diff --git a/.github/workflows/cuda.yml b/.github/workflows/cuda.yml
index 404f53a3295..aa0daa2a718 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/cuda.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/cuda.yml
@@ -127,7 +127,7 @@ jobs:
         which nvcc || echo "nvcc not in PATH!"
 
         git clone https://github.com/AMReX-Codes/amrex.git ../amrex
-        cd ../amrex && git checkout --detach b3f67385e62f387b548389222840486c0fffca57 && cd -
+        cd ../amrex && git checkout --detach 25.01 && cd -
         make COMP=gcc QED=FALSE USE_MPI=TRUE USE_GPU=TRUE USE_OMP=FALSE USE_FFT=TRUE USE_CCACHE=TRUE -j 4
 
         ccache -s
diff --git a/CMakeLists.txt b/CMakeLists.txt
index ff5d156fb8a..90771cbbb29 100644
--- a/CMakeLists.txt
+++ b/CMakeLists.txt
@@ -1,7 +1,7 @@
 # Preamble ####################################################################
 #
 cmake_minimum_required(VERSION 3.24.0)
-project(WarpX VERSION 24.12)
+project(WarpX VERSION 25.01)
 
 include(${WarpX_SOURCE_DIR}/cmake/WarpXFunctions.cmake)
 
diff --git a/Docs/source/conf.py b/Docs/source/conf.py
index e54a6cc23ba..247e11faa4f 100644
--- a/Docs/source/conf.py
+++ b/Docs/source/conf.py
@@ -107,9 +107,9 @@ def __init__(self, *args, **kwargs):
 # built documents.
 #
 # The short X.Y version.
-version = "24.12"
+version = "25.01"
 # The full version, including alpha/beta/rc tags.
-release = "24.12"
+release = "25.01"
 
 # The language for content autogenerated by Sphinx. Refer to documentation
 # for a list of supported languages.
diff --git a/Docs/source/maintenance/release.rst b/Docs/source/maintenance/release.rst
index f25b8c313e4..9c6dbcc3f82 100644
--- a/Docs/source/maintenance/release.rst
+++ b/Docs/source/maintenance/release.rst
@@ -28,7 +28,7 @@ In order to create a GitHub release, you need to:
  1. Create a new branch from ``development`` and update the version number in all source files.
     We usually wait for the AMReX release to be tagged first, then we also point to its tag.
 
-    There is a script for updating core dependencies of WarpX and the WarpX version:
+    There are scripts for updating core dependencies of WarpX and the WarpX version:
 
     .. code-block:: sh
 
@@ -42,6 +42,9 @@ In order to create a GitHub release, you need to:
 
     Then open a PR, wait for tests to pass and then merge.
 
+    The maintainer script ``Tools/Release/releasePR.py`` automates the steps above.
+    Please read through the instructions in the script before running.
+
  2. **Local Commit** (Optional): at the moment, ``@ax3l`` is managing releases and signs tags (naming: ``YY.MM``) locally with his GPG key before uploading them to GitHub.
 
     **Publish**: On the `GitHub Release page <https://github.com/ECP-WarpX/WarpX/releases>`__, create a new release via ``Draft a new release``.
diff --git a/Python/setup.py b/Python/setup.py
index c119917631e..a50b467c070 100644
--- a/Python/setup.py
+++ b/Python/setup.py
@@ -65,7 +65,7 @@
 
