diff --git a/packages/api/core/package.json b/packages/api/core/package.json
index 8fff42d934..02b93af884 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/package.json
+++ b/packages/api/core/package.json
@@ -9,9 +9,10 @@
   "license": "MIT",
   "scripts": {
     "coverage:base": "nyc yarn test:base",
-    "test": "yarn test:base test/**/**/*_spec.ts",
+    "test": "yarn test:base test/**/*_spec.ts test/**/*_spec_slow.ts",
     "test:base": "cross-env TS_NODE_FILES=1 mocha --config ../../../.mocharc.js",
-    "test:fast": "yarn test:base test/fast/**/*_spec.ts"
+    "test:fast": "yarn test:base test/fast/**/*_spec.ts",
+    "test:slow": "yarn test:base test/slow/**/*_spec_slow.ts"
   },
   "devDependencies": {
     "@electron-forge/maker-appx": "6.0.0-beta.59",
diff --git a/packages/api/core/src/api/init.ts b/packages/api/core/src/api/init.ts
index 0263e57818..aae294f4af 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/src/api/init.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/src/api/init.ts
@@ -1,7 +1,9 @@
 import { asyncOra } from '@electron-forge/async-ora';
 import debug from 'debug';
+import { ForgeTemplate } from '@electron-forge/shared-types';
 import fs from 'fs-extra';
 import path from 'path';
+import semver from 'semver';
 
 import findTemplate from './init-scripts/find-template';
 import initDirectory from './init-scripts/init-directory';
@@ -36,6 +38,17 @@ export interface InitOptions {
   template?: string;
 }
 
+async function validateTemplate(template: string, templateModule: ForgeTemplate): Promise<void> {
+  if (!templateModule.requiredForgeVersion) {
+    throw new Error(`Cannot use a template (${template}) with this version of Electron Forge, as it does not specify its required Forge version.`);
+  }
+
+  const forgeVersion = (await readRawPackageJson(path.join(__dirname, '..', '..'))).version;
+  if (!semver.satisfies(forgeVersion, templateModule.requiredForgeVersion)) {
+    throw new Error(`Template (${template}) is not compatible with this version of Electron Forge (${forgeVersion}), it requires ${templateModule.requiredForgeVersion}`);
+  }
+}
+
 export default async ({
   dir = process.cwd(),
   interactive = false,
@@ -51,6 +64,8 @@ export default async ({
   await initGit(dir);
   const templateModule = await findTemplate(dir, template);
 
+  await validateTemplate(template, templateModule);
+
   if (typeof templateModule.initializeTemplate === 'function') {
     await templateModule.initializeTemplate(dir, { copyCIFiles });
     const packageJSON = await readRawPackageJson(dir);
diff --git a/packages/api/core/test/fixture/custom_init/index.js b/packages/api/core/test/fixture/custom_init/index.js
index 80c99dc6c9..608d19119a 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/test/fixture/custom_init/index.js
+++ b/packages/api/core/test/fixture/custom_init/index.js
@@ -3,6 +3,7 @@ const fs = require('fs-extra');
 const path = require('path');
 
 module.exports = {
+  requiredForgeVersion: '>= 6.0.0-beta.1',
   dependencies: ['debug'],
   devDependencies: ['lodash'],
   initializeTemplate: async (directory) => {
diff --git a/packages/api/core/test/fixture/template-nonmatching-forge-version/index.js b/packages/api/core/test/fixture/template-nonmatching-forge-version/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..46f54afa04
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/api/core/test/fixture/template-nonmatching-forge-version/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+module.exports = { requiredForgeVersion: "6.0.0-beta.0" }
diff --git a/packages/api/core/test/fixture/template-sans-forge-version/index.js b/packages/api/core/test/fixture/template-sans-forge-version/index.js
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..8b13789179
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/api/core/test/fixture/template-sans-forge-version/index.js
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+
diff --git a/packages/api/core/test/fixture/template-sans-forge-version/package.json b/packages/api/core/test/fixture/template-sans-forge-version/package.json
new file mode 100644
index 0000000000..0967ef424b
--- /dev/null
+++ b/packages/api/core/test/fixture/template-sans-forge-version/package.json
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+{}
diff --git a/packages/api/core/test/slow/api_spec_slow.ts b/packages/api/core/test/slow/api_spec_slow.ts
index 0c8bf5b5fe..93655a6afe 100644
--- a/packages/api/core/test/slow/api_spec_slow.ts
+++ b/packages/api/core/test/slow/api_spec_slow.ts
@@ -121,6 +121,40 @@ for (const nodeInstaller of ['npm', 'yarn']) {
       });
     });
 
+    describe('init (with a templater sans required Forge version)', () => {
+      before(async () => {
+        dir = await ensureTestDirIsNonexistent();
+      });
+
+      it('should fail in initializing', async () => {
+        await expect(forge.init({
+          dir,
+          template: path.resolve(__dirname, '../fixture/template-sans-forge-version'),
+        })).to.eventually.be.rejectedWith(/it does not specify its required Forge version\.$/);
+      });
+
+      after(async () => {
+        await fs.remove(dir);
+      });
+    });
+
+    describe('init (with a templater with a non-matching Forge version)', () => {
+      before(async () => {
+        dir = await ensureTestDirIsNonexistent();
+      });
+
+      it('should fail in initializing', async () => {
+        await expect(forge.init({
+          dir,
+          template: path.resolve(__dirname, '../fixture/template-nonmatching-forge-version'),
+        })).to.eventually.be.rejectedWith(/is not compatible with this version of Electron Forge/);
+      });
+
+      after(async () => {
+        await fs.remove(dir);
+      });
+    });
+
     describe('init (with a nonexistent templater)', () => {
       before(async () => {
         dir = await ensureTestDirIsNonexistent();
diff --git a/packages/template/base/src/BaseTemplate.ts b/packages/template/base/src/BaseTemplate.ts
index b76619adae..d5e9b3babc 100644
--- a/packages/template/base/src/BaseTemplate.ts
+++ b/packages/template/base/src/BaseTemplate.ts
@@ -14,6 +14,8 @@ const tmplDir = path.resolve(__dirname, '../tmpl');
 export class BaseTemplate implements ForgeTemplate {
   public templateDir = tmplDir;
 
+  public requiredForgeVersion = currentForgeVersion;
+
   get devDependencies(): string[] {
     const packageJSONPath = path.join(this.templateDir, 'package.json');
     if (fs.pathExistsSync(packageJSONPath)) {
diff --git a/packages/utils/types/src/index.ts b/packages/utils/types/src/index.ts
index dde45a6478..5235d8de52 100644
--- a/packages/utils/types/src/index.ts
+++ b/packages/utils/types/src/index.ts
@@ -124,6 +124,7 @@ export interface InitTemplateOptions {
 }
 
 export interface ForgeTemplate {
+  requiredForgeVersion?: string;
   dependencies?: string[];
   devDependencies?: string[];
   initializeTemplate?: (dir: string, options: InitTemplateOptions) => void;