Pages Router course and basics/* starters target Node 18, but Next.js 16 requires Node >=20.9 #1336

Before submitting

• I have searched existing issues to make sure this isn't a duplicate
• I have completed this chapter and encountered the issue myself

Chapter URL

https://nextjs.org/learn/pages-router/create-nextjs-app-setup

Issue Type

Outdated code or instructions

Description

The Pages Router course and the basics/* starters still target Node.js 18, but the starters depend on next: latest, which now installs Next.js 16. Next.js 16 requires "node": ">=20.9.0" and refuses to start on Node 18.

Where Node 18 is still specified:

• Lesson text: "You'll need Node.js version 18 or higher." on https://nextjs.org/learn/pages-router/create-nextjs-app-setup
• .nvmrc = 18 in all 10 basics/* folders
• "engines": { "node": ">=18" } in the same 10 package.json files

Affected folders: api-routes-starter, assets-metadata-css-starter, basics-final, data-fetching-starter, demo, dynamic-routes-starter, dynamic-routes-step-1, learn-starter, navigate-between-pages-starter, typescript-final

Steps to reproduce

1. npx create-next-app@latest nextjs-blog --use-npm --example "https://github.com/vercel/next-learn/tree/main/basics/learn-starter"
2. cd nextjs-blog && nvm install (reads .nvmrc and switches to Node 18)
3. npm run dev

Suggested fix

• Lesson text: change the requirement to Node.js 20.9 or higher.
• Starters: set engines.node to >=20.9.0 to match Next.js 16, and set .nvmrc to a supported LTS such as 24, since Node 20 reached end-of-life in April 2026.

I'm happy to open a PR for the starter files.

Expected vs Actual Behavior

Expected: with Node 18, which the lesson and the starter's .nvmrc both specify, npm run dev starts the dev server.

Actual: Next.js exits immediately:

You are using Node.js 18.20.8. For Next.js, Node.js version ">=20.9.0" is required. 

Environment (optional)

Node version: 18.20.8 (selected via the starter's .nvmrc)
Next.js: 16.4.0 (next: latest)
OS: macOS 26.5

Screenshots (optional)

No response