 setup(
     name="pywarpx",
-    version="24.12",
+    version="25.01",
     packages=["pywarpx"],
     package_dir={"pywarpx": "pywarpx"},
     description="""Wrapper of WarpX""",
diff --git a/Tools/Release/releasePR.py b/Tools/Release/releasePR.py
new file mode 100755
index 00000000000..3fd1b016efd
--- /dev/null
+++ b/Tools/Release/releasePR.py
@@ -0,0 +1,200 @@
+#!/usr/bin/env python3
+#
+# Copyright 2025 The WarpX Community
+#
+# This file is part of WarpX.
+#
+# Authors: Axel Huebl
+#
+
+# This file is a maintainer tool to open a release PR for WarpX.
+# It is highly automated and does a few assumptions, e.g., that you
+# are releasing for the current month.
+#
+# You also need to have git and the GitHub CLI tool "gh" installed and properly
+# configured for it to work:
+# https://cli.github.com/
+#
+import subprocess
+import sys
+from datetime import datetime
+from pathlib import Path
+
+# Maintainer Inputs ###########################################################
+
+print("""Hi there, this is a WarpX maintainer tool to ...\n.
+For it to work, you need write access on the source directory and
+you should be working in a clean git branch without ongoing
+rebase/merge/conflict resolves and without unstaged changes.""")
+
+# check source dir
+REPO_DIR = Path(__file__).parent.parent.parent.absolute()
+print(f"\nYour current source directory is: {REPO_DIR}")
+
+REPLY = input("Are you sure you want to continue? [y/N] ")
+print()
+if REPLY not in ["Y", "y"]:
+    print("You did not confirm with 'y', aborting.")
+    sys.exit(1)
+
+release_repo = input("What is the name of your git remote? (e.g., ax3l) ")
+commit_sign = input("How to sign the commit? (e.g., -sS) ")
+
+
+# Helpers #####################################################################
+
+
+def concat_answers(answers):
+    return "\n".join(answers) + "\n"
+
+
+# Stash current work ##########################################################
+
+subprocess.run(["git", "stash"], capture_output=True, text=True)
+
+
+# Git Branch ##################################################################
+
+WarpX_version_yr = f"{datetime.now().strftime('%y')}"
+WarpX_version_mn = f"{datetime.now().strftime('%m')}"
+WarpX_version = f"{WarpX_version_yr}.{WarpX_version_mn}"
+release_branch = f"release-{WarpX_version}"
+subprocess.run(["git", "checkout", "development"], capture_output=True, text=True)
+subprocess.run(["git", "fetch"], capture_output=True, text=True)
+subprocess.run(["git", "pull", "--ff-only"], capture_output=True, text=True)
+subprocess.run(["git", "branch", "-D", release_branch], capture_output=True, text=True)
+subprocess.run(
+    ["git", "checkout", "-b", release_branch], capture_output=True, text=True
+)
+
+
+# AMReX New Version ###########################################################
+
+AMReX_version = f"{datetime.now().strftime('%y')}.{datetime.now().strftime('%m')}"
+answers = concat_answers(["y", AMReX_version, AMReX_version, "y"])
+
+process = subprocess.Popen(
+    [Path(REPO_DIR).joinpath("Tools/Release/updateAMReX.py")],
+    stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
+    stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+    stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
+    text=True,
+)
+
+process.communicate(answers)
+del process
+
+# commit
+subprocess.run(["git", "add", "-u"], capture_output=True, text=True)
+subprocess.run(
+    ["git", "commit", commit_sign, "-m", f"AMReX: {AMReX_version}"], text=True
+)
+
+
+# PICSAR New Version ##########################################################
+
+PICSAR_version = "24.09"
+answers = concat_answers(["y", PICSAR_version, PICSAR_version, "y"])
+
+process = subprocess.Popen(
+    [Path(REPO_DIR).joinpath("Tools/Release/updatePICSAR.py")],
+    stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
+    stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+    stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
+    text=True,
+)
+
+process.communicate(answers)
+del process
+
+# commit
+subprocess.run(["git", "add", "-u"], capture_output=True, text=True)
+subprocess.run(
+    ["git", "commit", commit_sign, "-m", f"PICSAR: {PICSAR_version}"], text=True
+)
+
+
+# pyAMReX New Version #########################################################
+
+pyAMReX_version = f"{datetime.now().strftime('%y')}.{datetime.now().strftime('%m')}"
+answers = concat_answers(["y", pyAMReX_version, pyAMReX_version, "y"])
+
+process = subprocess.Popen(
+    [Path(REPO_DIR).joinpath("Tools/Release/updatepyAMReX.py")],
+    stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
+    stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+    stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
+    text=True,
+)
+
+process.communicate(answers)
+del process
+
+# commit
+subprocess.run(["git", "add", "-u"], capture_output=True, text=True)
+subprocess.run(
+    ["git", "commit", commit_sign, "-m", f"pyAMReX: {pyAMReX_version}"], text=True
+)
+
+
+# WarpX New Version ###########################################################
+
+answers = concat_answers(["y", WarpX_version_yr, WarpX_version_mn, "", "", "y"])
+
+process = subprocess.Popen(
+    [Path(REPO_DIR).joinpath("Tools/Release/newVersion.sh")],
+    stdin=subprocess.PIPE,
+    stdout=subprocess.PIPE,
+    stderr=subprocess.PIPE,
+    text=True,
+)
+
+process.communicate(answers)
+del process
+
+# commit
+subprocess.run(["git", "add", "-u"], capture_output=True, text=True)
+subprocess.run(
+    ["git", "commit", commit_sign, "-m", f"WarpX: {WarpX_version}"], text=True
+)
+
+
+# GitHub PR ###################################################################
+
+subprocess.run(["git", "push", "-u", release_repo, release_branch], text=True)
+
+subprocess.run(
+    [
+        "gh",
+        "pr",
+        "create",
+        "--title",
+        f"Release {WarpX_version}",
+        "--body",
+        f"""Prepare the {datetime.now().strftime('%B')} release of WarpX:
+```bash
+# update dependencies
+./Tools/Release/updateAMReX.py
+./Tools/Release/updatePICSAR.py  # no changes, still {PICSAR_version}
+./Tools/Release/updatepyAMReX.py
+# bump version number
+./Tools/Release/newVersion.sh
+```
+
+Following this workflow: https://warpx.readthedocs.io/en/latest/maintenance/release.html
+""",
+        "--label",
+        "component: documentation",
+        "--label",
+        "component: third party",
+        "--web",
+    ],
+    text=True,
+)
+
+
+# Epilogue ####################################################################
+
+print("""Done. Please check your source, e.g. via
+  git diff
+now and commit the changes if no errors occurred.""")
diff --git a/cmake/dependencies/AMReX.cmake b/cmake/dependencies/AMReX.cmake
index 0066a3103cd..88df1f82fe8 100644
--- a/cmake/dependencies/AMReX.cmake
+++ b/cmake/dependencies/AMReX.cmake
@@ -271,7 +271,7 @@ macro(find_amrex)
         endif()
         set(COMPONENT_PRECISION ${WarpX_PRECISION} P${WarpX_PARTICLE_PRECISION})
 
