Haiku pricingJan 21, 2025: Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3 Sonnet retirementFeb 24, 2025: Claude 3.7 Sonnet introduces hybrid reasoning, and Claude Code arrivesMay 22, 2025: Claude 4 ships Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 togetherJun 30, 2025: Anthropic gives Claude Opus 3 a retirement dateAug 5, 2025: Claude Opus 4.1 upgrades the flagship and promises more soonAug 13, 2025: Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3.5 Sonnet retirementSep 29, 2025: Claude Sonnet 4.5 is pitched as the best coding model in the worldOct 15, 2025: Claude Haiku 4.5 brings the frontier down to the small tierOct 28, 2025: Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3.7 Sonnet retirementNov 24, 2025: Claude Opus 4.5 closes the 4.5 generationDec 19, 2025: Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3.5 Haiku retirementFeb 5, 2026: Anthropic launches Claude Opus 4.6Feb 17, 2026: Claude Sonnet 4.6 upgrades coding, computer use and long contextFeb 19, 2026: Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3 Haiku retirementApr 7, 2026: Anthropic's Frontier Red Team publishes a cybersecurity assessment of Claude Mythos PreviewApr 14, 2026: Anthropic notifies developers of original Claude 4 model retirementsApr 16, 2026: Claude Opus 4.7 becomes generally availableMay 28, 2026: Claude Opus 4.8 is the last of the 4.x flagshipsJun 5, 2026: Anthropic notifies developers of Claude Opus 4.1 retirementJun 9, 2026: Anthropic launches Claude Fable 5 and restricted Claude Mythos 5Jun 12, 2026: The US government orders Anthropic to cut off access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5Jun 18, 2026: House members seek explanation of controls on Fable 5 and Mythos 5Jun 30, 2026: Claude Sonnet 5 opens the fifth generationJun 30, 2026: Anthropic says export controls on Fable 5 and Mythos 5 are liftedJul 1, 2026: Anthropic restores access to Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5Jul 24, 2026: Claude Opus 5 shipsSep 1, 2026: Claude Fable 5.1 and Mythos 5.1 ship as one model with two safeguard levelsSep 17, 2026: Anthropic introduces the Life Sciences Verification ProgramSep 17, 2026: Anthropic makes high-risk grants available for Opus 5 and Sonnet 5Sep 17, 2026: Anthropic shifts LSVP safeguards to offline monitoringSep 22, 2026: Anthropic introduces Claude Opus 5.5Sep 28, 2026: Anthropic releases Claude Sonnet 5.5Sep 30, 2026: Anthropic notifies developers of Claude Sonnet 4.5 retirementOct 2, 2026: Anthropic classifies Claude Sonnet 5.5 under autonomy threat model 1Oct 6, 2026: Anthropic expands the Cyber Verification Program to three access tiersOct 7, 2026: Anthropic launches Claude Haiku 5.5Oct 7, 2026: Anthropic halves Claude Sonnet 5.5 cache-read pricingOct 9, 2026: Anthropic expands internet-access restrictions in internal evaluationsExpected Sep 28, 2027: Earliest possible retirement date for Claude Sonnet 5.5
43 entriesbusiest year 2026 (27)Announcements and launchesResponses and updatesFinancial and reportsLegal and regulatorykey momentcause, response or contradictionexpected next

Earlier years show only their entries' dates and titles. Click a year heading to show the details.

202627 entries
  1. Report

    Anthropic expands internet-access restrictions in internal evaluations

    Anthropic reported unintended model actions in evaluations and internal use, grouping the behaviors into four categories. It expanded its removal of live internet access from some high-risk and cybersecurity evaluations to all internal evaluations while it confirmed its security and monitoring measures.

    • Anthropic · Oct 9, 2026 · The behaviors can be grouped into four categories:
    • Anthropic · Oct 9, 2026 · Although the impact of these behaviors was minimal and we had already turned off live internet access for some high-risk and cybersecurity evaluations, we have now decided to expand that to include all our internal evaluations until we have confirmed that our security and monitoring measures (described in the remediation section of this post) reliably catch behaviors like these.

    Editor's note: The cited Anthropic post, dated 2026-10-09, reports unintended actions during evaluations and internal use, identifies four behavior categories, and states that live internet access was removed from all internal evaluations pending confirmation that security and monitoring measures reliably detect such behavior.

  2. Financial

    Anthropic halves Claude Sonnet 5.5 cache-read pricing

    Anthropic cut Claude Sonnet 5.5 cache-read pricing by half, to $0.10 per million tokens from $0.20, alongside the Haiku 5.5 launch.

