Claude Code or VS Code Still Showing Opus 4.8? How to Switch to Opus 5
Anthropic shipped Claude Opus 5 on July 24, 2026. It is the new default model on Claude Max and the strongest model you can pick on Claude Pro. So why does the model picker in your VS Code panel still say Opus 4.8?! Before you go digging through your account or your plan, check the version. Opus 5 requires Claude Code v2.1.219 or later, and the list of models in that picker is compiled into the build you have installed.






