diff --git a/api/v1/clusterextension_types.go b/api/v1/clusterextension_types.go
index cf5946a408..9fa524e15a 100644
--- a/api/v1/clusterextension_types.go
+++ b/api/v1/clusterextension_types.go
@@ -466,6 +466,17 @@ type BundleMetadata struct {
 	// +required
 	// +kubebuilder:validation:XValidation:rule="self.matches(\"^([0-9]+)(\\\\.[0-9]+)?(\\\\.[0-9]+)?(-([-0-9A-Za-z]+(\\\\.[-0-9A-Za-z]+)*))?(\\\\+([-0-9A-Za-z]+(-\\\\.[-0-9A-Za-z]+)*))?\")",message="version must be well-formed semver"
 	Version string `json:"version"`
+
+	// release is an optional field that references the release value for this bundle.
+	// The release follows pre-release/build metadata syntax as defined in https://semver.org/,
+	// consisting of dot-separated identifiers where numeric identifiers must not have leading zeros.
+	// For bundles with explicit pkg.Release metadata, this field contains that release value.
+	// For registry+v1 bundles, this field contains the release extracted from version's build metadata (e.g., '2' from '1.0.0+2').
+	// This field may be omitted if there is no explicit release and the version contains no parseable build metadata.
+	//
+	// +optional
+	// +kubebuilder:validation:XValidation:rule="self.matches(\"^$|^(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*)(\\\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*))*$\")",message="release must be empty or well-formed pre-release/build metadata (dot-separated identifiers, numeric parts without leading zeros)"
+	Release string `json:"release,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // RevisionStatus defines the observed state of a ClusterObjectSet.
diff --git a/applyconfigurations/api/v1/bundlemetadata.go b/applyconfigurations/api/v1/bundlemetadata.go
index acf9d152f8..d61ffb00f6 100644
--- a/applyconfigurations/api/v1/bundlemetadata.go
+++ b/applyconfigurations/api/v1/bundlemetadata.go
@@ -29,6 +29,13 @@ type BundleMetadataApplyConfiguration struct {
 	// version is required and references the version that this bundle represents.
 	// It follows the semantic versioning standard as defined in https://semver.org/.
 	Version *string `json:"version,omitempty"`
+	// release is an optional field that references the release value for this bundle.
+	// The release follows pre-release/build metadata syntax as defined in https://semver.org/,
+	// consisting of dot-separated identifiers where numeric identifiers must not have leading zeros.
+	// For bundles with explicit pkg.Release metadata, this field contains that release value.
+	// For registry+v1 bundles, this field contains the release extracted from version's build metadata (e.g., '2' from '1.0.0+2').
+	// This field may be omitted if there is no explicit release and the version contains no parseable build metadata.
+	Release *string `json:"release,omitempty"`
 }
 
 // BundleMetadataApplyConfiguration constructs a declarative configuration of the BundleMetadata type for use with
@@ -52,3 +59,11 @@ func (b *BundleMetadataApplyConfiguration) WithVersion(value string) *BundleMeta
 	b.Version = &value
 	return b
 }
+
+// WithRelease sets the Release field in the declarative configuration to the given value
+// and returns the receiver, so that objects can be built by chaining "With" function invocations.
+// If called multiple times, the Release field is set to the value of the last call.
+func (b *BundleMetadataApplyConfiguration) WithRelease(value string) *BundleMetadataApplyConfiguration {
+	b.Release = &value
+	return b
+}
diff --git a/docs/api-reference/olmv1-api-reference.md b/docs/api-reference/olmv1-api-reference.md
index 5b5eeb2361..e9a8090ccd 100644
--- a/docs/api-reference/olmv1-api-reference.md
+++ b/docs/api-reference/olmv1-api-reference.md
@@ -67,6 +67,7 @@ _Appears in:_
 | --- | --- | --- | --- |
 | `name` _string_ | name is required and follows the DNS subdomain standard as defined in [RFC 1123].<br />It must contain only lowercase alphanumeric characters, hyphens (-) or periods (.),<br />start and end with an alphanumeric character, and be no longer than 253 characters. |  | Required: \{\} <br /> |
 | `version` _string_ | version is required and references the version that this bundle represents.<br />It follows the semantic versioning standard as defined in https://semver.org/. |  | Required: \{\} <br /> |
+| `release` _string_ | release is an optional field that references the release value for this bundle.<br />The release follows pre-release/build metadata syntax as defined in https://semver.org/,<br />consisting of dot-separated identifiers where numeric identifiers must not have leading zeros.<br />For bundles with explicit pkg.Release metadata, this field contains that release value.<br />For registry+v1 bundles, this field contains the release extracted from version's build metadata (e.g., '2' from '1.0.0+2').<br />This field may be omitted if there is no explicit release and the version contains no parseable build metadata. |  | Optional: \{\} <br /> |
 
