GPT‑5 is live but many users still don’t see it—especially outside the US
- Graziano Stefanelli
- Aug 8
- 4 min read
GPT‑5 rollout status worldwide: who has access now, and when it’s coming to the rest of the world.
OpenAI officially launched GPT‑5 on August 7, 2025, during its LIVE5TREAM keynote, presenting the new model as the most advanced and versatile AI the company has ever built.
While the model is confirmed to be live on the backend—visible in API registries and pricing dashboards—most users around the world still don’t see it in ChatGPT. This is not a bug or region-based block. Instead, it reflects OpenAI’s phased rollout strategy, which delivers access in regional waves and prioritizes stability during high-traffic launches.
From early user reports, Reddit threads, GitHub changelogs, and OpenAI’s own status pages, it’s now possible to map out exactly where GPT‑5 is available, who’s seeing it, and who’s still waiting.
United States: GPT‑5 is visible for some, but not yet all.
In the United States, OpenAI began activating GPT‑5 flags for ChatGPT Plus and Pro users shortly after the keynote ended. Screenshots posted on Reddit (especially in r/OpenAI and r/singularity) show the new “GPT‑5” or “GPT‑5 Thinking” label appearing in the model selector on the web version of ChatGPT. However, many users—even paying subscribers—report that their accounts still show GPT‑4o.
Rollout is happening in batches, typically 5–10% of accounts at a time, and appears to favor desktop web clients first. Mobile app access is arriving later, and free-tier users in the U.S. are expected to receive GPT‑5 in the next 6–12 hours.
Canada and Latin America: model live on backend, UI access still pending.
Multiple users in Canada posted that they do not yet see GPT‑5 in ChatGPT, despite having Plus subscriptions. Threads in r/technology and r/OpenAI confirm the absence of the new model selector. In Latin America, there are no confirmed GPT‑5 sightings yet.
However, developers in these regions can already see the GPT‑5 family of models (gpt-5, gpt-5-mini, gpt-5-nano, gpt-5-chat) listed via the API’s GET /v1/models endpoint. Calling these models returns “model not available” until the account’s region-based flag is activated.
Rollout for Canada and LATAM is expected to follow the U.S. within 4–8 hours for Plus/Pro, and 12–24 hours for Free.
Europe: northern access begins, southern countries still waiting.
Across Europe, GPT‑5’s availability is highly uneven. In Sweden, some users on Reddit have already reported seeing GPT‑5 in ChatGPT on web. However, Italy, France, Germany, and Spain all remain in the waiting zone as of this writing. Users in r/italy and r/OpenAI repeatedly confirm: “Still seeing GPT‑4o.”
This delay appears partly technical, partly regulatory. OpenAI has already signed on to the EU AI Code of Conduct, which allows for model deployment while compliance is being finalized.
But features like memory, agent tools, and Sora 2 are held back in the European Economic Area until the GPT‑5 System Card is published and approved.
If rollout timing follows previous models like GPT‑4o, access for Plus/Pro users in southern Europe should arrive overnight or by the morning of August 8, with free-tier activation starting later that day.
Asia-Pacific: model confirmed, but UI rollout is hours behind.
Indian news outlets and OpenAI’s own announcements have highlighted GPT‑5’s availability in the Asia-Pacific region, but users in India, Japan, Australia, and Southeast Asia report that the model is still missing from their interfaces.
As in other regions, the model is present in the backend and listed in documentation—but the frontend activation is still underway. Expect access to land overnight U.S. time, corresponding to early morning in APAC on August 8.
Middle East and Africa: no confirmed access yet.
As of now, no verified posts or screenshots confirm GPT‑5 availability in ChatGPT accounts from the Middle East or Africa. Historically, OpenAI activates these regions shortly after the European rollout stabilizes, so access may appear within the next 12–24 hours.
API and GitHub Models: GPT‑5 family is live—but locked behind flags.
Developers across all regions can now see GPT‑5 and its variants listed via:
OpenAI API model list (gpt-5, gpt-5-mini, nano, chat)
GitHub Models registry
Pricing pages (e.g., $0.002 / 1k tokens for gpt-5-mini)
However, actual usage still requires the account’s flag to be enabled—something OpenAI is rolling out independently of geographic IP. This means your country may see it before or after others, depending on server load and infrastructure readiness.
Estimated timeline for full rollout by region
Region | Plus / Pro access | Free tier access | Notes |
USA | Started, completing in <6h | +6–12h | Mobile slower than web |
Canada | +2–4h after USA | +12h | Currently pending |
Latin America | +4–8h | +12–24h | No sightings yet |
Northern Europe (e.g. Sweden) | Started now | +6–12h | First in EU to receive it |
Southern/Eastern Europe | +6–12h | +12–24h | Still showing GPT‑4o |
Asia-Pacific | +8–12h | +24h | Activation expected during US night |
Middle East / Africa | +12–24h | +24–36h | Historically follows EU timing |
What to do if you don’t see GPT‑5 yet
Hard refresh your browser (Ctrl + Shift + R or clear app cache)
Log out and log back in — this forces the model list to refresh
Start a new conversation — old threads often lock into old models
Watch status.openai.com — rollout progress is tracked under “ChatGPT availability”
Join Reddit megathreads — r/OpenAI and r/ChatGPT usually pin “Access” threads when global availability begins
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