diff --git a/docs/overview/changelog.md b/docs/overview/changelog.md
index 3e6078863e..1616c8a14e 100644
--- a/docs/overview/changelog.md
+++ b/docs/overview/changelog.md
@@ -7,6 +7,24 @@ up-to-date list of all changes.
 
 ## Zulip Server 8.x series
 
+### Zulip Server 8.5
+
+_Released 2024-07-31_
+
+- Fixed failures installing/upgrading Debian systems by removing the
+  Apache Arrow apt repository as a dependency, which suffers from an
+  annual problem with expired GPG signatures.
+- Improved documentation for upgrading the Ubuntu version.
+- Fixed `manage.py register_server --rotate-key` crashing without
+  having written its secrets if the `zulip` user had permission to write
+  to `/etc/zulip/zulip-secrets.conf`, but not its parent directory.
+- Fixed client-provided HTTP authentication headers being incorrectly
+  forwarded in S3 requests, causing authentication errors.
+- Removed the Gitter data import tool (Gitter no longer exports data
+  in the format it supported).
+- Upgraded Python dependencies.
+- Updated translations.
+
 ### Zulip Server 8.4
 
 _Released 2024-05-09_
diff --git a/version.py b/version.py
index f2d9c66688..5e3fb33aa8 100644
--- a/version.py
+++ b/version.py
@@ -1,6 +1,6 @@
 import os
 
-ZULIP_VERSION = "8.4+git"
+ZULIP_VERSION = "8.5"
 
 # Add information on number of commits and commit hash to version, if available
 zulip_git_version_file = os.path.join(
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@ ZULIP_VERSION = lines.pop(0).strip()
 ZULIP_MERGE_BASE = lines.pop(0).strip()
 
 LATEST_MAJOR_VERSION = "8.0"
-LATEST_RELEASE_VERSION = "8.4"
+LATEST_RELEASE_VERSION = "8.5"
 LATEST_RELEASE_ANNOUNCEMENT = "https://blog.zulip.com/2023/12/15/zulip-8-0-released/"
 
 # Versions of the desktop app below DESKTOP_MINIMUM_VERSION will be