 
 #### CRDUpgradeSafetyEnforcement
diff --git a/helm/experimental.yaml b/helm/experimental.yaml
index b158389d48..05bb45f4d8 100644
--- a/helm/experimental.yaml
+++ b/helm/experimental.yaml
@@ -14,6 +14,7 @@ options:
         - HelmChartSupport
         - BoxcutterRuntime
         - DeploymentConfig
+        - BundleReleaseSupport
       disabled:
         - WebhookProviderOpenshiftServiceCA
 # List of enabled experimental features for catalogd
diff --git a/helm/olmv1/base/operator-controller/crd/experimental/olm.operatorframework.io_clusterextensions.yaml b/helm/olmv1/base/operator-controller/crd/experimental/olm.operatorframework.io_clusterextensions.yaml
index aebb9e72be..a1844b7551 100644
--- a/helm/olmv1/base/operator-controller/crd/experimental/olm.operatorframework.io_clusterextensions.yaml
+++ b/helm/olmv1/base/operator-controller/crd/experimental/olm.operatorframework.io_clusterextensions.yaml
@@ -688,6 +688,20 @@ spec:
                             hyphens (-) or periods (.), start and end with an alphanumeric
                             character, and be no longer than 253 characters
                           rule: self.matches("^[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?(\\.[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?)*$")
+                      release:
+                        description: |-
+                          release is an optional field that references the release value for this bundle.
+                          The release follows pre-release/build metadata syntax as defined in https://semver.org/,
+                          consisting of dot-separated identifiers where numeric identifiers must not have leading zeros.
+                          For bundles with explicit pkg.Release metadata, this field contains that release value.
+                          For registry+v1 bundles, this field contains the release extracted from version's build metadata (e.g., '2' from '1.0.0+2').
+                          This field may be omitted if there is no explicit release and the version contains no parseable build metadata.
+                        type: string
+                        x-kubernetes-validations:
+                        - message: release must be empty or well-formed pre-release/build
+                            metadata (dot-separated identifiers, numeric parts without
+                            leading zeros)
+                          rule: self.matches("^$|^(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*)(\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*))*$")
                       version:
                         description: |-
                           version is required and references the version that this bundle represents.
diff --git a/helm/olmv1/base/operator-controller/crd/standard/olm.operatorframework.io_clusterextensions.yaml b/helm/olmv1/base/operator-controller/crd/standard/olm.operatorframework.io_clusterextensions.yaml
index aca133f732..8f2737a298 100644
--- a/helm/olmv1/base/operator-controller/crd/standard/olm.operatorframework.io_clusterextensions.yaml
+++ b/helm/olmv1/base/operator-controller/crd/standard/olm.operatorframework.io_clusterextensions.yaml
@@ -556,6 +556,20 @@ spec:
                             hyphens (-) or periods (.), start and end with an alphanumeric
                             character, and be no longer than 253 characters
                           rule: self.matches("^[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?(\\.[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?)*$")
+                      release:
+                        description: |-
+                          release is an optional field that references the release value for this bundle.
+                          The release follows pre-release/build metadata syntax as defined in https://semver.org/,
+                          consisting of dot-separated identifiers where numeric identifiers must not have leading zeros.
+                          For bundles with explicit pkg.Release metadata, this field contains that release value.
+                          For registry+v1 bundles, this field contains the release extracted from version's build metadata (e.g., '2' from '1.0.0+2').
+                          This field may be omitted if there is no explicit release and the version contains no parseable build metadata.
+                        type: string
+                        x-kubernetes-validations:
+                        - message: release must be empty or well-formed pre-release/build
+                            metadata (dot-separated identifiers, numeric parts without
+                            leading zeros)
+                          rule: self.matches("^$|^(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*)(\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*))*$")
                       version:
                         description: |-
                           version is required and references the version that this bundle represents.
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle.go b/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle.go
index 2771c52593..b5e8b784dd 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle.go
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ package bundleutil
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
 	"fmt"
+	"strings"
 
 	bsemver "github.com/blang/semver/v4"
 
@@ -11,34 +12,62 @@ import (
 
 	ocv1 "github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/api/v1"
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/operator-controller/bundle"
+	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/operator-controller/features"
+	slicesutil "github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/shared/util/slices"
 )
 
 func GetVersionAndRelease(b declcfg.Bundle) (*bundle.VersionRelease, error) {
 	for _, p := range b.Properties {
 		if p.Type == property.TypePackage {
-			var pkg property.Package
-			if err := json.Unmarshal(p.Value, &pkg); err != nil {
-				return nil, fmt.Errorf("error unmarshalling package property: %w", err)
-			}
-
-			// TODO: For now, we assume that all bundles are registry+v1 bundles.
-			//   In the future, when we support other bundle formats, we should stop
-			//   using the legacy mechanism (i.e. using build metadata in the version)
-			//   to determine the bundle's release.
-			vr, err := bundle.NewLegacyRegistryV1VersionRelease(pkg.Version)
-			if err != nil {
-				return nil, err
-			}
-			return vr, nil
+			return parseVersionRelease(p.Value)
 		}
 	}
 	return nil, fmt.Errorf("no package property found in bundle %q", b.Name)
 }
 
