The short answer
Sora is shut down. OpenAI announced on March 24, 2026 that it would discontinue Sora. The Sora app and sora.com closed on April 26, 2026. The Sora 2 API (`sora-2`, `sora-2-pro`, and the Videos API) was removed on September 24, 2026.
That means:
- You cannot generate new videos with Sora or Sora 2 anywhere.
- You cannot download or install the Sora app. Copies listed on third-party sites are not the official app.
- The official Sora feed, likes, remixes, and profiles are no longer browsable on OpenAI's side.
- Public Sora videos and creator stats survive in independent archives such as SoraStats.
For the full date-by-date record, see the OpenAI Sora shutdown timeline.
Is Sora 2 still available?
No. Sora 2 was the model behind the Sora social app that launched in late 2025. It went away with the app on April 26, 2026, and developer access through the API ended on September 24, 2026. Be careful with any site that still advertises "Sora 2" generation: the official model and API no longer exist.
Can I still watch old Sora videos?
Yes, through archives. SoraStats preserved public Sora videos together with the context that made them matter: creator, views, likes, remixes, captions, and rankings.
If you remember a creator, search their username and open their profile. If you only remember the subject, browse the rankings or the video screener. The guide where to watch Sora videos after the shutdown covers search tips and archive coverage limits.
Can I get my own Sora videos back?
OpenAI pointed creators to its official export path before the shutdown. If you missed it, check your own devices, camera roll, cloud backups, and anywhere you reposted the clips. SoraStats can help you find the public record of a video you posted, but it is not a backup service for private drafts. See Sora drafts and export after shutdown.
Why did Sora shut down?
OpenAI has not published a single detailed reason. Public signals point to a mix of compute cost, safety and likeness concerns, and a crowded AI video market. We separate what is documented from what is speculation in why did Sora shut down?.
What are people using instead of Sora?
Most former Sora creators moved to other AI video generators such as ByteDance's Seedance, Kuaishou's Kling, and Google's Veo in Flow. We compare them, and explain what none of them replaced, in best Sora alternatives in 2026.
Sources
SoraStats is independent and not affiliated with OpenAI.