Sora's Digital Ghost: UK Users Left Behind

OpenAI's Sora text-to-video service concluded its operations globally on April 26, 2026, when its apps and website were deactivated. The Sora API followed, shutting down on September 24, 2026. UK users faced a prolonged wait for access, with the initial version of Sora only becoming available in February 2025 through a ChatGPT subscription. Sora 2, which launched on iPhone in September 2025, never reached the UK.

OpenAI has not provided a specific reason for excluding the UK from earlier launches. The company cited computing costs and a strategic shift towards coding tools and business customers as reasons for Sora's shutdown. The Sora team has since transitioned to research in world simulation for robotics. While Sora is no longer accessible, users can still request an export of their previously created videos from the Sora website.

For UK users seeking AI video generation, several alternatives are available without requiring a VPN. These include Google Gemini, Runway, Kling, Luma Dream Machine, Hailuo, and Pika. These platforms offer various features for creating video content from text prompts and images.