Latest PHP version: current release and support status

PHP 8.5 is the current stable PHP version as of March 2026, with PHP 8.5.4 being the latest patch release. PHP 8.4 remains in active support, while PHP 8.3 and 8.2 receive security fixes only. The post outlines support windows for each branch, advises using PHP 8.5 for new projects when hosting and dependencies allow, and provides practical steps to check your current PHP version via CLI, Laravel's artisan command, and composer.json constraints.