Bitcoin’s Next Difficulty Epoch Could Rewrite the 2025 Leaderboard

Just ten days after a 2.73% difficulty dip, Bitcoin’s gears are revving back up. If miners keep cranking out blocks at this pace, the next difficulty epoch could deliver a hefty climb. Roughly 81% of the 2,016 blocks have already been mined, setting the stage for the change expected on Oct. 29, 2025.

Bitcoin’s Mining Might Pushes Network Toward Possible Difficulty Hike This Week

It’s been a full week since Bitcoin’s computing muscle surged to 1,164 exahash per second (EH/s). Fast-forward to today, and it’s cruising near 1,122 EH/s — a slight cooldown but still impressively high, even with the daily revenue per petahash sitting lower than a month ago.

Before the last difficulty epoch at block 919296, miners were dragging their feet, clocking intervals slower than the ten-minute target. As of 3 p.m. Eastern on Oct. 26, stats from hashrateindex.com show blocks are zipping in at an average of 9 minutes and 21 seconds.

Source: hashrateindex.com If this tempo holds, projections point to a 6.77% difficulty climb — though with roughly 390 blocks left to go, that figure could easily dance around a bit. So far in 2025, Bitcoin has weathered 21 difficulty adjustments — 15 hikes and six trims — stacking up to a net gain of roughly 32.8%.

If the current 6.77% projection holds, it’ll snag the bronze for this year’s biggest difficulty leaps. The reigning champ belongs to block 905184 on July 12, which clocked a hefty 7.96% climb. The silver medal goes to April 5 at block 891072 with a 6.81% lift, while Oct. 1’s 5.97% bump at block 917280 currently rounds out the top three.

Naturally, if bitcoin miners ease off the gas, that next adjustment will shrink. But if they keep their foot on the pedal — or push harder — they might just give those July and April records a serious run for their money. With only a few hundred blocks left before the Oct. 29 retarget, all eyes are on Bitcoin’s hashrate and block interval tempo.

Whether miners keep the momentum or tap the brakes, the upcoming adjustment will mark another milestone in a year already packed with surging hashrate milestones and mining difficulty records — proof that the world’s top blockchain never stays idle for long.

FAQ ⏱️

• What is Bitcoin’s current hashrate?

As of Oct. 26, 2025, Bitcoin’s hashrate stands around 1,122 exahash per second (EH/s).

• When is the next Bitcoin difficulty adjustment?

The next difficulty retarget is expected to occur on Oct. 29, 2025.

• How much could Bitcoin’s difficulty increase?

Estimates suggest a potential 6.77% rise if block times remain steady.

• How many difficulty changes has Bitcoin had in 2025?

So far, Bitcoin has seen 21 adjustments this year, with 15 increases and 6 decreases.