What happened to Sora? OpenAI's shutdown timeline, why it closed, and what happens to your videos

If you've tried to open Sora since April 26, 2026, you've found it gone. OpenAI discontinued its video generator in two stages. The Sora app and website closed on April 26, 2026, and the Sora API was removed on September 24, 2026, six months after OpenAI first said it was ending the product on March 24, 2026. This explainer covers the timeline, the reasons OpenAI and reporters gave, what happens to the videos you made, and the alternatives. It is based on OpenAI's help center and API deprecation pages, plus reporting from Axios, The Wall Street Journal and The Decoder, checked on October 12, 2026.

The short version

• Announced: March 24, 2026. OpenAI notified Videos API developers that day, and Axios reported the shutdown the same day.
• App and web: closed April 26, 2026, according to OpenAI's help center.
• API: the Videos API and all sora-2 and sora-2-pro models were removed on September 24, 2026. OpenAI listed no replacement.
• Why: OpenAI said it was narrowing its focus and its use of compute. Axios and The Wall Street Journal reported that it wanted the computing power for coding and enterprise products.
• Your videos: export through sora.chatgpt.com/sunset. OpenAI says it will permanently delete Sora data once discontinuation and any final export window are over.
• Your money: refunds go through the normal ChatGPT subscription process, and purchased ChatGPT/Sora credits still work in Codex.

What was Sora?

The original Sora video model debuted in early 2024. In September 2025, OpenAI launched Sora 2 with a separate social app that let people put themselves into short AI-generated videos. At launch OpenAI said, "With Sora 2, we are jumping straight to what we think may be the GPT‑3.5 moment for video."

The app took off quickly. Axios reported that it topped Apple's App Store charts and reached a million downloads faster than ChatGPT. Interest also faded quickly: Axios, citing TechCrunch, reported that downloads had fallen 45% by January 2026. Developers could use the same models through OpenAI's Videos API.

When did Sora shut down?

Last verified: October 12, 2026

The affected API models, per OpenAI's deprecations page, were sora-2, sora-2-pro, sora-2-2025-10-06, sora-2-2025-12-08 and sora-2-pro-2025-10-06. The replacement column for every one of them is blank.

When Axios first reported the shutdown, OpenAI hadn't set dates and said it would share them soon. The dates above come from OpenAI's help center, which The Decoder reported as a two-stage shutdown.

Why did OpenAI shut down Sora?

OpenAI's public explanation is about focus. According to Axios, the company said it was narrowing its focus and how it uses its people and computing resources. An OpenAI spokesperson told Axios that Sora's research team would continue "to focus on world simulation research to advance robotics." OpenAI told The Wall Street Journal that "this disciplined focus on where we apply that compute allows us to grow, innovate faster."

Reporters added more detail:

• Compute for coding and enterprise. Axios reported that Sora consumed significant compute at a time when every frontier AI company faced a shortage. It said OpenAI was prioritizing capital, chips and enterprise products over experimental bets as it competed with Anthropic and Google. The Decoder reported that OpenAI wanted to focus compute on coding tools, enterprise customers and a "super app" combining ChatGPT and other tools.
• Not mainly cost or copyright. According to Futurism's summary of the Journal's report, the WSJ found the shutdown wasn't driven mainly by Sora's costs or by copyright liability. The reason was freeing compute for coding and enterprise products built on an upcoming model code-named "Spud." The Journal's article is paywalled, so we rely on that summary.
• The Disney deal ended. Axios reported that OpenAI was winding down its work with Disney, and a source said no money had changed hands. Disney said it appreciated "the constructive collaboration between our teams" and would keep working with AI platforms.

Our reading: these accounts don't conflict. They describe a company redirecting scarce compute toward products that earn more, which matches OpenAI's push into coding and agents covered in OpenAI explained.

What happens to my Sora videos?

According to OpenAI's help center:

1. Export: go to sora.chatgpt.com/sunset and click Export. OpenAI emails you when the export is ready. It recommends exporting "as soon as possible."
2. A final export window may come. OpenAI says it may offer one after discontinuation and will email you before it opens. It hasn't promised one.
3. Deletion: after discontinuation and any final export window, OpenAI will "permanently delete any data associated with your use of Sora." It gives no specific deletion date.
4. Refunds and credits: refund requests go through the standard ChatGPT subscription refund process. Purchased ChatGPT/Sora credits can still be used for Codex.

OpenAI's help article doesn't say what happened to cameos or characters you created, or to videos other people made with your likeness. If that matters to you, export what you can and contact OpenAI support.

The app closed more than five months ago and the API on September 24, so don't count on the export page still working. Try it now, and check your email for any notice of a final export window.

Can I still make videos with ChatGPT or the OpenAI API?

Not through Sora. OpenAI's ChatGPT plan comparison, checked on October 12, 2026, lists image creation on every plan but no video generation feature. The API has no listed replacement for the Videos API. See our ChatGPT plans comparison for what each plan includes.

What are the alternatives to Sora?

The options below are described from their makers' own pages, checked October 12, 2026. Check current terms and prices before you commit.

• Google Veo: Google DeepMind's page lists Veo 3.1 as its leading video model. It's available in the Gemini app and Google Flow, and to developers through the Gemini API. For developers leaving the Sora API, this is the most direct like-for-like option from a frontier lab. Our ChatGPT vs Gemini comparison covers Gemini's plans more broadly.
• Runway: Runway's developer platform offers a video-generation API. Check its docs for the current model list and clip limits.
• Other dedicated video tools: several AI video makers sell consumer apps and APIs. Compare output rights, watermarking and data-retention terms as carefully as quality.

If you used the Sora API, the work isn't a simple model swap. Request formats, durations, resolution options and content policies differ between providers, so plan a migration and re-test your prompts.

What's confirmed, reported and uncertain

• Confirmed (OpenAI): the March 24, 2026 developer notice; the April 26 app and web shutdown; the September 24 API removal and the affected model IDs; export, deletion, refund and Codex-credit rules.
• Reported:
  • the reasons (Axios, the WSJ via Futurism's summary, The Decoder)
  • the end of the Disney deal (Axios)
  • download and adoption figures (Axios, citing TechCrunch)
  • the "Spud" model name (the WSJ and The Information, via Futurism and Axios)
• Uncertain:
  • whether a final export window will be offered, and when data will be deleted
  • what happened to cameos and characters
  • whether OpenAI will return to consumer video, beyond its stated world-simulation research