-// MetadataFor returns a BundleMetadata for the given bundle name and version.
-func MetadataFor(bundleName string, bundleVersion bsemver.Version) ocv1.BundleMetadata {
-	return ocv1.BundleMetadata{
+func parseVersionRelease(pkgData json.RawMessage) (*bundle.VersionRelease, error) {
+	var pkg property.Package
+	if err := json.Unmarshal(pkgData, &pkg); err != nil {
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("error unmarshalling package property: %w", err)
+	}
+
+	// When BundleReleaseSupport is enabled and bundle has explicit release field, use it.
+	// Note: Build metadata is preserved here because with an explicit release field,
+	// build metadata serves its proper semver purpose (e.g., git commit, build number).
+	// In contrast, NewLegacyRegistryV1VersionRelease clears build metadata because it
+	// interprets build metadata AS the release value for registry+v1 bundles.
+	if features.OperatorControllerFeatureGate.Enabled(features.BundleReleaseSupport) && pkg.Release != "" {
+		vers, err := bsemver.Parse(pkg.Version)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("error parsing version %q: %w", pkg.Version, err)
+		}
+		rel, err := bundle.NewRelease(pkg.Release)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("error parsing release %q: %w", pkg.Release, err)
+		}
+		return &bundle.VersionRelease{
+			Version: vers,
+			Release: rel,
+		}, nil
+	}
+
+	// Fall back to legacy registry+v1 behavior (release in build metadata)
+	vr, err := bundle.NewLegacyRegistryV1VersionRelease(pkg.Version)
+	if err != nil {
+		return nil, err
+	}
+	return vr, nil
+}
+
+// MetadataFor returns a BundleMetadata for the given bundle name and version/release.
+func MetadataFor(bundleName string, vr bundle.VersionRelease) ocv1.BundleMetadata {
+	bm := ocv1.BundleMetadata{
 		Name:    bundleName,
-		Version: bundleVersion.String(),
+		Version: vr.Version.String(),
+	}
+	if len(vr.Release) > 0 {
+		parts := slicesutil.Map(vr.Release, func(pr bsemver.PRVersion) string { return pr.String() })
+		bm.Release = strings.Join(parts, ".")
 	}
+	return bm
 }
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle_test.go b/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle_test.go
index 1cdabad054..e82af4d8c9 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle_test.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package bundleutil_test
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
 	"testing"
 
 	bsemver "github.com/blang/semver/v4"
@@ -12,6 +13,7 @@ import (
 
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/operator-controller/bundle"
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil"
+	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/operator-controller/features"
 )
 
 func TestGetVersionAndRelease(t *testing.T) {
@@ -83,12 +85,145 @@ func TestGetVersionAndRelease(t *testing.T) {
 				Properties: properties,
 			}
 
-			_, err := bundleutil.GetVersionAndRelease(bundle)
+			actual, err := bundleutil.GetVersionAndRelease(bundle)
 			if tc.wantErr {
 				require.Error(t, err)
 			} else {
 				require.NoError(t, err)
+				require.Equal(t, tc.wantVersionRelease, actual)
 			}
 		})
 	}
 }
+
+// TestGetVersionAndRelease_WithBundleReleaseSupport tests the feature-gated parsing behavior.
+// Explicitly sets the gate to test both enabled and disabled paths.
+func TestGetVersionAndRelease_WithBundleReleaseSupport(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("gate enabled - parses explicit release field", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Enable the feature gate for this test
+		prevEnabled := features.OperatorControllerFeatureGate.Enabled(features.BundleReleaseSupport)
+		require.NoError(t, features.OperatorControllerFeatureGate.Set("BundleReleaseSupport=true"))
+		t.Cleanup(func() {
+			require.NoError(t, features.OperatorControllerFeatureGate.Set(fmt.Sprintf("BundleReleaseSupport=%t", prevEnabled)))
+		})
+
+		tests := []struct {
+			name               string
+			pkgProperty        *property.Property
+			wantVersionRelease *bundle.VersionRelease
+			wantErr            bool
+		}{
+			{
+				name: "explicit release field - takes precedence over build metadata",
+				pkgProperty: &property.Property{
+					Type:  property.TypePackage,
+					Value: json.RawMessage(`{"version": "1.0.0+ignored", "release": "2"}`),
+				},
+				wantVersionRelease: &bundle.VersionRelease{
+					Version: bsemver.MustParse("1.0.0+ignored"), // Build metadata preserved - serves its proper semver purpose
+					Release: bundle.Release([]bsemver.PRVersion{
+						{VersionNum: 2, IsNum: true},
+					}),
+				},
+				wantErr: false,
+			},
+			{
+				name: "explicit release field - complex release",
+				pkgProperty: &property.Property{
+					Type:  property.TypePackage,
+					Value: json.RawMessage(`{"version": "2.1.0", "release": "1.alpha.3"}`),
+				},
+				wantVersionRelease: &bundle.VersionRelease{
+					Version: bsemver.MustParse("2.1.0"),
+					Release: bundle.Release([]bsemver.PRVersion{
+						{VersionNum: 1, IsNum: true},
+						{VersionStr: "alpha"},
+						{VersionNum: 3, IsNum: true},
+					}),
+				},
+				wantErr: false,
+			},
+			{
+				name: "explicit release field - invalid release",
+				pkgProperty: &property.Property{
+					Type:  property.TypePackage,
+					Value: json.RawMessage(`{"version": "1.0.0", "release": "001"}`),
+				},
+				wantErr: true,
+			},
+		}
+
+		for _, tc := range tests {
+			t.Run(tc.name, func(t *testing.T) {
+				bundle := declcfg.Bundle{
+					Name:       "test-bundle",
+					Properties: []property.Property{*tc.pkgProperty},
+				}
+
+				actual, err := bundleutil.GetVersionAndRelease(bundle)
+				if tc.wantErr {
+					require.Error(t, err)
+				} else {
+					require.NoError(t, err)
+					require.Equal(t, tc.wantVersionRelease, actual)
+				}
+			})
+		}
+	})
+
+	t.Run("gate disabled - ignores explicit release field, uses build metadata", func(t *testing.T) {
+		// Disable the feature gate for this test
+		prevEnabled := features.OperatorControllerFeatureGate.Enabled(features.BundleReleaseSupport)
+		require.NoError(t, features.OperatorControllerFeatureGate.Set("BundleReleaseSupport=false"))
+		t.Cleanup(func() {
+			require.NoError(t, features.OperatorControllerFeatureGate.Set(fmt.Sprintf("BundleReleaseSupport=%t", prevEnabled)))
+		})
+
+		// When gate disabled, explicit release field is ignored and parsing falls back to legacy behavior
+		bundleWithExplicitRelease := declcfg.Bundle{
+			Name: "test-bundle",
+			Properties: []property.Property{
+				{
+					Type:  property.TypePackage,
+					Value: json.RawMessage(`{"version": "1.0.0+2", "release": "999"}`),
+				},
+			},
+		}
+
+		actual, err := bundleutil.GetVersionAndRelease(bundleWithExplicitRelease)
+		require.NoError(t, err)
+
+		// Should parse build metadata (+2), not explicit release field (999)
+		expected := &bundle.VersionRelease{
+			Version: bsemver.MustParse("1.0.0"),
+			Release: bundle.Release([]bsemver.PRVersion{
+				{VersionNum: 2, IsNum: true},
+			}),
+		}
+		require.Equal(t, expected, actual)
+	})
+}
+
+func TestMetadataFor(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("with release", func(t *testing.T) {
+		vr := bundle.VersionRelease{
+			Version: bsemver.MustParse("1.0.0"),
+			Release: bundle.Release([]bsemver.PRVersion{{VersionNum: 2, IsNum: true}}),
+		}
+		result := bundleutil.MetadataFor("test-bundle", vr)
+		require.Equal(t, "test-bundle", result.Name)
+		require.Equal(t, "1.0.0", result.Version)
+		require.Equal(t, "2", result.Release)
+	})
+
+	t.Run("without release", func(t *testing.T) {
+		vr := bundle.VersionRelease{
+			Version: bsemver.MustParse("1.0.0"),
+			Release: nil,
+		}
+		result := bundleutil.MetadataFor("test-bundle", vr)
+		require.Equal(t, "test-bundle", result.Name)
+		require.Equal(t, "1.0.0", result.Version)
+		require.Empty(t, result.Release)
+	})
+}
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/filter/successors.go b/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/filter/successors.go
index 975c8cb39f..c0aa27e317 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/filter/successors.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/filter/successors.go
@@ -13,14 +13,36 @@ import (
 )
 
