gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct shutdown day
officially replaced by terra
The official deprecations table is explicit: on 2026-09-28 OpenAI shuts gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct, babbage-002, davinci-002, and gpt-3.5-turbo-1106, recommended replacement gpt-5.6-terra. That is officially announced policy, not a rumor. terra has real QCode usage. This tracker is default: grep the old ids before the 404.
Updated 2026-09-11
Four separate facts
Shutdown date on the table
Official table: 2026-09-28 gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct → gpt-5.6-terra. Same day: babbage-002, davinci-002, gpt-3.5-turbo-1106.
Official recommended replacement
All four rows name gpt-5.6-terra. That id is > 0 in QCode’s 30-day usage.
“They will slip the date again”
Forums often guess another delay. The table currently prints 2026-09-28. Until the table changes, a slip is a rumor.
When resellers start 404ing
The table governs the first-party API. When QCode errors the same id is unpublished. Finish the swap before 09-28.
How to handle an officially dated shutdown
When Completions-era ids land on the deprecations table, the order stays: copy the shutdown date and replacement; grep the repo; set model to gpt-5.6-terra and send one tiny request. Do not wait for the first 404. QCode sells terra that has usage, not a life-support plan for instruct.
Which four rows the 2026-09-28 section prints
The 2026-09-11 fetch of deprecations, under 2025-09-26 Legacy GPT model snapshots, lists 2026-09-28: gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct, babbage-002, davinci-002, gpt-3.5-turbo-1106, all → gpt-5.6-terra. Officially announced. The later 2026-10-23 chat wave (gpt-4-turbo and friends) is a different list.
Timeline
Official deprecation notice date (section heading). Shutdown was already pointed about a year out. 2025-09-26
2026-09-11 re-fetch: the 2026-09-28 four rows still sit there, replacement still gpt-5.6-terra.
Shutdown date on the table. Whether it slips is unpublished. Production should finish before this day. 2026-09-28
Three evidence tiers
Officially announced / confirmed
Officially confirmed: on 2026-09-28 OpenAI shuts gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct, babbage-002, davinci-002, gpt-3.5-turbo-1106, recommended gpt-5.6-terra. Those cells are on the deprecations table, not a forum rumor.
Rumor / what the community is saying
Rumor: they will slip 09-28 by a few months. The table does not say that. Treating “maybe delayed” as the plan promotes a rumor to officially announced. 2026-09-11 That delay is unconfirmed; there is no official slip date.
The 09-28 wave versus the 10-23 wave
2026-09-28 Completions-era ids
instruct / babbage / davinci / 1106 → terra. Searches for “instruct deprecated” belong here.
2026-10-23 chat wave
gpt-4-turbo, gpt-3.5-turbo, gpt-4, replacements Sol or terra. Different query — do not glue it onto this slug.
Three steps in the remaining window
First: open the official table, copy the 2026-09-28 four rows. Second: grep gpt-3.5-turbo-instruct, babbage-002, davinci-002, gpt-3.5-turbo-1106. Third: model=gpt-5.6-terra, tiny request, HTTP 200.
What to do on QCode
terra has real usage. Copy the dashboard key. Point the OpenAI-compatible base URL at https://api.qcode.cc and replace old Completions ids with gpt-5.6-terra. Daily coding can also use gpt-5.6-sol (official $4 / $20, promo through at least 2026-11-21). Next step: non-streaming tiny request, echoed model.
FAQ
Is 09-28 officially confirmed?
Yes. The deprecations table officially announces 2026-09-28 for those four rows and terra as replacement.
Will they delay it?
The table does not say so. Until it changes, a delay is a rumor. Plan to 09-28.
Will QCode 404 earlier?
Reseller cutoff is unpublished. Do not treat an unpublished date as a promise. Finish before 09-28.
Does terra have QCode usage?
Yes. That is why the recommended replacement can land honestly.
Same event as Spark retiring?
No. Spark was not on the deprecations table on 2026-09-11. instruct already has a shutdown day.
Do Completions endpoints have to move too?
Old Completions flows should move to Chat Completions / Responses with model terra. Follow OpenAI’s own migration notes.
Sources
Dates and replacements: developers.openai.com/api/docs/deprecations, section 2025-09-26 Legacy GPT model snapshots (fetched 2026-09-11). terra usage: internal CRS. Sol promo: official pricing page through at least 2026-11-21.
Swap old ids to terra before 09-28
One key for gpt-5.6-terra and gpt-5.6-sol. No life support for Completions. From ¥60/month.
Related
gpt-4-turbo 10-23 shutdown
The next chat-id wave — different search.
Sol vs Sonnet 5
Daily workhorses besides terra.
Codex Spark retirement
The class that is not on the table yet.
Tracks an officially announced shutdown. A rumored delay is not official confirmation. Deprecations win.