Overview
- Tool name: Gen-2 (Retired)
- Developer: Runway
- Official website: https://research.runwayml.com/gen2
- Category: AI Models
- Status: Closed to new users in 2025; the entire Gen-3 line followed in July 2026
Gen-2 was Runway's 2023 text-to-video and image-to-video model - the first mass-market proof that AI video generation was usable. Anyone could turn a prompt or an image into a short clip, even though resolution, duration and motion coherence were still primitive. It extended the Gen-1 (video-to-video) idea and started the entire Gen lineage.
Retirement timeline: Gen-2 stopped accepting new users in 2025. Its successor Gen-3 Alpha was retired on July 8, 2026 and Gen-3 Alpha Turbo was removed from the API on July 30, 2026, closing out Runway's early models entirely.
Runway's current lineup (October 2026):
- Gen-4.5 (flagship, API since February 2026): 720p, 2-10 seconds, text or image input, strongest prompt adherence, 12 credits/sec
- Gen-4 Turbo: fast, cheap iteration at 6 credits/sec
- Gen-4: image-to-video workhorse with character consistency from a single reference
- Aleph 2.0 for video restyle/edit and act_two for character performance transfer
- The Runway API is now a multi-model platform also serving veo3.1, seedance2 and other third-party models
Can you still use Gen-2?
No. Existing projects cannot create new Gen-2 jobs, and the API no longer accepts any Gen-2 or Gen-3 model IDs. Old workflows map to Gen-4.5 (text/image-to-video), Animate Frames (keyframes) or Aleph 2.0 (video editing).
Migration notes
- Text-to-video / image-to-video -> Gen-4.5 (Standard plan and up, web)
- Keyframe workflows -> the Animate Frames app
- Video-to-video -> Aleph 2.0 in Edit Studio
- If you need native audio, clips beyond 10 seconds or native high resolution -> compare Veo 3.1 and other third-party models on the Runway API
Historical significance
Gen-2 proved AI video generation was commercially viable, and its lo-fi, unpredictable aesthetic is still sought after by some creators. By any practical measure, Gen-4.5 is a complete upgrade.
Frequently asked questions
Is Gen-2 still usable?
No. It closed to new users in 2025, and all Gen-2/Gen-3 model IDs have been removed from the API.
What is Runway's best model now?
Gen-4.5: 720p, 2-10 seconds, text or image input, and first place on the Artificial Analysis text-to-video leaderboard at launch. For drafts and bulk image animation, Gen-4 Turbo is the best value.
What is the difference between Gen-4 and Gen-4.5?
Gen-4 requires an image input and is known for character consistency; Gen-4.5 accepts pure text prompts, costs the same per second, and adds flexible durations and pro export formats. New features (such as ProRes export) land only on Gen-4.5.
*This page is not affiliated with Runway. Retirement timeline and current lineup summarized as of October 2026; confirm with Runway's official documentation.*