diff --git a/core/lib/Drupal.php b/core/lib/Drupal.php
index a33c2650e2a1c9cbbafc5011a142061d09afb28e..72d60b10e20209d8d3d431627580a725ac4ce0e9 100644
--- a/core/lib/Drupal.php
+++ b/core/lib/Drupal.php
@@ -81,7 +81,7 @@ class Drupal {
   /**
    * The current system version.
    */
-  const VERSION = '8.1.0-dev';
+  const VERSION = '8.1.0-rc1';
 
   /**
    * Core API compatibility.