More than five years have passed since BTS released a full-length studio album. In March 2022, the band announced an extended hiatus to make time for the members to pursue solo work and complete mandatory service in the South Korean military.
During that time, ARMY have feasted on releases from all seven members of the supergroup: V’s Layover (2023), Suga’s D-Day (2023), Jin’s Happy (2024) and Echo (2025), Jung Kook’s Golden (2023), RM’s Indigo (2022) and Right Place, Wrong Person (2024), Jimin’s Face (2023) and Muse (2024), and J-Hope’s Jack in the Box (2022) and Hope on the Street Vol. 1 (2024).
While the band embraced the opportunity to explore their individual sounds and creative identities, they are eager to come back together again. In 2026, BTS will make up for lost time with the release of their 10th studio album, a currently untitled LP expected to arrive on March 20. Less than a month later, they will embark on an extensive world tour that will keep them on the road for nearly a full year.
“The year we’ve been waiting for has finally arrived,” Jimin shared in a note to fans on Jan. 1. Here’s everything we know about BTS’ highly anticipated comeback, from their upcoming album to the accompanying tour.
BTS Started Working on the Album in July 2025
ARMY has been anticipating BTS’ next album since it was first teased in July 2025. “We’ll be releasing a new BTS album in the spring of next year. Starting in July, all seven of us will begin working closely together on new music,” the group shared at the time. “Since it will be a group album, it will reflect each member’s thoughts and ideas.”
BTS noted that they weren’t planning to stray too far from their original habits, adding, “We’re approaching the album with the same mindset we had when we first started.” To sweeten the deal, the band used the same announcement statement to share that they would be planning a world tour alongside the album. “We’ll be visiting fans all around the world,” they said. “So we hope you’re as excited as we are.”
BTS Feel Good About the LP: ‘The Music Is Really Coming Out Great’
“Above all, the music is really coming out great,” RM told ARMY in a post on X in November 2025. “Everyone is working hard. Look forward to it. 2026 Bulletproof Army Fighting.” That August, he promised they were “working diligently” on new music. “Making something ‘together’ with these friends, I’m going to commit myself to this moment,” he said at the time. “I’m going to thank you. It’s our next album. I’m looking for what I’ll become. Something I’ve forgotten for too long, the moments that are far away together. I hope that it will be a kind of beauty.”
In December, Jung Kook told Elle Korea this his idea of good music is “still a song with a good message and good lyrics.” “Music that transcends seasons and genres, and songs that can give strength to anyone,” he said. Still, he alluded to the stakes feeling high. “I think this spring will be more important than ever,” Jung Kook said about BTS’ return. “So I sincerely hope you all have a safe and enjoyable spring.”
The BTS World Tour Will Kick Off in April
The official start of BTS’ upcoming world tour is scheduled for April 9 at Goyang Stadium in South Korea. The band have yet to unveil complete venue details for the trek, but have shared an initial slate of dates that extend through March 2027. BTS are expected to release additional tour dates in the future. The group last completed a headlining tour in 2022 with the BTS Permission to Dance On Stage. The 12-date tour began in October 2021 and concluded in April 2022
During the hiatus, Jin, J-Hope, and Suga embarked on solo tours. In the concert film RunSeokJin_EP.Tour The Movie, which premiered in December, Jin noted, “Performing without my members? Not in my wildest dreams. I think I was nervous.” The musician explained that “a performance isn’t complete without ARMY.” He described the fanbase as the reason he performs, adding, “It’s the roar of the crowd that keeps me going.”
In a recent interview with Rolling Stone UK, cover star Jung Kook looked ahead to the future, not just for BTS, but for himself as a soloist, too. “I’m really looking forward to the next BTS album, the promotions I’ll do with the members, and being able to meet ARMY [BTS’ official fandom] again,” he said in the cover story. “I’m also excited for the work I’ll do as a solo artist. I want to learn more about dance and improve, especially in street dance.” It’s all part of his plan to be “an artist without limits.”
He added: “During my time in the military, I couldn’t work on music even when I wanted to. That built up a sense of longing. It made me want to do better and deliver something great.” While releasing solo music, the BTS members often checked in with each other to share previews. “I played the song for all of the members,” J-Hope told Rolling Stone last year. “I made sure to share it with them when each of them was on their military leave, and I felt proud to be able to play it for them first. I was very happy that everyone liked it.”
All Roads Lead Back to BTS
Th band’s solo works are all in service to ARMY and BTS. “In order to make music as a team in a healthy way, as each of us are making their own music, we each go through personal growth and growing pains that come with it,” J-Hope said on the Zach Sang Show last year. “We learn many things. And then when we reunite after doing our own things, these experiences will fill us with new strength and energy. And now that’s very soon. Everyone has grown while pursuing their solo projects. I think that will contribute to the music we create as BTS.”
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