diff --git a/changelogs/.changes.yaml b/changelogs/.changes.yaml
index 76ffbf3588d..260b61e10c5 100644
--- a/changelogs/.changes.yaml
+++ b/changelogs/.changes.yaml
@@ -316,3 +316,13 @@ releases:
     - win_updates-async-fix.yml
     - winrm_kinit-remove-pass-log.yml
     release_date: '2018-06-25'
+  2.6.0rc5:
+    codename: Heartbreaker
+    fragments:
+    - fix_options.yml
+    - fix_password_lookup_loading.yaml
+    - group_by_localhost.yaml
+    - lineinfile-insertbefore-bof-bugfix.yaml
+    - v2.6.0rc5_summary.yaml
+    - win_iis_webapppool-output-fix.yml
+    release_date: '2018-06-26'
diff --git a/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.6.rst b/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.6.rst
index 20e7a5fdef6..14e8a29cb7b 100644
--- a/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.6.rst
+++ b/changelogs/CHANGELOG-v2.6.rst
@@ -2,6 +2,25 @@
 Ansible 2.6 "Heartbreaker" Release Notes
 ========================================
 
+v2.6.0rc5
+=========
+
+Release Summary
+---------------
+
+| Release Date: 2018-06-26
+| `Porting Guide <https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/devel/porting_guides.html>`_
+
+
+Bugfixes
+--------
+
+- allow set_options to be called multiple times https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/41913
+- group_by - support implicit localhost (https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/41860)
+- lineinfile - fix insertbefore when used with BOF to not insert duplicate lines (https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/38219)
+- password lookup - Do not load password lookup in network filters, allowing the password lookup to be overriden (https://github.com/ansible/ansible/pull/41907)
+- win_iis_webapppool - redirect some module output to null so Ansible can read the output JSON https://github.com/ansible/ansible/issues/40874
+
 v2.6.0rc4
 =========
 
diff --git a/changelogs/fragments/v2.6.0rc5_summary.yaml b/changelogs/fragments/v2.6.0rc5_summary.yaml
new file mode 100644
index 00000000000..b2b9dfc98ba
--- /dev/null
+++ b/changelogs/fragments/v2.6.0rc5_summary.yaml
@@ -0,0 +1,3 @@
+release_summary: |
+   | Release Date: 2018-06-26
+   | `Porting Guide <https://docs.ansible.com/ansible/devel/porting_guides.html>`_
diff --git a/lib/ansible/release.py b/lib/ansible/release.py
index cf6fd59b082..8f09f2da7d3 100644
--- a/lib/ansible/release.py
+++ b/lib/ansible/release.py
@@ -19,6 +19,6 @@
 from __future__ import (absolute_import, division, print_function)
 __metaclass__ = type
 
-__version__ = '2.6.0rc4.dev0'
+__version__ = '2.6.0rc5'
 __author__ = 'Ansible, Inc.'
 __codename__ = 'Heartbreaker'