diff --git a/willie/__init__.py b/willie/__init__.py
index c97959ed39..00fc600952 100644
--- a/willie/__init__.py
+++ b/willie/__init__.py
@@ -19,7 +19,7 @@
 import traceback
 import signal
 
-__version__ = '5.0.0-beta'
+__version__ = '5.0.0-rc1'
 
 
 def run(config):