Ethereum upgrades change the shared rules used by the network—not the software on every user’s device. Most users do not need to take action when an upgrade activates. The effects they may notice depend on what wallets and apps implement, while developers, node operators, stakers, and rollup teams have more direct compatibility work. As of October 7, 2026, Pectra and Fusaka are live; Glamsterdam is being tested, not live on mainnet.
What an Ethereum network upgrade changes
An upgrade, often called a fork, changes Ethereum’s protocol rules. Wallets and applications rely on those rules to submit transactions; execution and consensus clients implement them; validators and node operators use compatible clients to participate in the network. A change can add a capability, adjust how data is handled, or alter network parameters.
It helps to distinguish a protocol capability from the product experience built on it. For example, a protocol change may make a wallet feature possible, but each wallet decides whether and how to offer it. Similarly, a capacity goal does not by itself guarantee lower fees or a particular performance improvement. Ethereum.org notes that upgrades tend not to affect end users directly, beyond possible improvements to user experience, security, or ways of interacting with Ethereum: Ethereum roadmap.
Which upgrades are live, and what is still planned?
As of October 7, 2026, the Ethereum roadmap lists Pectra and Fusaka as completed and Glamsterdam as in development. Dates and features for upgrades that have not activated can change; treat them as plans, not guarantees.
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| Upgrade | Status and date | Main change and who may care |
|---|---|---|
| Pectra | Activated on mainnet May 7, 2025, at 10:05 UTC, according to ethereum.org. | Added capabilities including EIP-7702 for externally owned accounts; also changed validator balance rules and blob throughput. Wallets, applications, validators, and developers may be affected. |
| Fusaka | Launched on mainnet December 3, 2025, according to ethereum.org. | Introduced PeerDAS for handling blob data, with implications for node operators and rollup data capacity. |
| Glamsterdam | In development. The Ethereum Foundation scheduled activation on Sepolia for October 6, 2026, at 13:53:36 UTC; its September 28 announcement said Hoodi and mainnet dates were undecided. | Testing includes planned changes such as enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS) and block-level access lists (BALs). Do not treat these as live mainnet behavior. |
| Hegotá and later work | Roadmap work, with FOCIL described as a Hegotá headliner targeted for 2027; plans and timelines can change. | FOCIL is intended to give validators a role in requiring inclusion of valid transactions. It is not an existing user guarantee. |
Sources: Ethereum roadmap; Pectra; Fusaka; Glamsterdam; Ethereum Foundation Glamsterdam testnet announcement; Hegotá.
What Pectra changed for wallets, validators, and developers
Wallet and account capabilities
Pectra activated on mainnet at epoch 364032 on May 7, 2025, at 10:05 UTC, according to ethereum.org’s Pectra upgrade page. Its best-known wallet-related change is EIP-7702: an externally owned account (EOA), the familiar type of account controlled by a private key, can temporarily execute smart-contract code. This enables wallet designs that may support transaction batching, fee sponsorship, or recovery mechanisms.
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These are enabled possibilities, not a promise that every wallet supports them. Wallets and applications control which features they expose and how they work. Users should check their wallet’s release notes and security guidance before using a new account workflow.
Validator balances and blob throughput
Pectra also raised the maximum effective validator balance to 2,048 ETH and increased blob throughput. These are protocol-level changes, not a change that every ordinary wallet user needs to configure. Developers and operators should use the finalized fork rules when assessing effects on their systems.
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What Fusaka changed for rollups and node operators
Fusaka introduced PeerDAS (EIP-7594). Rather than requiring every full node to download every blob, validators can sample blob data. The design aims to make data availability more efficient and support increased blob capacity for layer-2 rollups. Ethereum.org describes the upgrade on its Fusaka page.
For rollup teams, blob parameters affect the capacity and cost environment for posting data to Ethereum, but a protocol change alone does not establish a fixed reduction in what users pay on a particular layer 2. The Ethereum Foundation’s 2026 Protocol Priorities Update also reports two Blob Parameter Only forks after Fusaka began increasing blob targets.
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The same Foundation update reports that the mainnet gas limit rose from 30M to 60M between Pectra and Fusaka. That network-level figure is not an individual transaction limit and is not a guarantee that transaction fees will fall.
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Glamsterdam combines execution- and consensus-layer work. Its headlining proposals include enshrined proposer-builder separation (ePBS) and block-level access lists (BALs), intended to change how blocks are produced and validated and how transaction dependencies are represented. Ethereum.org describes goals that include parallelization, capacity, and sustainable data and storage pricing on its Glamsterdam page.
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The page also lists proposed developer-facing changes, including larger contracts and a deterministic factory predeploy, and describes a proposal to reduce intrinsic gas for simple ETH transfers. These are planned features: any realized fee or performance effect depends on final rules, transaction conditions, and deployment. Do not count on a specific saving before the feature is finalized and live.
The Ethereum Foundation’s September 28, 2026 announcement scheduled a Sepolia testnet activation for October 6, 2026, at 13:53:36 UTC. In that announcement, Hoodi and mainnet dates had not been decided. The Foundation advised: “Application developers should test contracts and gas estimation against the new rules.” See the Glamsterdam testnet announcement for the stated testnet and client guidance.
What to do, depending on your role
Everyday ETH and wallet users
- You usually do not need to install a protocol upgrade or buy a new device when a network upgrade activates.
- Watch for wallet or application updates if you want to use a new capability; the protocol enabling a feature does not mean your wallet has implemented it.
- Follow your wallet’s own security guidance before approving unfamiliar account actions or signing flows.
Application and smart-contract developers
- Track the final fork specifications and the client releases relevant to the networks you support.
- Test contracts, integrations, and gas estimation against the applicable testnet and fork rules. The Foundation specifically advises this for Glamsterdam.
- Re-check assumptions about gas behavior and transaction handling rather than relying on a roadmap description of intended benefits.
Node operators and stakers
- Keep compatible execution and consensus clients available for the active fork. For Glamsterdam, the Foundation says both client layers need updates.
- Use official client release instructions for the network and fork in question; a testnet schedule is not a substitute for a mainnet activation notice.
Rollup teams
- Monitor blob parameters and data-availability changes, since these affect the environment for posting rollup data to Ethereum.
- Model your own costs and capacity; do not promise users a fixed layer-2 fee reduction based solely on an Ethereum protocol change.
How to judge claims about an upgrade
When you see a claim that an upgrade will change Ethereum, ask whether it describes a mainnet change that has shipped or a feature still being tested; which group is directly affected; whether it is a protocol capability or a wallet/app implementation; and whether it promises a goal or reports a measured outcome. Also distinguish a confirmed activation date from a roadmap estimate. Those checks help prevent proposals and capacity goals from being mistaken for current user-facing guarantees.
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