    • Anthropic · Oct 7, 2026 · Cache reads now cost 50% less: $0.10 per million tokens rather than $0.20.

    Editor's note: Narrowed in review. The entry also stated Haiku 5.5 input-token pricing, but the only source for it was "Input tokens $0.10 / $0.50.", a pricing-table cell pair rather than a sentence on the page; that source is removed and the claim with it. The cache-read cut is quoted in prose and stands.

  3. Launch

    Anthropic launches Claude Haiku 5.5

    Anthropic launched Claude Haiku 5.5 as its small model in the Claude 5.5 family. Anthropic said the model was available across its platforms, Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure; AWS announced availability on Amazon Bedrock and Claude Platform on AWS.

    • Anthropic · Oct 7, 2026 · Introducing Claude Haiku 5.5: the cheapest, fastest, and most capable small model we’ve ever released.
    • Anthropic · Oct 7, 2026 · Claude Haiku 5.5 is available now on all platforms, including Amazon Web Services, Google Cloud, and Microsoft Azure.
    • AWS · Oct 7, 2026 · Today, we’re excited to announce the availability of Claude Haiku 5.5 on Amazon Bedrock and Claude Platform on AWS.

    Editor's note: A fourth source was removed in review: its quote, "Context window 1M tokens 1M tokens 1M tokens 1M tokens.", is a row of the model-comparison table flattened into a sentence the page never writes. The three remaining quotes carry the launch and the platform availability.

  4. Announcement

    Anthropic expands the Cyber Verification Program to three access tiers

    Anthropic expanded its Cyber Verification Program into a three-tier pathway for security teams. The program includes access to Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5.5, and Claude Mythos 5.1.

    • Anthropic · Oct 6, 2026 · The program now consists of three access tiers, which allow security teams to apply for the level of access that best suits their work.
    • Anthropic · Oct 6, 2026 · Each tier includes access to our most capable models, including Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5.5, Claude Mythos 5.1, and new models moving forward.

    Editor's note: The cited Anthropic announcement is dated 2026-10-06 and states that the Cyber Verification Program now has three access tiers. It also explicitly lists Claude Opus 5.5, Claude Sonnet 5.5, and Claude Mythos 5.1 as included models.

  5. Report

    Anthropic classifies Claude Sonnet 5.5 under autonomy threat model 1

    Anthropic's Model Report classified Claude Sonnet 5.5 under autonomy threat model 1. The report was dated October 2, 2026.

    • Anthropic · Oct 2, 2026 · Autonomy threat model 1 is applicable to Claude Sonnet 5.5.

    Editor's note: The Transparency Hub’s Model Report is dated October 2, 2026, and its Claude Sonnet 5.5 entry states that autonomy threat model 1 is applicable to the model. The quoted sentence appears verbatim.

  6. Announcement

    Anthropic notifies developers of Claude Sonnet 4.5 retirement

    Anthropic notified developers using Claude Sonnet 4.5 of its upcoming retirement on the Claude API. The notification was dated September 30, 2026.

    • Anthropic Claude Platform Docs · Sep 30, 2026 · On September 30, 2026, Anthropic notified developers using Claude Sonnet 4.5 of its upcoming retirement on the Claude API.

    Editor's note: The page’s 2026-09-30 entry states that Anthropic notified developers using Claude Sonnet 4.5 of its upcoming retirement on the Claude API. The quoted sentence appears verbatim, and the stated date matches.

  7. LaunchKey moment

    Anthropic releases Claude Sonnet 5.5

    Anthropic released Claude Sonnet 5.5 on the Claude API, Amazon Bedrock, Google Cloud, Microsoft Foundry and the Claude Platform on AWS, with a June 2026 knowledge cutoff and retirement no sooner than September 28, 2027. Adaptive thinking is on by default, and five breaking changes affect code already running on Claude Sonnet 5.

    Editor's note: Editor: the quoted sentence research supplied combined two statements the page makes separately, so it was not verbatim. Requoted to the one the page actually prints; the release date, platforms, cutoff and retirement date are all in the page's specification block.

  8. Launch

    Anthropic introduces Claude Opus 5.5

    Anthropic introduced Claude Opus 5.5. Anthropic described it as the first model in the Claude 5.5 family.

    • Anthropic · Sep 22, 2026 · “We’re introducing Claude Opus 5.5, the first model in our new Claude 5.5 family.”

