What's New in Next.js 16

Next.js 16 doubles down on the App Router and performance guardrails. The upgrade is mostly additive, making it a safe move for most teams.

Faster local feedback

• The dev server ships with smarter invalidation, so route-level edits no longer cold-restart neighboring layouts.
• MDX and CSS modules compile in parallel, bringing hot reload times closer to Vite-class tooling.

Safer routing

• dynamic = "force-static" is now honored across nested segments, reducing accidental server renders.
• generateMetadata can run during build when no dynamic data is used, producing fully static pages with correct SEO.

DX niceties

• The ESLint config includes React Compiler rules by default.
• New next lint --fix covers more layout-specific a11y hints, including focus traps for modals.

Should you upgrade?

If you are on Next 15 with the App Router, the migration is mostly bumping dependencies and rerunning type checks. Keep an eye on custom webpack plugins—many can be removed in favor of the stable Turbopack path.