Source: Go 1.26 is released · Go Blog · February 2026
The Go team released Go 1.26. Binaries and installers are on go.dev/dl.
Language changes
new accepts expressions. Instead of:
x := int64(300)
ptr := &x
you can write:
ptr := new(int64(300))
Generic types may refer to themselves in their type parameter list, simplifying complex recursive data structures.
Performance
- Green Tea GC is now on by default.
- ~30% lower baseline cgo overhead.
- Compiler allocates slice backing stores on the stack more often.
Tools: rewritten go fix
Built on the Go analysis framework with dozens of modernizers plus an inline analyzer driven by //go:fix inline—follow-up posts will detail these.
New packages
crypto/hpke, crypto/mlkem/mlkemtest, testing/cryptotest, plus port and GODEBUG updates in the release notes.
Experimental (opt-in)
simd/archsimd, runtime/secret, goroutine leak profiling in runtime/pprof.
For backend teams
Green Tea, stack allocation, and lower cgo overhead can improve latency and GC profiles. Run release notes and go fix in CI before upgrading.
Full list: Go 1.26 Release Notes.