    Editor's note: The page is readable and is dated September 22, 2026. It explicitly states that Anthropic is introducing Claude Opus 5.5 and calls it the first model in the new Claude 5.5 family.

  9. Response

    Anthropic shifts LSVP safeguards to offline monitoring

    Anthropic said the Life Sciences Verification Program shifts safeguards from real-time blocking to offline monitoring of patterns of behavior. It said LSVP traffic would be retained for 30 days to support that monitoring.

    • Anthropic · Sep 17, 2026 · In the LSVP, we are shifting safeguards from real-time blocking, where we reject potentially harmful access at the time of each request, to offline monitoring, which allows us to more clearly identify potential misuse across patterns of behavior.
    • Anthropic · Sep 17, 2026 · For LSVP traffic, we are requiring data retention for 30 days to be able to do this monitoring effectively.

    Editor's note: The page states that LSVP shifts safeguards from real-time blocking to offline monitoring and requires 30-day data retention for LSVP traffic. It is dated Sep 17, 2026.

  10. Announcement

    Anthropic makes high-risk grants available for Opus 5 and Sonnet 5

    Anthropic said high-risk grants for Claude Opus 5 and Claude Sonnet 5 were available on September 17. It said broader high-risk access for Claude Mythos remained limited to a small group receiving additional vetting while it worked with the United States government.

    • Anthropic · Sep 17, 2026 · High-risk grants for Claude Opus 5 and Claude Sonnet 5 are available today.
    • Anthropic · Sep 17, 2026 · We are working with the US government to make high-risk grants more broadly available for Claude Mythos, but at the time of this launch they will remain limited to a small set of entities with additional vetting.

    Editor's note: The page is dated Sep 17, 2026 and states that high-risk grants for Claude Opus 5 and Claude Sonnet 5 are available today. It also says broader high-risk access for Claude Mythos remains limited to a small set of additionally vetted entities while Anthropic works with the US government.

  11. Announcement

    Anthropic introduces the Life Sciences Verification Program

    Anthropic introduced the Life Sciences Verification Program for life-science professionals. The program provides access to Mythos, Opus, and Sonnet models with safeguards that are more permissive for biology-related work.

    • Anthropic · Sep 17, 2026 · Today, we are introducing the Life Sciences Verification Program (LSVP), which gives life science professionals access to our Mythos, Opus, and Sonnet models with a refined set of safeguards more permissive for biology-related work.

    Editor's note: The page is readable and states that Anthropic is introducing the Life Sciences Verification Program for life-science professionals, providing access to Mythos, Opus, and Sonnet with more permissive biology-related safeguards. It is dated Sep 17, 2026, matching the node date.

  12. Launch

    Claude Fable 5.1 and Mythos 5.1 ship as one model with two safeguard levels

    Anthropic released Fable 5.1 to everyone and Mythos 5.1 only to US companies and individuals in its trusted access programmes. The two are the same model; what differs is the safeguards, and Fable 5.1 also arrived cheaper than Fable 5.

    • Anthropic · Sep 1, 2026 · Claude Fable 5.1 and Claude Mythos 5.1 are the same model, but with different levels of safeguards.
    • MacRumors · Sep 1, 2026 · Fable 5.1 and Mythos 5.1 are the same model, but with different safeguard levels. Fable 5.1 is available to everyone, but Mythos 5.1 is limited to U.S. companies and individuals participating in Anthropic's trusted access programs.

    Editor's note: Official source added: https://www.anthropic.com/claude-fable-and-mythos-5-1

  13. Launch

    Claude Opus 5 ships

    Anthropic described Opus 5 as coming close to the frontier intelligence of its restricted-access models, which by then were the ones it did not release publicly.

    • Anthropic · Jul 24, 2026 · Claude Opus 5 is available today. It's a thoughtful and proactive model that comes close to the frontier intelligence of Claude Fable 5 at half the price.
  14. Response

    Anthropic restores access to Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5

    Anthropic reported that access to Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 was restored. The update was dated July 1, 2026.

    • Anthropic · Jul 1, 2026 · Access to Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 is now restored.

    Editor's note: The page includes a July 1, 2026 update stating that Claude Fable 5 and Mythos 5 were redeployed and that access to both is restored. The quoted sentence appears verbatim.

  15. RegulatoryKey moment

    Anthropic says export controls on Fable 5 and Mythos 5 are lifted

    Anthropic said export controls on Claude Fable 5 and Claude Mythos 5 had been lifted. It said Fable 5 would return globally on July 1 and Mythos 5 access had been restored for a set of U.S. organizations after June 26 approval.

    • Anthropic · Jun 30, 2026 · As of today, June 30, the export controls on Fable 5 and Mythos 5 have been lifted.

    Editor's note: The page states that, as of June 30, the export controls on Fable 5 and Mythos 5 had been lifted. It also says Fable 5 would return globally on July 1 and that Mythos 5 access was restored to a set of U.S. organizations following approval on June 26.

  16. Launch

    Claude Sonnet 5 opens the fifth generation

    The generation began with Sonnet again, and the claim was agency: planning, using browsers and terminals, and running autonomously.

    • Anthropic · Jun 30, 2026 · Claude Sonnet 5 is built to be the most agentic Sonnet model yet.
  17. Regulatory

    House members seek explanation of controls on Fable 5 and Mythos 5

    Four U.S. House members asked the U.S. Department of Commerce to explain its June 12 export-control action. The letter said the action imposed a license requirement on public distribution of a frontier AI model.

    Editor's note: The June 18, 2026 letter is signed by four House members and asks the Department of Commerce to explain its June 12 action. It states that the action imposed a license requirement on public distribution of a frontier AI model.

  18. RegulatoryKey moment

    The US government orders Anthropic to cut off access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5

    Citing national security authorities, the government issued an export control directive covering the company's two most capable models. Because the order turned on the nationality of the user rather than their location, Anthropic disabled both models for everyone.

    • Anthropic · Jun 12, 2026 · The US government, citing national security authorities, has issued an export control directive to suspend all access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 by any foreign national, whether inside or outside the United States, including foreign national Anthropic employees. The net effect of this order is that we must abruptly disable Fable 5 and Mythos 5 for all our customers to ensure compliance.
  19. LaunchKey moment

    Anthropic launches Claude Fable 5 and restricted Claude Mythos 5

    Anthropic launched Claude Fable 5 for general use and Claude Mythos 5 for a restricted group of Project Glasswing partners. Anthropic said Fable 5 was a Mythos-class model made safe for general use.

    • Anthropic · Jun 9, 2026 · Today we’re launching Claude Fable 5: a Mythos-class model that we’ve made safe for general use.

    Editor's note: The page is readable and dated Jun 9, 2026. It states that Fable 5 is available generally and Mythos 5 is restricted to Glasswing partners, and includes the quoted sentence.

  20. Announcement

    Anthropic notifies developers of Claude Opus 4.1 retirement

    Anthropic notified developers using Claude Opus 4.1 of its upcoming retirement on the Claude API. The model was scheduled to retire on August 5, 2026.

    Editor's note: The page states that Anthropic notified developers using Claude Opus 4.1 on June 5, 2026, and lists its retirement date as August 5, 2026.

  21. Launch

    Claude Opus 4.8 is the last of the 4.x flagships

    Claude Opus 4.8 is the last of the 4.x flagships
    Image: Anthropic, press image · source · editorial use

    An incremental upgrade over 4.7, and the final Opus before the naming moved to 5.

    • Anthropic · May 28, 2026 · We're upgrading Claude Opus to a new version: Claude Opus 4.8.
  22. Launch

    Claude Opus 4.7 becomes generally available

    Claude Opus 4.7 becomes generally available
    Image: Anthropic, press image · source · editorial use

    The flagship moved to 4.7 with gains in advanced software engineering over Opus 4.6.

    • Anthropic · Apr 16, 2026 · Our latest model, Claude Opus 4.7, is now generally available. Opus 4.7 is a notable improvement on Opus 4.6 in advanced software engineering, with particular gains on the most difficult tasks.
  23. Announcement

    Anthropic notifies developers of original Claude 4 model retirements

    Anthropic notified developers using Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4 of their upcoming retirement on the Claude API. The models were scheduled to retire on June 15, 2026.

    • Anthropic Claude Platform Docs · On April 14, 2026, Anthropic notified developers using Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4 models of their upcoming retirement on the Claude API.

    Editor's note: The page explicitly states that on April 14, 2026, Anthropic notified developers using Claude Sonnet 4 and Claude Opus 4 about their upcoming Claude API retirements. It lists June 15, 2026 as the retirement date for both models.

