The latest GIF version listed in the format’s infobox is **89a**.
GIF89a is the later of the two principal GIF specifications. CompuServe introduced the original GIF87a format on June 15, 1987, primarily as a compact color-image format for online service users. The revised GIF89a specification was released in 1989 and added several important capabilities while retaining compatibility with the basic format.
Among GIF89a’s additions were graphic-control extensions, which can specify frame delays and transparency, plus application-extension blocks for software-specific information. Those features made animated GIFs practical. The ability to store multiple images already existed in GIF87a, but the timing and control information supplied by GIF89a helped browsers display them as animation.
“89a” is a version label, not a year written in full, and “99a” is not a standard later GIF release. GIF remains a fixed, mature format rather than a rapidly evolving one. Its 256-color palette and lossless LZW compression still suit simple graphics, logos, and short animations, even though PNG and video formats are often preferred for other uses.