The most visible change to VMware Workstation is its version naming scheme. VMware has moved away from the traditional numeric system (e.g., Workstation 17.6.x) and adopted a new calendar-based format. The "25" in the name represents the year (2025), and "H2" indicates a release in the second half of the year. The official new release is VMware Workstation 25H2.
While the 25H2 release is stable, users may encounter a few known issues: index of vmware workstation new
More complex download process via Broadcom portal; occasional Linux kernel compatibility lag. Follow-Up on VMware Workstation Linux Issues and Next Steps The most visible change to VMware Workstation is
VMware Workstation 16 is a major release that includes several significant enhancements and new features. Some of the key features and improvements include: The official new release is VMware Workstation 25H2
New options to balance security and performance when encrypting virtual machines.
The update (released February 27, 2026) addressed early-adoption stability issues and critical security vulnerabilities.