  24. ReportKey moment

    Anthropic's Frontier Red Team publishes a cybersecurity assessment of Claude Mythos Preview

    Before any public release, Anthropic's own red team published what it found: a model that could locate and exploit zero-day vulnerabilities in every major operating system and browser when a user directed it to. The team called for coordinated defensive action across the industry, and the assessment is why the model's restricted distribution became the story rather than its benchmarks.

    • Anthropic · Apr 7, 2026 · During our testing, we found that Mythos Preview is capable of identifying and then exploiting zero-day vulnerabilities in every major operating system and every major web browser when directed by a user to do so.
  25. Announcement

    Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3 Haiku retirement

    Anthropic notified developers using Claude 3 Haiku of its upcoming retirement on the Claude API. The model was scheduled to retire on April 20, 2026.

    • Anthropic Claude Platform Docs · On February 19, 2026, Anthropic notified developers using Claude Haiku 3 model of its upcoming retirement on the Claude API.

    Editor's note: The page states that Anthropic notified developers using Claude Haiku 3 on February 19, 2026, and lists April 20, 2026 as the retirement date for claude-3-haiku-20240307.

  26. Launch

    Claude Sonnet 4.6 upgrades coding, computer use and long context

    A full upgrade of the mid-tier rather than a targeted one, covering coding, computer use and long-context work.

    • Anthropic · Feb 17, 2026 · Claude Sonnet 4.6 is our most capable Sonnet model yet.
  27. LaunchKey moment

    Anthropic launches Claude Opus 4.6

    Anthropic launches Claude Opus 4.6
    Image: Anthropic, press image · source · editorial use

    Anthropic launched Claude Opus 4.6. The model included a 1-million-token context window in beta.

    • Anthropic · Feb 5, 2026 · And, in a first for our Opus-class models, Opus 4.6 features a 1M token context window in beta.

    Editor's note: The page is readable and is titled “Introducing Claude Opus 4.6,” dated Feb 5, 2026. It states that Opus 4.6 has a 1M-token context window in beta, using the quoted wording.

202511 entries
  1. Announcement

    Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3.5 Haiku retirement

    Anthropic notified developers using Claude 3.5 Haiku of its upcoming retirement on the Claude API. The model was scheduled to retire on February 19, 2026.

    • Anthropic Claude Platform Docs · On December 19, 2025, Anthropic notified developers using Claude Haiku 3.5 model of its upcoming retirement on the Claude API.

    Editor's note: The page states that on December 19, 2025, Anthropic notified developers using Claude Haiku 3.5 of its upcoming Claude API retirement. It lists February 19, 2026 as the retirement date.

  2. Launch

    Claude Opus 4.5 closes the 4.5 generation

    Claude Opus 4.5 closes the 4.5 generation
    Image: Anthropic, press image · source · editorial use

    With Sonnet and Haiku already out, the Opus release completed the set, again claimed on coding and agentic work.

    • Anthropic · Nov 24, 2025 · Our newest model, Claude Opus 4.5, is available today.
  3. Announcement

    Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3.7 Sonnet retirement

    Anthropic notified developers using Claude 3.7 Sonnet of its upcoming retirement on the Claude API. The model was scheduled to retire on February 19, 2026.

    • Anthropic Claude Platform Docs · On October 28, 2025, Anthropic notified developers using Claude Sonnet 3.7 model of its upcoming retirement on the Claude API.

    Editor's note: The page states that on October 28, 2025, Anthropic notified developers using Claude Sonnet 3.7 of its upcoming Claude API retirement. It lists February 19, 2026 as the retirement date for claude-3-7-sonnet-20250219.

  4. Launch

    Claude Haiku 4.5 brings the frontier down to the small tier

    The small model shipped to all users on the day of announcement, with Anthropic making the generational argument directly: what was recently at the frontier is now cheaper and faster.

    • Anthropic · Oct 15, 2025 · Claude Haiku 4.5, our latest small model, is available today to all users. What was recently at the frontier is now cheaper and faster.
  5. LaunchKey moment

    Claude Sonnet 4.5 is pitched as the best coding model in the world

    Anthropic led the announcement with the superlative rather than a benchmark table, and framed the model around building complex agents.

    • Anthropic · Sep 29, 2025 · Claude Sonnet 4.5 is the best coding model in the world.
  6. Announcement

    Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3.5 Sonnet retirement

    Anthropic notified developers using Claude 3.5 Sonnet models of their upcoming retirement. The listed snapshots were scheduled to retire on October 28, 2025.

    Editor's note: The page states that on August 13, 2025, Anthropic notified developers using Claude Sonnet 3.5 models of their upcoming retirement. It lists both cited Claude 3.5 Sonnet snapshots with an October 28, 2025 retirement date.

  7. Launch

    Claude Opus 4.1 upgrades the flagship and promises more soon

    A point release aimed at agentic tasks, real-world coding and reasoning. Anthropic said in the same post that substantially larger improvements were coming in the following weeks.

    • Anthropic · Aug 5, 2025 · Today we're releasing Claude Opus 4.1, an upgrade to Claude Opus 4 on agentic tasks, real-world coding, and reasoning.
  8. Update

    Anthropic gives Claude Opus 3 a retirement date

    The deprecation notice for the original Opus set its shutdown for January 5, 2026, with Opus 4.8 named as the replacement. Anthropic's policy says it retires models to free capacity for new releases, and lists the costs: users who valued a model must migrate, researchers lose it for comparative study, and it counts safety and model welfare among the risks.

  9. LaunchKey moment

    Claude 4 ships Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 together

    Claude 4 ships Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 together
    Image: Anthropic, press image · source · editorial use

    The fourth generation arrived as a pair, with Anthropic putting coding and agent work at the centre of the claim rather than general benchmarks.

    • Anthropic · May 22, 2025 · Today, we're introducing the next generation of Claude models: Claude Opus 4 and Claude Sonnet 4, setting new standards for coding, advanced reasoning, and AI agents.
  10. LaunchKey moment

    Claude 3.7 Sonnet introduces hybrid reasoning, and Claude Code arrives

    Anthropic called it the first hybrid reasoning model on the market, able to answer immediately or think first, with the thinking budget under the developer's control. The same announcement introduced Claude Code as a research preview.

    • Anthropic · Feb 24, 2025 · Today, we're announcing Claude 3.7 Sonnet1, our most intelligent model to date and the first hybrid reasoning model on the market.
  11. Announcement

    Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3 Sonnet retirement

    Anthropic notified developers using Claude 3 Sonnet of its upcoming retirement. The retirement date was July 21, 2025.

    • Anthropic Claude Platform Docs · On January 21, 2025, Anthropic notified developers using Claude 2, Claude 2.1, and Claude Sonnet 3 models of their upcoming retirements.

    Editor's note: The page states that on January 21, 2025, Anthropic notified developers using Claude 2, Claude 2.1, and Claude Sonnet 3 of upcoming retirements. It lists July 21, 2025 as the retirement date for Claude 3 Sonnet, as well as Claude 2 and 2.1.

  1. Dec 19, 2025Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3.5 Haiku retirement
  2. Nov 24, 2025Claude Opus 4.5 closes the 4.5 generation
  3. Oct 28, 2025Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3.7 Sonnet retirement
  4. Oct 15, 2025Claude Haiku 4.5 brings the frontier down to the small tier
  5. Sep 29, 2025Claude Sonnet 4.5 is pitched as the best coding model in the world
  6. Aug 13, 2025Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3.5 Sonnet retirement
  7. Aug 5, 2025Claude Opus 4.1 upgrades the flagship and promises more soon
  8. Jun 30, 2025Anthropic gives Claude Opus 3 a retirement date
  9. May 22, 2025Claude 4 ships Opus 4 and Sonnet 4 together
  10. Feb 24, 2025Claude 3.7 Sonnet introduces hybrid reasoning, and Claude Code arrives
  11. Jan 21, 2025Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3 Sonnet retirement
20245 entries
  1. Announcement

    Anthropic revises Claude 3.5 Haiku pricing

    Anthropic revised the pricing for Claude 3.5 Haiku. The revision was appended to Anthropic's October 22 announcement.

    • Anthropic · Dec 3, 2024 · We have revised the pricing for Claude 3.5 Haiku.

    Editor's note: The page includes a dated update, “Update (12/03/2024),” stating that Anthropic revised Claude 3.5 Haiku pricing. The quoted sentence appears on the page, and the update is appended to the October 22, 2024 announcement.

  2. LaunchKey moment

    Computer use arrives with an upgraded Sonnet and Claude 3.5 Haiku

    Anthropic shipped an API capability letting Claude move a cursor, click and type, alongside a new 3.5 Sonnet and the small 3.5 Haiku. It was the line's first step towards models that operate software rather than only produce text.

    • Anthropic · Oct 22, 2024 · Today, we're announcing an upgraded Claude 3.5 Sonnet, and a new model, Claude 3.5 Haiku.
  3. LaunchKey moment

    Claude 3.5 Sonnet puts the mid-tier ahead of the flagship

    The first of the 3.5 generation was a Sonnet, and Anthropic positioned it above its own Opus. Leading with the mid-tier rather than the largest model became the pattern for most releases that followed.

    • Anthropic · Jun 21, 2024 · Today, we're launching Claude 3.5 Sonnet-our first release in the forthcoming Claude 3.5 model family.
  4. Launch

    Anthropic releases Claude 3 Haiku

    Anthropic released Claude 3 Haiku. Anthropic described it as the fastest and most affordable model in its intelligence class.

    • Anthropic · Mar 13, 2024 · Today we’re releasing Claude 3 Haiku, the fastest and most affordable model in its intelligence class.

    Editor's note: The page is readable and states that Claude 3 Haiku was released on March 13, 2024. It contains the quoted description verbatim, aside from typographic apostrophe styling.

  5. LaunchKey moment

    The Claude 3 family arrives in three sizes

    Anthropic released Opus, Sonnet and Haiku together, the naming convention the line has kept since: a largest model, a mid-tier and a small fast one, all shipped at once.

    • Anthropic · Mar 4, 2024 · Today, we're announcing the Claude 3 model family, which sets new industry benchmarks across a wide range of cognitive tasks.
  1. Dec 3, 2024Anthropic revises Claude 3.5 Haiku pricing
  2. Oct 22, 2024Computer use arrives with an upgraded Sonnet and Claude 3.5 Haiku
  3. Jun 21, 2024Claude 3.5 Sonnet puts the mid-tier ahead of the flagship
  4. Mar 13, 2024Anthropic releases Claude 3 Haiku
  5. Mar 4, 2024The Claude 3 family arrives in three sizes

Questions this timeline answers

Each one is an ordered set of dated entries, most of them from this page, with a line on why each step led to the next.

Cause and effect

  1. The US government orders Anthropic to cut off access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5was answered by →House members seek explanation of controls on Fable 5 and Mythos 5The House members' June 18 letter sought an explanation of the Commerce Department's June 12 license requirement.
  2. The US government orders Anthropic to cut off access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5was answered by →Anthropic says export controls on Fable 5 and Mythos 5 are liftedAnthropic stated that the export controls imposed on June 12 had been lifted as of June 30.

Where sources disagree or fall silent

  • Anthropic's September 30, 2026 notice says Claude Sonnet 4.5 will retire but the published timeline does not state its retirement date.
  • The June 30 and July 1 updates say access to Fable 5 and Mythos 5 was restored, but the June 30 update specifies global Fable access while limiting Mythos 5 restoration to a set of approved U.S. organizations; the precise continuing availability of Mythos is therefore unclear from these entries.
  • The relation metadata reverses chronology in two places: it says the June 12 export-control action responded to the June 18 House letter, and that the June 30 lifting announcement follows the July 1 restoration update.
  • It is not clear from the listed materials whether the June 2026 export-control action was formally rescinded, modified, or simply no longer applied after Anthropic said controls had been lifted.

What to watch next

Who is involved

  • Anthropiccompany

    Developer of the Claude model line and operator of its access, safeguard, pricing and retirement policies.

  • Claude Mythos 5product

    Anthropic model launched for restricted access, subject to export controls, and later restored.

  • Claude Fable 5product

    Anthropic model launched for general use, subject to export controls, and later restored.

  • Claude Sonnet 5.5product

    Model launched by Anthropic.

  • Life Sciences Verification Programproduct

    Anthropic's verification program that gives life-science professionals more permissive biology-related access to Mythos, Opus and Sonnet while relying on retained traffic and offline monitoring.

  • Amazon Bedrockproduct

    One of the external platforms where Anthropic made Claude Sonnet 5.5 available.

  • Claude 3 Haikuproduct

    Anthropic model released in March 2024 and later notified for retirement.

  • Claude 3.5 Haikuproduct

    Anthropic model made available on Vertex AI, repriced, and later notified for retirement.

32 more
  • Claude APIproduct

    Platform on which the report says Claude Sonnet 5.5 is available.

  • Claude Haiku 5.5product

    Small model launched by Anthropic and assigned token pricing.

  • Claude Mythosproduct

    Anthropic's restricted-access model line, whose cyber and biology-related access is limited to vetted programs and organizations.

  • Claude Opus 5product

    Model for which Anthropic said high-risk grants were available.

  • Claude Opus 5.5product

    Model introduced as the first member of the Claude 5.5 family.

