diff --git a/NEWS.md b/NEWS.md
index c88f7284e..e0c365dca 100644
--- a/NEWS.md
+++ b/NEWS.md
@@ -1,5 +1,23 @@
 # News
 
+## 6.5.6 (October 22, 2025)
+
+* Fix: Enforce association override precedence over trait foreign keys by @JinOketani in [#1768](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1768)
+* Build: Add ostruct as a development dependency by @ydah in [#1778](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1778)
+* Build: Bump standard from v1.44.0 to v1.51.1 by @ydah in [#1779](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1779)
+* Build: Add Ruby 3.4 to CI matrix by @ydah in [#1780](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1780)
+* Build: Remove unnecessary development dependencies by @ydah in [#1781](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1781)
+* Build: update gem versions and dependencies by @ydah in [#1782](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1782)
+* Build: revert removal of mutex_m by @vburzynski in [#1784](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1784)
+* Refactor: factory calculator cleanup by @vburzynski in [#1770](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1770)
+* Chore(ci): Bump actions/checkout from 4 to 5 by @dependabot[bot] in [#1765](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1765)
+* Chore(specs): tag slow specs by @vburzynski in [#1776](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1776)
+* Docs: Update RELEASING.md by @vburzynski in [#1763](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1763)
+* Docs: Update link to FactoryGirl upgrade guide by @imRohan in [#1769](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1769)
+* Docs: Fix some typos by @ydah in [#1783](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1783)
+* Docs(yard): resolve yard doc warnings by @vburzynski in [#1764](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1764)
+* Docs(yard): ruby syntax highlighting in yard docs by @djbender in [#1777](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/pull/1777)
+
 ## 6.5.5 (August 15, 2025)
 
 * Feat: Adds developer console features (CodeMeister)
diff --git a/RELEASING.md b/RELEASING.md
index d0c280678..ee640c99d 100644
--- a/RELEASING.md
+++ b/RELEASING.md
@@ -1,29 +1,57 @@
 # Releasing
 
 1. Create a release branch using the naming scheme `release-x.x.x`
+
+   ```shell
+   git checkout main
+   git pull
+   git checkout -b release-x.x.x
+   ```
+
 2. Bump the `VERSION` inside `lib/factory_bot/version.rb`
+
 3. Run `bundle install` to ensure the `Gemfile.lock` file is up to date.
-4. Update `NEWS.md` to reflect the changes since last release.
-   A useful GitHub URL to compare the changes is:
-   `https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/compare/vLAST_VERSION...main`
-5. Commit the changes.
+
+4. Generate release notes using [GitHub's New Release](https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/releases/new) feature.
+
+   1. Click the tags drop down and select "Create new tag"
+   2. Fill in the create new tag modal and select "Create"
+      Note: This is a safe step as the tag will not be created unless the release is published
+   3. Click the "Generate release notes" button
+   4. Copy the generated text from the "What's Changed" section, for use when updating `NEWS.md` in the next step.
+
+5. Update `NEWS.md` to reflect the changes since last release.
+
+   1. Add a heading with the version number and date
+   2. Paste the release notes you copied from the previous step
+      Note: A useful GitHub URL to compare the changes is:
+      `https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/compare/vLAST_VERSION...main`
+
+6. Commit the changes.
    Note: As there shouldn't be code changes, CI doesn't need to run.
    You can add `[ci skip]` to the commit message to skip it.
-6. Create a Pull Request, get it reviewed, and merge it to the `main` branch once approved.
-7. Back on your machine, switch to the `main` branch and tag the latest commit with the release version: `git tag -s vVERSION`
+
+7. Create a Pull Request, get it reviewed, and merge it to the `main` branch once approved.
+
+8. Back on your machine, switch to the `main` branch and tag the latest commit with the release version: `git tag -s vVERSION`
+
     - We recommend the [_quick guide on how to sign a release_] from git ready.
-8. Push your changes: `git push && git push --tags`
-9. If you haven't already, add yourself as an owner of the `factory_bot` gem on [rubygems.org](https://rubygems.org/) using [the guide in the thoughtbot handbook](https://github.com/thoughtbot/handbook/blob/main/operations/services/rubygems.md#managing-rubygems)
-10. Build and publish the gem:
+
+9.  Push your changes: `git push && git push --tags`
+
+10. If you haven't already, add yourself as an owner of the `factory_bot` gem on [rubygems.org](https://rubygems.org/) using [the guide in the thoughtbot handbook](https://github.com/thoughtbot/handbook/blob/main/operations/services/rubygems.md#managing-rubygems)
+
+11. Build and publish the gem:
 
     ```bash
     gem build factory_bot.gemspec
     gem push factory_bot-VERSION.gem
     ```
 
-11. On GitHub, add a new release using the recent `NEWS.md` as the content. Sample
+12. On GitHub, add a new release using the recent `NEWS.md` as the content. Sample
     URL: `https://github.com/thoughtbot/factory_bot/releases/new?tag=vVERSION`
-12. Announce the new release, making sure to say "thank you" to the contributors who helped shape this version!
+
+13. Announce the new release, making sure to say "thank you" to the contributors who helped shape this version!
     thoughtbotters can refer to the handbook for announcements guidelines.
 
 [_quick guide on how to sign a release_]: http://gitready.com/advanced/2014/11/02/gpg-sign-releases.html
diff --git a/lib/factory_bot/version.rb b/lib/factory_bot/version.rb
index 71870ed84..6f94888e1 100644
--- a/lib/factory_bot/version.rb
+++ b/lib/factory_bot/version.rb
@@ -1,3 +1,3 @@
 module FactoryBot
-  VERSION = "6.5.5".freeze
+  VERSION = "6.5.6".freeze
 end