diff --git a/.github/workflows/api-change.yml b/.github/workflows/api-change.yml
index 50c0111023..f051071682 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/api-change.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/api-change.yml
@@ -6,7 +6,7 @@ on:
       tag1:
         description: 'First ESMF Tag'
         required: true
-        default: 'v8.6.0'
+        default: 'v8.7.0'
       tag2:
         description: 'Second ESMF Tag'
         required: true
diff --git a/README.md b/README.md
index 499f50e5fd..eb7f420bea 100644
--- a/README.md
+++ b/README.md
@@ -34,7 +34,7 @@ Pre-built binaries for ESMF and ESMPy are available through a number of channels
    ```
    docker run -it --rm esmf/esmf-build-release:latest
    ```
-   Replace `latest` in the above command with a valid version, like `8.6.0`, in order to access a specific ESMF version.
+   Replace `latest` in the above command with a valid version, like `8.8.0`, in order to access a specific ESMF version.
    
  * [Anaconda Conda-Forge](https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/): Under [conda-forge/esmpy](https://anaconda.org/conda-forge/esmpy). To install locally (_note Windows is not supported_), run:
    ```
diff --git a/src/Infrastructure/Util/include/ESMC_Macros.h b/src/Infrastructure/Util/include/ESMC_Macros.h
index 37d5dfd600..6c1eac73e2 100644
--- a/src/Infrastructure/Util/include/ESMC_Macros.h
+++ b/src/Infrastructure/Util/include/ESMC_Macros.h
@@ -51,13 +51,13 @@
 
 
 #define ESMF_VERSION_MAJOR        8
-#define ESMF_VERSION_MINOR        7
+#define ESMF_VERSION_MINOR        8
 #define ESMF_VERSION_REVISION     0
 #define ESMF_VERSION_PATCHLEVEL   0
 #define ESMF_VERSION_PUBLIC       'F'
 #define ESMF_VERSION_BETASNAPSHOT 'T'
 
-#define ESMF_VERSION_STRING "8.7.0 beta snapshot"
+#define ESMF_VERSION_STRING "8.8.0 beta snapshot"
 
 #endif   // ESMC_MACROS_H
 
diff --git a/src/Infrastructure/Util/src/ESMF_UtilTypes.F90 b/src/Infrastructure/Util/src/ESMF_UtilTypes.F90
index be758f0daf..7e64f1cc3b 100644
--- a/src/Infrastructure/Util/src/ESMF_UtilTypes.F90
+++ b/src/Infrastructure/Util/src/ESMF_UtilTypes.F90
@@ -82,13 +82,13 @@ module ESMF_UtilTypesMod
 !EOPI
 
       integer, parameter :: ESMF_VERSION_MAJOR        = 8
-      integer, parameter :: ESMF_VERSION_MINOR        = 7
+      integer, parameter :: ESMF_VERSION_MINOR        = 8
       integer, parameter :: ESMF_VERSION_REVISION     = 0
       integer, parameter :: ESMF_VERSION_PATCHLEVEL   = 0
       logical, parameter :: ESMF_VERSION_PUBLIC       = .false.
       logical, parameter :: ESMF_VERSION_BETASNAPSHOT = .true.
 
-      character(*), parameter :: ESMF_VERSION_STRING  = "8.7.0 beta snapshot"
+      character(*), parameter :: ESMF_VERSION_STRING  = "8.8.0 beta snapshot"
 