  • Cloud platform on which Anthropic made Claude Sonnet 5.5 and Haiku 5.5 available.

  • Project Glasswingother

    The partner program through which Anthropic initially made Mythos 5 available on a restricted basis.

  • The department whose June 2026 export-control action imposed a license requirement affecting Fable 5 and Mythos 5 distribution.

  • Cloud provider offering selected Claude models through Amazon Bedrock and Claude Platform on AWS.

  • Claude 3 Sonnetproduct

    Anthropic model whose developers were notified of its upcoming retirement.

  • Claude 3.5 Sonnetproduct

    Anthropic model whose developers were notified of upcoming retirement.

  • Claude 3.7 Sonnetproduct

    Anthropic model whose developers were notified of upcoming retirement.

  • Claude Haiku 4.5product

    Model identified in Anthropic's report on unintended actions.

  • Claude Mythos 5.1product

    Model included in Cyber Verification Program access.

  • Claude Mythos Previewproduct

    Model identified in Anthropic's report on unintended actions.

  • Claude Opusproduct

    Claude's largest flagship tier, most recently represented by Opus 5.5.

  • Claude Opus 4product

    Original Claude 4 model whose developers were notified of upcoming retirement.

  • Claude Opus 4.1product

    Anthropic model whose developers were notified of upcoming retirement.

  • Claude Opus 4.6product

    Anthropic model launched with a 1-million-token context window in beta.

  • Claude Platform on AWSproduct

    Platform on which the report says Claude Sonnet 5.5 is available.

  • Claude Sonnetproduct

    Claude's mid-tier model line, which has frequently opened new generations and most recently reached Sonnet 5.5.

  • Claude Sonnet 4product

    Original Claude 4 model whose developers were notified of upcoming retirement.

  • Claude Sonnet 4.5product

    Model whose upcoming Claude API retirement Anthropic notified developers about.

  • Claude Sonnet 5product

    Model for which Anthropic said high-risk grants were available.

  • Cyber Verification Programother

    Anthropic program expanded to three access tiers.

  • Jay Obernolteperson

    House member who joined the June 2026 request for an explanation of the frontier-model export controls.

  • Microsoftcompany

    Provider of Microsoft Foundry and Azure, platforms on which Anthropic made selected Claude models available.

  • Microsoft Foundryproduct

    One of the external platforms where Anthropic made Claude Sonnet 5.5 available.

  • Sam Liccardoperson

    House member who joined the June 2026 request for an explanation of the frontier-model export controls.

  • Scott Franklinperson

    House member who joined the June 2026 request for an explanation of the frontier-model export controls.

  • Ted Lieuperson

    House member who joined the June 2026 request for an explanation of the frontier-model export controls.

  • Issued the June 12, 2026 export-control directive that led Anthropic to suspend Fable 5 and Mythos 5 access.

Changelog

6 days with changes to this timeline. All timelines' changes.

  • Added 4 entries: 2026-10-06 Anthropic expands the Cyber Verification Program to three access tiers; 2026-10-07 Anthropic launches Claude Haiku 5.5; 2026-10-07 Anthropic halves Claude Sonnet 5.5 cache-read pricing; 2026-10-09 Anthropic expands internet-access restrictions in internal evaluations.
  • Added 2 entries: 2026-09-30 Anthropic notifies developers of Claude Sonnet 4.5 retirement; 2026-10-02 Anthropic classifies Claude Sonnet 5.5 under autonomy threat model 1.
  • Added 1 entry: 2026-09-28 Anthropic releases Claude Sonnet 5.5.
  • Added 1 entry: 2026-09-22 Anthropic introduces Claude Opus 5.5.
  • Added 3 entries: 2026-09-17 Anthropic introduces the Life Sciences Verification Program; 2026-09-17 Anthropic makes high-risk grants available for Opus 5 and Sonnet 5; 2026-09-17 Anthropic shifts LSVP safeguards to offline monitoring.
  • Added 14 entries: 2024-03-13 Anthropic releases Claude 3 Haiku; 2024-12-03 Anthropic revises Claude 3.5 Haiku pricing; 2025-01-21 Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3 Sonnet retirement; 2025-08-13 Anthropic notifies developers of Claude 3.5 Sonnet retirement and 10 more. Added 18 hand-verified entries by the editor.

A research pass records each dated fact with the page it came from and a verbatim quote. A second, independent pass re-opens every cited page and rejects entries it cannot confirm. The editor reviews what remains before it is published, and every change is listed above. Full method.