diff --git a/build/build-image/cross/VERSION b/build/build-image/cross/VERSION
index 5382fbd1658..bfc2113da61 100644
--- a/build/build-image/cross/VERSION
+++ b/build/build-image/cross/VERSION
@@ -1 +1 @@
-v1.25.0-go1.18.3-bullseye.0
+v1.25.0-go1.19rc2-bullseye.0
diff --git a/build/common.sh b/build/common.sh
index 8a9b934bbbf..b692624a4d3 100755
--- a/build/common.sh
+++ b/build/common.sh
@@ -91,7 +91,7 @@ readonly KUBE_CONTAINER_RSYNC_PORT=8730
 
 # These are the default versions (image tags) for their respective base images.
 readonly __default_distroless_iptables_version=v0.1.1
-readonly __default_go_runner_version=v2.3.1-go1.18.3-bullseye.0
+readonly __default_go_runner_version=v2.3.1-go1.19rc2-bullseye.0
 readonly __default_setcap_version=bullseye-v1.3.0
 
 # These are the base images for the Docker-wrapped binaries.
diff --git a/build/dependencies.yaml b/build/dependencies.yaml
index 3d4b9bfd3b0..fa9582fbad0 100644
--- a/build/dependencies.yaml
+++ b/build/dependencies.yaml
@@ -88,7 +88,7 @@ dependencies:
 
   # Golang
   - name: "golang: upstream version"
-    version: 1.18.3
+    version: 1.19rc2
     refPaths:
     - path: build/build-image/cross/VERSION
     - path: staging/publishing/rules.yaml
@@ -102,15 +102,15 @@ dependencies:
   # This entry is a stub of the major version to allow dependency checks to
   # pass when building Kubernetes using a pre-release of Golang.
   - name: "golang: 1.<major>"
-    version: 1.18
+    version: 1.19rc2
     refPaths:
     - path: build/build-image/cross/VERSION
-    # TODO(dims): Uncomment once images are updated to go1.18
+    # TODO(dims): Uncomment once images are updated to go1.19
     #- path: hack/lib/golang.sh
     #  match: minimum_go_version=go([0-9]+\.[0-9]+)
 
   - name: "registry.k8s.io/kube-cross: dependents"
-    version: v1.25.0-go1.18.3-bullseye.0
+    version: v1.25.0-go1.19rc2-bullseye.0
     refPaths:
     - path: build/build-image/cross/VERSION
 
@@ -140,7 +140,7 @@ dependencies:
       match: configs\[DistrolessIptables\] = Config{list\.BuildImageRegistry, "distroless-iptables", "v([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)\.([0-9]+)"}
 
   - name: "registry.k8s.io/go-runner: dependents"
-    version: v2.3.1-go1.18.3-bullseye.0
+    version: v2.3.1-go1.19rc2-bullseye.0
     refPaths:
     - path: build/common.sh
       match: __default_go_runner_version=
diff --git a/hack/lib/golang.sh b/hack/lib/golang.sh
index f6910c64d85..e0755247f63 100755
--- a/hack/lib/golang.sh
+++ b/hack/lib/golang.sh
@@ -482,6 +482,7 @@ EOF
   local go_version
   IFS=" " read -ra go_version <<< "$(GOFLAGS='' go version)"
   local minimum_go_version
+  # TODO(dims): Need to switch this to 1.19 once we update images to newer go version
   minimum_go_version=go1.18.1
   if [[ "${minimum_go_version}" != $(echo -e "${minimum_go_version}\n${go_version[2]}" | sort -s -t. -k 1,1 -k 2,2n -k 3,3n | head -n1) && "${go_version[2]}" != "devel" ]]; then
     kube::log::usage_from_stdin <<EOF
diff --git a/staging/publishing/rules.yaml b/staging/publishing/rules.yaml
index 0032978c2e3..df281221296 100644
--- a/staging/publishing/rules.yaml
+++ b/staging/publishing/rules.yaml
@@ -1929,4 +1929,4 @@ recursive-delete-patterns:
 - '*/BUILD.bazel'
 - Gopkg.toml
 - '*/.gitattributes'
-default-go-version: 1.18.3
+default-go-version: 1.19rc2
diff --git a/test/images/Makefile b/test/images/Makefile
index 9766d6c0b61..0487d7476e9 100644
--- a/test/images/Makefile
+++ b/test/images/Makefile
@@ -16,7 +16,7 @@ REGISTRY ?= registry.k8s.io/e2e-test-images
 GOARM ?= 7
 DOCKER_CERT_BASE_PATH ?=
 QEMUVERSION=v5.1.0-2
-GOLANG_VERSION=1.18.3
+GOLANG_VERSION=1.19rc2
 export
 
 ifndef WHAT