# xAI Grok 3 — deprecation status

> Yes — Grok 3 is retired. xAI shut it down on May 15, 2026; API requests to it now fail. The recommended replacement is Grok 4.3.

The model xAI trained on the Colossus cluster and launched in February 2025 with a Super Bowl-scale marketing push, reaching the API that April. It is the oldest id in the May 2026 retirement wave and the only one whose replacement route runs through a non-reasoning setting, since Grok 3 never thought by default.

## Facts

| Field | Value |
| --- | --- |
| Provider | xAI |
| Model id | `grok-3` |
| Status | Retired |
| Shutdown | May 15, 2026 (80 days ago) |
| Last verified | August 3, 2026 |

## Replacement

- **Grok 4.3** (`grok-4.3`) · recommended — https://modeldeprecations.dev/xai/grok-4.3
  - Maps to grok-4.3 with reasoning effort "none".
  - Parameters it accepts: https://modelparams.dev/models/xai/grok-4.3

```diff
- "model": "grok-3"
+ "model": "grok-4.3"
```

## FAQ

### When did xAI Grok 3 shut down?

xAI Grok 3 shut down on May 15, 2026. API requests to it fail from that date onward.

### What replaces xAI Grok 3?

xAI recommends Grok 4.3 (`grok-4.3`) as the replacement for xAI Grok 3. Maps to grok-4.3 with reasoning effort "none".

### Is xAI Grok 3 still available?

No. xAI Grok 3 is retired and no longer served — it was shut down on May 15, 2026. Calls to it return an error.

### How do I migrate from xAI Grok 3 to grok-4.3?

Swap the model id in your API call: replace "grok-3" with "grok-4.3". Maps to grok-4.3 with reasoning effort "none".

## Sources

- [Grok Model Retirement on May 15, 2026](https://docs.x.ai/developers/migration/may-15-retirement) — accessed 2026-08-03

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Canonical page: https://modeldeprecations.dev/xai/grok-3
JSON: https://modeldeprecations.dev/api/v1/models/xai/grok-3.json