diff --git a/CHANGELOG.prerelease.md b/CHANGELOG.prerelease.md
index 3474586b1d3f..872ac917eb37 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.prerelease.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.prerelease.md
@@ -1,3 +1,10 @@
+## 8.1.0-alpha.3
+
+- CLI: Introduce package manager fallback for initializing Storybook in an empty directory with yarn1 - [#26500](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26500), thanks @valentinpalkovic!
+- CSF: Make sure loaders/decorators can be used as array - [#26514](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26514), thanks @kasperpeulen!
+- Portable stories: Introduce experimental Playwright CT API and Support for more renderers - [#26063](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26063), thanks @yannbf!
+- UI: Fix theming of elements inside bars - [#26527](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26527), thanks @valentinpalkovic!
+
 ## 8.1.0-alpha.2
 
 - CLI: Automigrate improve upgrade storybook related packages - [#26497](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26497), thanks @ndelangen!
diff --git a/code/package.json b/code/package.json
index b7f7f7d2bf3d..b4361f2f68cc 100644
--- a/code/package.json
+++ b/code/package.json
@@ -291,5 +291,6 @@
         "Dependency Upgrades"
       ]
     ]
-  }
+  },
+  "deferredNextVersion": "8.1.0-alpha.3"
 }
diff --git a/docs/versions/next.json b/docs/versions/next.json
index 284bc9c1d6a1..835e25163c21 100644
--- a/docs/versions/next.json
+++ b/docs/versions/next.json
@@ -1 +1 @@
-{"version":"8.1.0-alpha.2","info":{"plain":"- CLI: Automigrate improve upgrade storybook related packages - [#26497](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26497), thanks @ndelangen!\n- CLI: Improve `vite-config-file.ts` - [#26375](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26375), thanks @joevaugh4n!\n- Controls: Fix number controls do not reset - [#26372](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26372), thanks @jiyiru!\n- Core: Optimize clearNotification - [#26415](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26415), thanks @ndelangen!\n- Portable stories: Make setProjectAnnotations accept multiple types of imports - [#26316](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26316), thanks @yannbf!\n- UI: Add key property to list children in Highlight component - [#26471](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26471), thanks @valentinpalkovic!\n- UI: Fix search result color contrast - [#26287](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26287), thanks @winchesHe!"}}
+{"version":"8.1.0-alpha.3","info":{"plain":"- CLI: Introduce package manager fallback for initializing Storybook in an empty directory with yarn1 - [#26500](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26500), thanks @valentinpalkovic!\n- CSF: Make sure loaders/decorators can be used as array - [#26514](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26514), thanks @kasperpeulen!\n- Portable stories: Introduce experimental Playwright CT API and Support for more renderers - [#26063](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26063), thanks @yannbf!\n- UI: Fix theming of elements inside bars - [#26527](https://github.com/storybookjs/storybook/pull/26527), thanks @valentinpalkovic!"}}