On March 25, 2020, the Weeknd previewed five unreleased tracks during an Instagram livestream, some of which were reportedly intended for After Hours (2020), which was released five days prior. Three songs—"Nothing Compares", "Missed You", and "Final Lullaby"—were later added as bonus tracks in the deluxe edition of the album. However, the other tracks, "Take Me Back to LA" and "The Abyss" (then listed as "Regular" or "Hold My Heart"), did not appear on After Hours or its successor, Dawn FM (2022).

On January 10, 2022, three days after the release of Dawn FM, the Weeknd confirmed a follow-up album by tweeting: "I wonder... did you know you're experiencing a new trilogy?". This referenced his 2012 compilation album Trilogy, which contained remixes or remasters of the songs from his 2011 mixtapes House of Balloons, Thursday, and Echoes of Silence. It also confirmed that After Hours and Dawn FM are part of a trilogy, which would be concluded with the sequel to the latter.

Development on Hurry Up Tomorrow reportedly began closely following the release of Dawn FM in 2022. In January 2023, the Weeknd confirmed recording sessions had taken place for the album, while also stating he has "definitely been inspired". On September 3, 2022, the intended final date of the North American leg of the After Hours til Dawn Tour, the Weeknd lost his voice during his performance at SoFi Stadium in Inglewood: the show was rescheduled to November 26 and an extra date was added for the following day. He would later attribute the incident to exhaustion resulting from scheduling conflicts between the After Hours til Dawn Tour and the TV series The Idol (2023). In a January 2025 interview with Variety, the Weeknd revealed that "a good chunk" of the album was finished by September 2022, but his touring incident caused the album and its tie-in film to be "overhauled". The incident also influenced the Weeknd's decision to drop his stage name, potentially transitioning to making music under his real name, Abel Tesfaye:

The [upcoming] album is probably my last hurrah as the Weeknd. This is something that I have to do. As the Weeknd, I've said everything I can say. I'll still make music, maybe as Abel, maybe as the Weeknd. But I still want to kill the Weeknd. And I will. Eventually. I'm definitely trying to shed that skin and be reborn.

In June 2023, the Weeknd stated in a Variety interview: "I'm finishing the third part of this saga, of this trilogy. The name of it will come out soon." Recording therefore coincided with his musical and acting work for The Idol (2023) and the After Hours til Dawn Tour. The Weeknd continued to work on the album after this, sharing images of recording sessions between September 2023 and February 2024 at Conway Recording Studios in Los Angeles, alongside frequent collaborators Oneohtrix Point Never, Mike Dean and Metro Boomin, among others.

On January 7, 2024, the second anniversary of Dawn FM, the Weeknd teased the upcoming album by posting the cover art for his previous two albums, along with a black slide featuring a white question mark in the centre. The slide was captioned with the number "3", indicating that the upcoming album would be the third in a trilogy. Later that month, he teased a possible collaboration with French electronic music duo Justice multiple times, who contributed to "Wake Me Up".

On February 9, 2024, the Weeknd shared a picture from a recording studio and a written-down text "Everything fades...". On his birthday, February 16, he teased the album by posting pictures of the Los Angeles Theatre with text on its marquee: "This Story Has Three Chapters—The Greatest Trilogy Known to Man." On February 23, in three separate messages, he tweeted "Everything Will Fade". In the weeks following this message, he deleted most of his posts on X.

On March 1, 2024, American record producer Mike Dean, a frequent collaborator of the Weeknd, celebrated his 59th birthday with a special concert at the Wiltern Theatre in Los Angeles. The Weeknd made a guest appearance, performing a reimagined version of "Take Me Back to LA", which he had previously teased on an Instagram livestream in March 2020. He also debuted a cover of "In Heaven", which originally featured in the 1977 film Eraserhead. American record producer Metro Boomin confirmed to be working on "a lot of stuff" for the upcoming album on May 22.
A collaboration with American technological company Apple Inc. was teased on June 1, 2024, which was confirmed by the company nine days later for later that year. On June 16, the Weeknd shared a photo of a stop motion figure depicting himself as a baby. On July 2, he teased the first visuals from the upcoming album, displaying a person being half his current age self, half himself as a child, with the reflection of a flame in his eyes, and a sinister forest. This was followed three days later by more visuals, displaying an unrecognizable person wearing a cape, on top of stairs in a purple-lighted room, seen through the crack of a door. On July 7, he shared a quote from Abode in Heaven: Paul and Life After Death in 2 Corinthians 5:1–10: "Humanity in its present form is frail, deteriorating, and weak. To share in eternal life, however, our bodies must be transformed."

In July and August 2024, the Weeknd shared a trio of CGI teasers, centred on a young boy, presumably representing a young Abel Tesfaye, alongside his characters from other albums, including Trilogy (2012), After Hours (2020), and Dawn FM (2022).

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On the evening of January 30, the Weeknd performed "Open Hearts" on Jimmy Kimmel Live!. Just before his performance, he unveiled the official album cover, revealing that the previously known design was exclusive to the first-pressing vinyl and CD editions. The album, Hurry Up Tomorrow, was released shortly after, on January 31, 2025. A total of 24 songs were released: 22 standard tracks, plus two bonus tracks ("Runaway" and "Society"). The album was made available in three versions:
• Standard Edition: Includes all 22 standard tracks. Initially only a digital release, physical units will be available per May 16, 2025.
• 00XO Edition (digital only): Includes all 22 standard tracks, plus two bonus tracks.
• First Pressing Edition (physical only): Features 9 selected tracks from the 22 standard tracks, plus two bonus tracks.
On February 5, 2025, a new bonus track ("Closing Night", with Swedish House Mafia), and a new version of the album was released.
• Pharrell Williams Edition (digital only): Includes all 22 standard tracks, and the new bonus track.
Of the nine new songs performed at the São Paulo show, six made it onto the standard edition tracklist. "Runaway" was included in the album's First Pressing Edition, and as a bonus track on the 00XO and Pharrell Williams editions. The originally intended lead single, "Dancing in the Flames", along with "In Heaven", were left off of all album versions, with the latter remaining unreleased. As a result, "Timeless" and "São Paulo" became the album's lead and second single, respectively. "Cry for Me" was sent to US contemporary and rhythmic radio as the album's third single on February 4, 2025.