Kotlin Roadmap 2025-2026: Major Updates and New Features

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Kotlin Roadmap 2025-2026: What JetBrains Has in Store for Developers

The JetBrains team has officially presented an updated development plan for the Kotlin language for 2025 and 2026. The focus is on the stability of the K2 compiler, performance improvements, and expanding the capabilities of Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP). Let's break down the key points of the roadmap that will soon change how developers work with the language.

Main Development Directions

The new roadmap is divided into three major blocks: tool stability and performance, development of the multiplatform ecosystem, and improvements to server-side development.

Stabilizing K2 and Improving IDE Performance
The main goal is to make the K2 compiler fully stable for all platforms (JVM, JS, Native). It is expected that by the end of 2025, K2 will become the default compiler. This will provide a 30-50% increase in compilation speed and faster performance in IntelliJ IDEA.

New Language Features
In 2025-2026, the following are planned for implementation:
- Non-local break and continue in lambda expressions
- Improved support for context receivers
- Experimental support for macros for metaprogramming
- Simplification of sealed hierarchies

Kotlin Multiplatform (KMP) — Going to Production
Kotlin Multiplatform has been declared stable. In 2025-2026, the focus is on:
- Improved compatibility with CocoaPods and Swift Package Manager
- Full support for Android, iOS, Web (via Compose for Web) and Desktop
- Integration with popular CI/CD systems (GitHub Actions, GitLab CI)

Server-Side Development with Kotlin
The roadmap pays attention to the Ktor and Spring Boot ecosystems:
- Full compatibility of Ktor with K2
- Faster application startup (AOT compilation)
- Support for virtual threads (Project Loom) on the JVM

Dates and Releases

JetBrains plans to release updates according to the following schedule:

2025, Q1-Q2 — K2 becomes the default compiler in Kotlin 2.2. Release of the stable version of Kotlin Multiplatform.
2025, Q3-Q4 — Release of Kotlin 2.3 with new language features (non-local break/continue, improved context functions).
2026, Q1-Q2 — Kotlin 2.4: experimental macros, improved compiler performance.
2026, Q3-Q4 — Kotlin 2.5: AOT compilation for server applications, final support for virtual threads.

What This Means for Developers

The roadmap shows that Kotlin is entering a phase of maturity. The language is no longer experimenting with fundamental concepts but is focusing on speed, compatibility, and convenience. For developers, this means: