Key Takeaways:
- Ethereum’s Holešky testnet will shut down two weeks after the Fusaka fork finalizes, marking the end of its two-year role in testing major network upgrades.
- The newer Hoodi testnet, launched in March 2025, will replace Holešky and continue supporting developments like Fusaka and Pectra.
- The upcoming Fusaka upgrade, expected by early November, includes 11 EIPs aimed at improving data availability and scalability for Ethereum rollups.
Ethereum’s Holešky testnet, the network’s largest, will be decommissioned following the rollout of the Fusaka fork later this September.
The shutdown is scheduled to occur two weeks after Fusaka’s finalization, after which Holešky will no longer be supported by client, testing, or infrastructure teams.
PSA: the Holešky testnet will be shut down two weeks after Fusaka finalizes on it. See the full announcement below 👇 pic.twitter.com/CktYA8vCsx
— timbeiko.eth (@TimBeiko) September 1, 2025
Launched in September 2023, Holešky served as a key environment for testing Ethereum’s staking infrastructure and validator operations.
It played an important role in validating upgrades such as Dencun and the more recent Pectra, enabling thousands of validators to stress-test protocol changes.
The decision to sunset Holešky stems from technical issues earlier this year, including “inactivity leaks” that caused a large validator exit queue, highlighting reliability challenges.
In response, Ethereum introduced Hoodi, a new testnet launched in March 2025, which is already supporting Pectra and will handle Fusaka and future upgrades.
Developers working on smart contracts and dApps are advised to continue using Sepolia.
Looking ahead, Fusaka – targeted for early November – introduces 11 Ethereum Improvement Proposals (EIPs) aimed at boosting data availability for rollups, decentralization, and layer-2 scalability.
Further on the roadmap, the Glamsterdam upgrade in 2026 could cut block times to six seconds and optimize zero-knowledge proof validation.
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