 #if defined (ESMF_NETCDF)
       logical, parameter :: ESMF_IO_NETCDF_PRESENT = .true.
diff --git a/src/addon/NUOPC/doc/NUOPC_howtodoc.ctex b/src/addon/NUOPC/doc/NUOPC_howtodoc.ctex
index 4499ecb7db..85d8425a43 100644
--- a/src/addon/NUOPC/doc/NUOPC_howtodoc.ctex
+++ b/src/addon/NUOPC/doc/NUOPC_howtodoc.ctex
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 \addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-.75in}
 \newcommand{\mytitle}{\Large {\bf Building a NUOPC Model}}
 \newcommand{\myauthors}{\large {\it Content Standards Committee (CSC) Members}}
-\newcommand{\myversion}{ESMF 8.7.0 beta snapshot}
+\newcommand{\myversion}{ESMF 8.8.0 beta snapshot}
 % set a standard paragraph style
 \setlength{\parskip}{0pt}
 \setlength{\parindent}{0pt}
diff --git a/src/addon/NUOPC/doc/NUOPC_refdoc.ctex b/src/addon/NUOPC/doc/NUOPC_refdoc.ctex
index 92777d849e..69e343ed4a 100644
--- a/src/addon/NUOPC/doc/NUOPC_refdoc.ctex
+++ b/src/addon/NUOPC/doc/NUOPC_refdoc.ctex
@@ -17,7 +17,7 @@
 \addtolength{\oddsidemargin}{-.75in}
 \newcommand{\mytitle}{\Large {\bf NUOPC Layer Reference}}
 \newcommand{\myauthors}{\large {\it Content Standards Committee (CSC) Members}}
-\newcommand{\myversion}{ESMF 8.7.0 beta snapshot}
+\newcommand{\myversion}{ESMF 8.8.0 beta snapshot}
 % set a standard paragraph style
 \setlength{\parskip}{0pt}
 \setlength{\parindent}{0pt}
diff --git a/src/addon/esmpy/pyproject.toml b/src/addon/esmpy/pyproject.toml
index 3c7c03aa5a..40bc3d1da9 100644
--- a/src/addon/esmpy/pyproject.toml
+++ b/src/addon/esmpy/pyproject.toml
@@ -33,7 +33,7 @@ enabled = true
 template = "{tag}"
 dev_template = "{tag}"
 dirty_template = "{tag}"
-starting_version = "8.7.0beta" # this is a backup for pip <= 22.0 where git-versioning doesn't work
+starting_version = "8.8.0beta" # this is a backup for pip <= 22.0 where git-versioning doesn't work
 
 [tool.dynamic]
 version = "placeholder" # this is a placeholder for the version pulled with git-versioning
diff --git a/src/doc/ESMC_crefdoc.ctex b/src/doc/ESMC_crefdoc.ctex
index 9c9b12f657..f1416366f0 100644
--- a/src/doc/ESMC_crefdoc.ctex
+++ b/src/doc/ESMC_crefdoc.ctex
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 \newcommand{\sreq}[1]{\subsection{\hspace{.2in}#1}}
 \newcommand{\ssreq}[1]{\subsubsection{\hspace{.2in}#1}}
 \newcommand{\mytitle}{\longname \docmttype ~~}
-\newcommand{\myversion}{Version 8.7.0 beta snapshot}
+\newcommand{\myversion}{Version 8.8.0 beta snapshot}
 
 \newenvironment
 {reqlist}
diff --git a/src/doc/ESMF_refdoc.ctex b/src/doc/ESMF_refdoc.ctex
index 05c693040c..f50f960db5 100644
--- a/src/doc/ESMF_refdoc.ctex
+++ b/src/doc/ESMF_refdoc.ctex
@@ -15,7 +15,7 @@
 \newcommand{\sreq}[1]{\subsection{\hspace{.2in}#1}}
 \newcommand{\ssreq}[1]{\subsubsection{\hspace{.2in}#1}}
 \newcommand{\mytitle}{\longname \docmttype ~~}
-\newcommand{\myversion}{Version 8.7.0 beta snapshot}
+\newcommand{\myversion}{Version 8.8.0 beta snapshot}
 
 \input{common_commands}
 
diff --git a/src/doc/ESMF_usrdoc.ctex b/src/doc/ESMF_usrdoc.ctex
index 8a10bcc157..74541c66be 100644
--- a/src/doc/ESMF_usrdoc.ctex
+++ b/src/doc/ESMF_usrdoc.ctex
@@ -14,7 +14,7 @@
 \newcommand{\sreq}[1]{\subsection{\hspace{.2in}#1}}
 \newcommand{\ssreq}[1]{\subsubsection{\hspace{.2in}#1}}
 \newcommand{\mytitle}{\longname \docmttype ~~}
-\newcommand{\myversion}{Version 8.7.0 beta snapshot}
+\newcommand{\myversion}{Version 8.8.0 beta snapshot}
 
 \newenvironment
 {reqlist}