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/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle.go b/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle.go
index 2771c52593..cb8a1f78dd 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle.go
@@ -11,30 +11,52 @@ 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"
 )
 
 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)
 }
 
+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.
 func MetadataFor(bundleName string, bundleVersion bsemver.Version) ocv1.BundleMetadata {
 	return ocv1.BundleMetadata{
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle_test.go b/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil/bundle_test.go
index 1cdabad054..5c541e7d2d 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 +85,121 @@ 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)
+	})
+}
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/compare/compare.go b/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/compare/compare.go
index decab58953..c71abd45ce 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/compare/compare.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/compare/compare.go
@@ -10,6 +10,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-registry/alpha/declcfg"
 
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/operator-controller/bundleutil"
+	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/operator-controller/features"
 	slicesutil "github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/shared/util/slices"
 )
 
@@ -39,9 +40,27 @@ func newMastermindsRange(versionRange string) (bsemver.Range, error) {
 }
 
 // ByVersionAndRelease is a comparison function that compares bundles by
-// version and release. Bundles with lower versions/releases are
-// considered less than bundles with higher versions/releases.
+// version and release. When the BundleReleaseSupport feature gate is
+// enabled, it uses Bundle.Compare() (which reads pkg.Release from olm.package)
+// and falls back to build metadata comparison if equal. When disabled, it uses
+// version+release from build metadata (backward compatible).
 func ByVersionAndRelease(b1, b2 declcfg.Bundle) int {
+	if features.OperatorControllerFeatureGate.Enabled(features.BundleReleaseSupport) {
+		// Use CompositeVersion comparison (reads pkg.Release from olm.package).
+		// Note: Bundle.Compare() returns 0 in three cases:
+		//   1. Bundle names are identical
+		//   2. Versions and releases are equal
+		//   3. Parsing errors occur (silently swallowed)
+		// Catalog validation should catch malformed versions before they reach this code.
+		result := b2.Compare(&b1)
+		if result != 0 {
+			return result
+		}
+		// If CompositeVersion comparison is equal, fall back to version+release comparison
+		return compareByVersionRelease(b1, b2)
+	}
+
+	// Default: use version+release from build metadata (backward compatible)
 	vr1, err1 := bundleutil.GetVersionAndRelease(b1)
 	vr2, err2 := bundleutil.GetVersionAndRelease(b2)
 
@@ -54,6 +73,20 @@ func ByVersionAndRelease(b1, b2 declcfg.Bundle) int {
 	return vr2.Compare(*vr1)
 }
 
+// compareByVersionRelease compares bundles using GetVersionAndRelease, which
+// returns version+release from either explicit pkg.Release field (when feature gate
+// enabled and field present) or build metadata (legacy registry+v1 fallback).
+// This is used as a fallback when CompositeVersion comparison returns equal.
+func compareByVersionRelease(b1, b2 declcfg.Bundle) int {
+	vr1, err1 := bundleutil.GetVersionAndRelease(b1)
+	vr2, err2 := bundleutil.GetVersionAndRelease(b2)
+
+	if err1 != nil || err2 != nil {
+		return compareErrors(err2, err1)
+	}
+	return vr2.Compare(*vr1)
+}
+
 func ByDeprecationFunc(deprecation declcfg.Deprecation) func(a, b declcfg.Bundle) int {
 	deprecatedBundles := sets.New[string]()
 	for _, entry := range deprecation.Entries {
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/compare/compare_test.go b/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/compare/compare_test.go
index 25557a9495..c9cc414ca2 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/compare/compare_test.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/compare/compare_test.go
@@ -2,6 +2,7 @@ package compare_test
 
 import (
 	"encoding/json"
+	"fmt"
 	"slices"
 	"testing"
 
@@ -13,6 +14,7 @@ import (
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-registry/alpha/property"
 
 	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/compare"
+	"github.com/operator-framework/operator-controller/internal/operator-controller/features"
 )
 