 func SuccessorsOf(installedBundle ocv1.BundleMetadata, channels ...declcfg.Channel) (filter.Predicate[declcfg.Bundle], error) {
-	// TODO: We do not have an explicit field in our BundleMetadata for a bundle's release value.
-	//    Legacy registry+v1 bundles embed the release value inside their versions as build metadata
-	//    (in violation of the semver spec). If/when we add explicit release metadata to bundles and/or
-	//    we support a new bundle format, we need to revisit the assumption that all bundles are
-	//    registry+v1 and embed release in build metadata.
-	installedVersionRelease, err := bundle.NewLegacyRegistryV1VersionRelease(installedBundle.Version)
-	if err != nil {
-		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get version and release of installed bundle: %v", err)
+	// Construct VersionRelease from BundleMetadata.
+	// If the Release field is populated, parse version and release separately.
+	// Otherwise, parse release from version build metadata (registry+v1 legacy format).
+	var installedVersionRelease *bundle.VersionRelease
+	var err error
+
+	if installedBundle.Release != "" {
+		// Bundle has explicit release field - parse version and release from separate fields.
+		// Note: We can't use NewLegacyRegistryV1VersionRelease here because the version might
+		// already contain build metadata (e.g., "1.0.0+git.abc"), which serves its proper
+		// semver purpose when using explicit pkg.Release. Concatenating would create invalid
+		// semver like "1.0.0+git.abc+2".
+		version, err := bsemver.Parse(installedBundle.Version)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse installed bundle version %q: %w", installedBundle.Version, err)
+		}
+		release, err := bundle.NewRelease(installedBundle.Release)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to parse installed bundle release %q: %w", installedBundle.Release, err)
+		}
+		installedVersionRelease = &bundle.VersionRelease{
+			Version: version,
+			Release: release,
+		}
+	} else {
+		// Legacy registry+v1: release embedded in version's build metadata
+		installedVersionRelease, err = bundle.NewLegacyRegistryV1VersionRelease(installedBundle.Version)
+		if err != nil {
+			return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get version and release of installed bundle: %w", err)
+		}
 	}
 
 	successorsPredicate, err := legacySuccessor(installedBundle, channels...)
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/filter/successors_test.go b/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/filter/successors_test.go
index d22a1fdb2f..441cab4e4b 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/filter/successors_test.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/filter/successors_test.go
@@ -4,7 +4,6 @@ import (
 	"slices"
 	"testing"
 
-	bsemver "github.com/blang/semver/v4"
 	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp"
 	"github.com/google/go-cmp/cmp/cmpopts"
 	"github.com/stretchr/testify/assert"
@@ -14,11 +13,22 @@ import (
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-registry/alpha/property"
 
 	ocv1 "github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/api/v1"
+	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/operator-controller/bundle"
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil"
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/compare"
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/shared/util/filter"
 )
 
+// mustVersionRelease is a test helper that parses a version string into a VersionRelease.
+// For registry+v1 bundles, build metadata is interpreted as release (e.g., "1.0.0+2" -> Version: 1.0.0, Release: 2).
+func mustVersionRelease(versionStr string) bundle.VersionRelease {
+	vr, err := bundle.NewLegacyRegistryV1VersionRelease(versionStr)
+	if err != nil {
+		panic(err)
+	}
+	return *vr
+}
+
 func TestSuccessorsPredicate(t *testing.T) {
 	const testPackageName = "test-package"
 	channelSet := map[string]declcfg.Channel{
@@ -122,7 +132,7 @@ func TestSuccessorsPredicate(t *testing.T) {
 	}{
 		{
 			name:            "respect replaces directive from catalog",
-			installedBundle: bundleutil.MetadataFor("test-package.v2.0.0", bsemver.MustParse("2.0.0")),
+			installedBundle: bundleutil.MetadataFor("test-package.v2.0.0", mustVersionRelease("2.0.0")),
 			expectedResult: []declcfg.Bundle{
 				// Must only have two bundle:
 				// - the one which replaces the current version
@@ -133,7 +143,7 @@ func TestSuccessorsPredicate(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			name:            "respect skips directive from catalog",
-			installedBundle: bundleutil.MetadataFor("test-package.v2.2.1", bsemver.MustParse("2.2.1")),
+			installedBundle: bundleutil.MetadataFor("test-package.v2.2.1", mustVersionRelease("2.2.1")),
 			expectedResult: []declcfg.Bundle{
 				// Must only have two bundle:
 				// - the one which skips the current version
@@ -144,7 +154,7 @@ func TestSuccessorsPredicate(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			name:            "respect skipRange directive from catalog",
-			installedBundle: bundleutil.MetadataFor("test-package.v2.3.0", bsemver.MustParse("2.3.0")),
+			installedBundle: bundleutil.MetadataFor("test-package.v2.3.0", mustVersionRelease("2.3.0")),
 			expectedResult: []declcfg.Bundle{
 				// Must only have two bundle:
 				// - the one which is skipRanges the current version
@@ -155,7 +165,7 @@ func TestSuccessorsPredicate(t *testing.T) {
 		},
 		{
 			name:            "installed bundle matcher is exact",
-			installedBundle: bundleutil.MetadataFor("test-package.v2.0.0+1", bsemver.MustParse("2.0.0+1")),
+			installedBundle: bundleutil.MetadataFor("test-package.v2.0.0+1", mustVersionRelease("2.0.0+1")),
 			expectedResult: []declcfg.Bundle{
 				// Must only have two bundle:
 				//   - the one which is skips the current version
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/controllers/boxcutter_reconcile_steps.go b/internal/operator-controller/controllers/boxcutter_reconcile_steps.go
index 63b8c7ddb2..965f0ac84c 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/controllers/boxcutter_reconcile_steps.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/controllers/boxcutter_reconcile_steps.go
@@ -69,6 +69,7 @@ func (d *BoxcutterRevisionStatesGetter) GetRevisionStates(ctx context.Context, e
 			BundleMetadata: ocv1.BundleMetadata{
 				Name:    rev.Annotations[labels.BundleNameKey],
 				Version: rev.Annotations[labels.BundleVersionKey],
+				Release: rev.Annotations[labels.BundleReleaseKey],
 			},
 		}
 