-        find_package(AMReX 24.12 CONFIG REQUIRED COMPONENTS ${COMPONENT_ASCENT} ${COMPONENT_CATALYST} ${COMPONENT_DIMS} ${COMPONENT_EB} ${COMPONENT_FFT} PARTICLES ${COMPONENT_PIC} ${COMPONENT_PRECISION} ${COMPONENT_SENSEI} LSOLVERS)
+        find_package(AMReX 25.01 CONFIG REQUIRED COMPONENTS ${COMPONENT_ASCENT} ${COMPONENT_CATALYST} ${COMPONENT_DIMS} ${COMPONENT_EB} ${COMPONENT_FFT} PARTICLES ${COMPONENT_PIC} ${COMPONENT_PRECISION} ${COMPONENT_SENSEI} LSOLVERS)
         # note: TINYP skipped because user-configured and optional
 
         # AMReX CMake helper scripts
@@ -294,7 +294,7 @@ set(WarpX_amrex_src ""
 set(WarpX_amrex_repo "https://github.com/AMReX-Codes/amrex.git"
     CACHE STRING
     "Repository URI to pull and build AMReX from if(WarpX_amrex_internal)")
-set(WarpX_amrex_branch "b3f67385e62f387b548389222840486c0fffca57"
+set(WarpX_amrex_branch "25.01"
     CACHE STRING
     "Repository branch for WarpX_amrex_repo if(WarpX_amrex_internal)")
 
diff --git a/cmake/dependencies/pyAMReX.cmake b/cmake/dependencies/pyAMReX.cmake
index 93c4cc63e5a..777b75e2ed3 100644
--- a/cmake/dependencies/pyAMReX.cmake
+++ b/cmake/dependencies/pyAMReX.cmake
@@ -59,7 +59,7 @@ function(find_pyamrex)
         endif()
     elseif(NOT WarpX_pyamrex_internal)
         # TODO: MPI control
-        find_package(pyAMReX 24.12 CONFIG REQUIRED)
+        find_package(pyAMReX 25.01 CONFIG REQUIRED)
         message(STATUS "pyAMReX: Found version '${pyAMReX_VERSION}'")
     endif()
 endfunction()
@@ -74,7 +74,7 @@ option(WarpX_pyamrex_internal "Download & build pyAMReX" ON)
 set(WarpX_pyamrex_repo "https://github.com/AMReX-Codes/pyamrex.git"
     CACHE STRING
     "Repository URI to pull and build pyamrex from if(WarpX_pyamrex_internal)")
-set(WarpX_pyamrex_branch "cba1ca5098fd4edc83b2ae630c0391140fac55f4"
+set(WarpX_pyamrex_branch "25.01"
     CACHE STRING
     "Repository branch for WarpX_pyamrex_repo if(WarpX_pyamrex_internal)")
 
diff --git a/setup.py b/setup.py
index cb98d6371f5..c3f2e730726 100644
--- a/setup.py
+++ b/setup.py
@@ -280,7 +280,7 @@ def build_extension(self, ext):
 setup(
     name="pywarpx",
     # note PEP-440 syntax: x.y.zaN but x.y.z.devN
-    version="24.12",
+    version="25.01",
     packages=["pywarpx"],
     package_dir={"pywarpx": "Python/pywarpx"},
     author="Jean-Luc Vay, David P. Grote, Maxence Thévenet, Rémi Lehe, Andrew Myers, Weiqun Zhang, Axel Huebl, et al.",