 func TestNewVersionRange(t *testing.T) {
@@ -168,3 +170,75 @@ func TestByDeprecationFunc(t *testing.T) {
 	assert.Equal(t, 0, byDeprecation(c, d))
 	assert.Equal(t, 0, byDeprecation(d, c))
 }
+
+// TestByVersionAndRelease_WithBundleReleaseSupport tests the feature-gated hybrid comparison.
+// Explicitly sets the gate to test both enabled and disabled paths.
+func TestByVersionAndRelease_WithBundleReleaseSupport(t *testing.T) {
+	t.Run("gate enabled - uses Bundle.Compare with build metadata fallback", 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)))
+		})
+
+		// Registry+v1 bundles: same version, different build metadata
+		b1 := declcfg.Bundle{
+			Name: "package1.v1.0.0+1",
+			Properties: []property.Property{
+				{Type: property.TypePackage, Value: json.RawMessage(`{"packageName": "package1", "version": "1.0.0+1"}`)},
+			},
+		}
+		b2 := declcfg.Bundle{
+			Name: "package1.v1.0.0+2",
+			Properties: []property.Property{
+				{Type: property.TypePackage, Value: json.RawMessage(`{"packageName": "package1", "version": "1.0.0+2"}`)},
+			},
+		}
+
+		result := compare.ByVersionAndRelease(b1, b2)
+		assert.Positive(t, result, "Bundle.Compare() returns 0 for registry+v1, fallback to build metadata: 1.0.0+2 > 1.0.0+1")
+
+		// Test bundles with explicit pkg.Release field
+		explicitR1 := declcfg.Bundle{
+			Name: "pkg.v2.0.0-r1",
+			Properties: []property.Property{
+				{Type: property.TypePackage, Value: json.RawMessage(`{"packageName": "pkg", "version": "2.0.0", "release": "1"}`)},
+			},
+		}
+		explicitR2 := declcfg.Bundle{
+			Name: "pkg.v2.0.0-r2",
+			Properties: []property.Property{
+				{Type: property.TypePackage, Value: json.RawMessage(`{"packageName": "pkg", "version": "2.0.0", "release": "2"}`)},
+			},
+		}
+		result = compare.ByVersionAndRelease(explicitR1, explicitR2)
+		assert.Positive(t, result, "2.0.0+release.2 > 2.0.0+release.1 (explicit release field)")
+	})
+
+	t.Run("gate disabled - uses legacy build metadata comparison only", 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)))
+		})
+
+		// Registry+v1 bundles: same version, different build metadata
+		b1 := declcfg.Bundle{
+			Name: "package1.v1.0.0+1",
+			Properties: []property.Property{
+				{Type: property.TypePackage, Value: json.RawMessage(`{"packageName": "package1", "version": "1.0.0+1"}`)},
+			},
+		}
+		b2 := declcfg.Bundle{
+			Name: "package1.v1.0.0+2",
+			Properties: []property.Property{
+				{Type: property.TypePackage, Value: json.RawMessage(`{"packageName": "package1", "version": "1.0.0+2"}`)},
+			},
+		}
+
+		result := compare.ByVersionAndRelease(b1, b2)
+		assert.Positive(t, result, "should sort by build metadata: 1.0.0+2 > 1.0.0+1")
+	})
+}
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/filter/successors.go b/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/filter/successors.go
index 975c8cb39f..8e1a1df370 100644
--- a/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/filter/successors.go
+++ b/internal/operator-controller/catalogmetadata/filter/successors.go
@@ -20,7 +20,7 @@ func SuccessorsOf(installedBundle ocv1.BundleMetadata, channels ...declcfg.Chann
 	//    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)
+		return nil, fmt.Errorf("failed to get version and release of installed bundle: %w", err)
 	}
 
 	successorsPredicate, err := legacySuccessor(installedBundle, channels...)
@@ -28,11 +28,14 @@ func SuccessorsOf(installedBundle ocv1.BundleMetadata, channels ...declcfg.Chann
 		return nil, fmt.Errorf("getting successorsPredicate: %w", err)
 	}
 
-	// We need either successors or current version (no upgrade)
-	return filter.Or(
+	// Bundle matches if it's a channel successor or current version (no upgrade).
+	// Re-releases must have explicit channel entries to be valid successors.
+	predicates := []filter.Predicate[declcfg.Bundle]{
 		successorsPredicate,
 		ExactVersionRelease(*installedVersionRelease),
-	), nil
+	}
+
+	return filter.Or(predicates...), nil
 }
 
 func legacySuccessor(installedBundle ocv1.BundleMetadata, channels ...declcfg.Channel) (filter.Predicate[declcfg.Bundle], error) {
diff --git a/internal/operator-controller/features/features.go b/internal/operator-controller/features/features.go
index 0f99c1b28e..3af7079fb1 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 support for the explicit pkg.Release field
+	// in the olm.package property, allowing bundles to use semantic release
+	// versioning. When enabled, bundle comparison and successor filtering prefer
+	// the explicit release field over build metadata. This supports both new
+	// bundle formats (with explicit release) and registry+v1 bundles (with build metadata).
+	BundleReleaseSupport: {
+		Default:       false,
+		PreRelease:    featuregate.Alpha,
+		LockToDefault: false,
+	},
 }
 
 var OperatorControllerFeatureGate featuregate.MutableFeatureGate = featuregate.NewFeatureGate()
diff --git a/manifests/experimental-e2e.yaml b/manifests/experimental-e2e.yaml
index 4d44532303..9e3303b28b 100644
--- a/manifests/experimental-e2e.yaml
+++ b/manifests/experimental-e2e.yaml
@@ -2759,6 +2759,7 @@ 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 7f5d7c53a8..6b750e34eb 100644
--- a/manifests/experimental.yaml
+++ b/manifests/experimental.yaml
@@ -2665,6 +2665,7 @@ 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