@@ -104,6 +105,7 @@ func ApplyBundleWithBoxcutter(apply func(ctx context.Context, contentFS fs.FS, e
 			labels.PackageNameKey:     state.resolvedRevisionMetadata.Package,
 			labels.BundleVersionKey:   state.resolvedRevisionMetadata.Version,
 			labels.BundleReferenceKey: state.resolvedRevisionMetadata.Image,
+			labels.BundleReleaseKey:   state.resolvedRevisionMetadata.Release,
 		}
 		objLbls := map[string]string{
 			labels.OwnerKindKey: ocv1.ClusterExtensionKind,
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/controllers/clusterextension_controller.go b/internal/operator-controller/controllers/clusterextension_controller.go
index 22b6768514..5251f50d59 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/controllers/clusterextension_controller.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/controllers/clusterextension_controller.go
@@ -540,6 +540,7 @@ func (d *HelmRevisionStatesGetter) GetRevisionStates(ctx context.Context, ext *o
 				BundleMetadata: ocv1.BundleMetadata{
 					Name:    rel.Labels[labels.BundleNameKey],
 					Version: rel.Labels[labels.BundleVersionKey],
+					Release: rel.Labels[labels.BundleReleaseKey],
 				},
 			}
 			break
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/controllers/clusterextension_controller_test.go b/internal/operator-controller/controllers/clusterextension_controller_test.go
index b86c500764..5eef430d72 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/controllers/clusterextension_controller_test.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/controllers/clusterextension_controller_test.go
@@ -2596,6 +2596,7 @@ func TestGetInstalledBundleHistory(t *testing.T) {
 						labels.BundleNameKey:      "test-ext",
 						labels.BundleVersionKey:   "1.0",
 						labels.BundleReferenceKey: "bundle-ref",
+						labels.BundleReleaseKey:   "2",
 					},
 				},
 			},
@@ -2604,6 +2605,7 @@ func TestGetInstalledBundleHistory(t *testing.T) {
 				BundleMetadata: ocv1.BundleMetadata{
 					Name:    "test-ext",
 					Version: "1.0",
+					Release: "2",
 				},
 				Image: "bundle-ref",
 			}, nil,
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/controllers/clusterextension_reconcile_steps.go b/internal/operator-controller/controllers/clusterextension_reconcile_steps.go
index 48507a2b7c..3aaf04429c 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/controllers/clusterextension_reconcile_steps.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/controllers/clusterextension_reconcile_steps.go
@@ -191,11 +191,11 @@ func ResolveBundle(r resolve.Resolver, c client.Client) ReconcileStepFunc {
 		state.resolvedRevisionMetadata = &RevisionMetadata{
 			Package: resolvedBundle.Package,
 			Image:   resolvedBundle.Image,
-			// TODO: Right now, operator-controller only supports registry+v1 bundles and has no concept
-			//   of a "release" field. If/when we add a release field concept or a new bundle format
-			//   we need to re-evaluate use of `AsLegacyRegistryV1Version` so that we avoid propagating
-			//   registry+v1's semver spec violations of treating build metadata as orderable.
-			BundleMetadata: bundleutil.MetadataFor(resolvedBundle.Name, resolvedBundleVersion.AsLegacyRegistryV1Version()),
+			// MetadataFor accepts VersionRelease and populates both Version and Release fields.
+			// - With BundleReleaseSupport enabled + explicit pkg.Release: Release from pkg.Release field
+			// - Registry+v1 bundles (e.g., "1.0.0+2"): Release extracted from build metadata (e.g., "2")
+			// - Both result in separate Version and Release fields in BundleMetadata for roundtripping
+			BundleMetadata: bundleutil.MetadataFor(resolvedBundle.Name, *resolvedBundleVersion),
 		}
 		return nil, nil
 	}
@@ -413,6 +413,7 @@ func ApplyBundle(a Applier) ReconcileStepFunc {
 			labels.PackageNameKey:     state.resolvedRevisionMetadata.Package,
 			labels.BundleVersionKey:   state.resolvedRevisionMetadata.Version,
 			labels.BundleReferenceKey: state.resolvedRevisionMetadata.Image,
+			labels.BundleReleaseKey:   state.resolvedRevisionMetadata.Release,
 		}
 		objLbls := map[string]string{
 			labels.OwnerKindKey: ocv1.ClusterExtensionKind,
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/features/features.go b/internal/operator-controller/features/features.go
index 0f99c1b28e..01e4fe4486 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/features/features.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/features/features.go
@@ -19,6 +19,7 @@ const (
 	HelmChartSupport                  featuregate.Feature = "HelmChartSupport"
 	BoxcutterRuntime                  featuregate.Feature = "BoxcutterRuntime"
 	DeploymentConfig                  featuregate.Feature = "DeploymentConfig"
+	BundleReleaseSupport              featuregate.Feature = "BundleReleaseSupport"
 )
 
