diff --git a/.github/workflows/windows.yml b/.github/workflows/windows.yml
index efb6d6d762..d69488f3a9 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/windows.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/windows.yml
@@ -42,7 +42,7 @@ jobs:
 
         python3.exe -m pip wheel .
         if(!$?) { Exit $LASTEXITCODE }
-        python3.exe -m pip install openPMD_api-0.16.0.dev0-cp39-cp39-win_amd64.whl
+        python3.exe -m pip install openPMD_api-0.16.0-cp39-cp39-win_amd64.whl
         if(!$?) { Exit $LASTEXITCODE }
 
         python3.exe -c "import openpmd_api as api; print(api.variants)"
diff --git a/CITATION.cff b/CITATION.cff
index a810842b0c..b3bb13c8b0 100644
--- a/CITATION.cff
+++ b/CITATION.cff
@@ -37,7 +37,7 @@ contact:
   orcid: https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1943-7141
   email: axelhuebl@lbl.gov
 title: "openPMD-api: C++ & Python API for Scientific I/O with openPMD"
-version: 0.16.0-dev
+version: 0.16.0
 repository-code: https://github.com/openPMD/openPMD-api
 doi: 10.14278/rodare.27
 license: LGPL-3.0-or-later
diff --git a/docs/source/conf.py b/docs/source/conf.py
index 668ef4c8ae..6a4cecf028 100644
--- a/docs/source/conf.py
+++ b/docs/source/conf.py
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@
 # The short X.Y version.
 version = u'0.16.0'
 # The full version, including alpha/beta/rc tags.
-release = u'0.16.0-dev'
+release = u'0.16.0'
 
 # The language for content autogenerated by Sphinx. Refer to documentation
 # for a list of supported languages.
diff --git a/docs/source/index.rst b/docs/source/index.rst
index 5fc4475364..5939b61965 100644
--- a/docs/source/index.rst
+++ b/docs/source/index.rst
@@ -44,7 +44,7 @@ openPMD-api version      supported openPMD standard versions
 ======================== ===================================
 ``2.0.0+``               ``2.0.0+``      (not released yet)
 ``1.0.0+``               ``1.0.1-1.1.0`` (not released yet)
-``0.13.1-0.15.1`` (beta) ``1.0.0-1.1.0``
+``0.13.1-0.16.0`` (beta) ``1.0.0-1.1.0``
 ``0.1.0-0.12.0`` (alpha) ``1.0.0-1.1.0``
 ======================== ===================================
 
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index 1c4e7476d3..4ecbfc5c68 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -174,7 +174,7 @@ def build_extension(self, ext):
 setup(
     name='openPMD-api',
     # note PEP-440 syntax: x.y.zaN but x.y.z.devN
-    version='0.16.0.dev',
+    version='0.16.0',
     author='Axel Huebl, Franz Poeschel, Fabian Koller, Junmin Gu',
     author_email='axelhuebl@lbl.gov, f.poeschel@hzdr.de',
     maintainer='Axel Huebl',
diff --git a/test/SerialIOTest.cpp b/test/SerialIOTest.cpp
index 7323a32582..f55c5ec235 100644
--- a/test/SerialIOTest.cpp
+++ b/test/SerialIOTest.cpp
@@ -6363,7 +6363,7 @@ void adios2_bp5_no_steps(bool usesteps)
         IO.DefineAttribute("/openPMD", std::string("1.1.0"));
         IO.DefineAttribute("/openPMDextension", uint32_t(0));
         IO.DefineAttribute("/software", std::string("openPMD-api"));
-        IO.DefineAttribute("/softwareVersion", std::string("0.16.0-dev"));
+        IO.DefineAttribute("/softwareVersion", std::string("0.16.0"));
 
         IO.DefineAttribute("/data/0/dt", double(1));
         IO.DefineAttribute(