 var operatorControllerFeatureGates = map[featuregate.Feature]featuregate.FeatureSpec{
@@ -89,6 +90,17 @@ var operatorControllerFeatureGates = map[featuregate.Feature]featuregate.Feature
 		PreRelease:    featuregate.Alpha,
 		LockToDefault: false,
 	},
+
+	// BundleReleaseSupport enables parsing of the explicit pkg.Release field
+	// from the olm.package property. When enabled, bundles with an explicit
+	// pkg.Release field have their release value parsed separately from the version,
+	// allowing build metadata to serve its proper semver purpose (e.g., git commit).
+	// When disabled, release values are parsed from version build metadata (registry+v1 legacy).
+	BundleReleaseSupport: {
+		Default:       false,
+		PreRelease:    featuregate.Alpha,
+		LockToDefault: false,
+	},
 }
 
 var OperatorControllerFeatureGate featuregate.MutableFeatureGate = featuregate.NewFeatureGate()
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/labels/labels.go b/internal/operator-controller/labels/labels.go
index 805c34c3b0..8872a462f2 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/labels/labels.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/labels/labels.go
@@ -28,6 +28,12 @@ const (
 	// associated with a ClusterObjectSet.
 	BundleVersionKey = "olm.operatorframework.io/bundle-version"
 
+	// BundleReleaseKey is the label key used to record the bundle release value
+	// associated with a ClusterObjectSet. For bundles with explicit pkg.Release metadata,
+	// this field contains that release value. For registry+v1 bundles, this field contains
+	// the release extracted from version's build metadata (e.g., '2' from '1.0.0+2').
+	BundleReleaseKey = "olm.operatorframework.io/bundle-release"
+
 	// BundleReferenceKey is the label key used to record an external reference
 	// (such as an image or catalog reference) to the bundle for a
 	// ClusterObjectSet.
diff --git a/manifests/experimental-e2e.yaml b/manifests/experimental-e2e.yaml
index 4a27cf2056..14945915ee 100644
--- a/manifests/experimental-e2e.yaml
+++ b/manifests/experimental-e2e.yaml
@@ -1300,6 +1300,20 @@ spec:
                             hyphens (-) or periods (.), start and end with an alphanumeric
                             character, and be no longer than 253 characters
                           rule: self.matches("^[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?(\\.[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?)*$")
+                      release:
+                        description: |-
+                          release is an optional field that references the release value for this bundle.
+                          The release follows pre-release/build metadata syntax as defined in https://semver.org/,
+                          consisting of dot-separated identifiers where numeric identifiers must not have leading zeros.
+                          For bundles with explicit pkg.Release metadata, this field contains that release value.
+                          For registry+v1 bundles, this field contains the release extracted from version's build metadata (e.g., '2' from '1.0.0+2').
+                          This field may be omitted if there is no explicit release and the version contains no parseable build metadata.
+                        type: string
+                        x-kubernetes-validations:
+                        - message: release must be empty or well-formed pre-release/build
+                            metadata (dot-separated identifiers, numeric parts without
+                            leading zeros)
+                          rule: self.matches("^$|^(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*)(\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*))*$")
                       version:
                         description: |-
                           version is required and references the version that this bundle represents.
@@ -2759,6 +2773,7 @@ spec:
             - --feature-gates=HelmChartSupport=true
             - --feature-gates=BoxcutterRuntime=true
             - --feature-gates=DeploymentConfig=true
+            - --feature-gates=BundleReleaseSupport=true
             - --feature-gates=WebhookProviderOpenshiftServiceCA=false
             - --tls-cert=/var/certs/tls.crt
             - --tls-key=/var/certs/tls.key
diff --git a/manifests/experimental.yaml b/manifests/experimental.yaml
index 9a8fa0b406..f22f8148ec 100644
--- a/manifests/experimental.yaml
+++ b/manifests/experimental.yaml
@@ -1261,6 +1261,20 @@ spec:
                             hyphens (-) or periods (.), start and end with an alphanumeric
                             character, and be no longer than 253 characters
                           rule: self.matches("^[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?(\\.[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?)*$")
+                      release:
+                        description: |-
+                          release is an optional field that references the release value for this bundle.
+                          The release follows pre-release/build metadata syntax as defined in https://semver.org/,
+                          consisting of dot-separated identifiers where numeric identifiers must not have leading zeros.
+                          For bundles with explicit pkg.Release metadata, this field contains that release value.
+                          For registry+v1 bundles, this field contains the release extracted from version's build metadata (e.g., '2' from '1.0.0+2').
+                          This field may be omitted if there is no explicit release and the version contains no parseable build metadata.
+                        type: string
+                        x-kubernetes-validations:
+                        - message: release must be empty or well-formed pre-release/build
+                            metadata (dot-separated identifiers, numeric parts without
+                            leading zeros)
+                          rule: self.matches("^$|^(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*)(\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*))*$")
                       version:
                         description: |-
                           version is required and references the version that this bundle represents.
@@ -2665,6 +2679,7 @@ spec:
             - --feature-gates=HelmChartSupport=true
             - --feature-gates=BoxcutterRuntime=true
             - --feature-gates=DeploymentConfig=true
+            - --feature-gates=BundleReleaseSupport=true
             - --feature-gates=WebhookProviderOpenshiftServiceCA=false
             - --tls-cert=/var/certs/tls.crt
             - --tls-key=/var/certs/tls.key
diff --git a/manifests/standard-e2e.yaml b/manifests/standard-e2e.yaml
index a3a72e89f9..4f6ca0dcdd 100644
--- a/manifests/standard-e2e.yaml
+++ b/manifests/standard-e2e.yaml
@@ -1168,6 +1168,20 @@ spec:
                             hyphens (-) or periods (.), start and end with an alphanumeric
                             character, and be no longer than 253 characters
                           rule: self.matches("^[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?(\\.[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?)*$")
+                      release:
+                        description: |-
+                          release is an optional field that references the release value for this bundle.
+                          The release follows pre-release/build metadata syntax as defined in https://semver.org/,
+                          consisting of dot-separated identifiers where numeric identifiers must not have leading zeros.
+                          For bundles with explicit pkg.Release metadata, this field contains that release value.
+                          For registry+v1 bundles, this field contains the release extracted from version's build metadata (e.g., '2' from '1.0.0+2').
+                          This field may be omitted if there is no explicit release and the version contains no parseable build metadata.
+                        type: string
+                        x-kubernetes-validations:
+                        - message: release must be empty or well-formed pre-release/build
+                            metadata (dot-separated identifiers, numeric parts without
+                            leading zeros)
+                          rule: self.matches("^$|^(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*)(\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*))*$")
                       version:
                         description: |-
                           version is required and references the version that this bundle represents.
diff --git a/manifests/standard.yaml b/manifests/standard.yaml
index ad02f96e2e..f7022b47c9 100644
--- a/manifests/standard.yaml
+++ b/manifests/standard.yaml
@@ -1129,6 +1129,20 @@ spec:
                             hyphens (-) or periods (.), start and end with an alphanumeric
                             character, and be no longer than 253 characters
                           rule: self.matches("^[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?(\\.[a-z0-9]([-a-z0-9]*[a-z0-9])?)*$")
+                      release:
+                        description: |-
+                          release is an optional field that references the release value for this bundle.
+                          The release follows pre-release/build metadata syntax as defined in https://semver.org/,
+                          consisting of dot-separated identifiers where numeric identifiers must not have leading zeros.
+                          For bundles with explicit pkg.Release metadata, this field contains that release value.
+                          For registry+v1 bundles, this field contains the release extracted from version's build metadata (e.g., '2' from '1.0.0+2').
+                          This field may be omitted if there is no explicit release and the version contains no parseable build metadata.
+                        type: string
+                        x-kubernetes-validations:
+                        - message: release must be empty or well-formed pre-release/build
+                            metadata (dot-separated identifiers, numeric parts without
+                            leading zeros)
+                          rule: self.matches("^$|^(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*)(\\.(0|[1-9][0-9]*|[0-9]*[A-Za-z-][0-9A-Za-z-]*))*$")
                       version:
                         description: |-
                           version is required and references the version that this bundle represents.