diff --git a/.github/workflows/test_docker.yml b/.github/workflows/test_docker.yml
index 36b07f466..cd8f86606 100644
--- a/.github/workflows/test_docker.yml
+++ b/.github/workflows/test_docker.yml
@@ -12,6 +12,7 @@ on:
       - .github/workflows/test_docker.yml
       - '**/Dockerfile*'
       - scripts/DRIVER_VERSION
+      - scripts/NODE_VERSION
       - '**/pom.xml'
     branches:
       - main
diff --git a/CONTRIBUTING.md b/CONTRIBUTING.md
index 30eb6d9b4..a1c38e94c 100644
--- a/CONTRIBUTING.md
+++ b/CONTRIBUTING.md
@@ -41,7 +41,7 @@ cd playwright-java
 scripts/download_driver.sh
 ```
 
-Each driver is assembled from the [`playwright-core`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/playwright-core) npm package (version pinned in [scripts/DRIVER_VERSION](scripts/DRIVER_VERSION)) and the matching Node.js binary from https://nodejs.org, the same way the upstream Playwright build does it.
+Each driver is assembled from the [`playwright-core`](https://www.npmjs.com/package/playwright-core) npm package (version pinned in [scripts/DRIVER_VERSION](scripts/DRIVER_VERSION)) and the latest Node.js binary of the major version pinned in [scripts/NODE_VERSION](scripts/NODE_VERSION) from https://nodejs.org, the same way the upstream Playwright build does it.
 
 ### Building and running the tests with Maven
 
diff --git a/scripts/NODE_VERSION b/scripts/NODE_VERSION
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..6f4247a62
--- /dev/null
+++ b/scripts/NODE_VERSION
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+26
diff --git a/scripts/download_driver.sh b/scripts/download_driver.sh
index 5e36f91e3..24a53de7f 100755
--- a/scripts/download_driver.sh
+++ b/scripts/download_driver.sh
@@ -10,10 +10,10 @@ if [[ ($1 == '-h') || ($1 == '--help') ]]; then
   echo ""
   echo "This script downloads and assembles the Playwright driver for all platforms."
   echo "The platform-independent 'playwright-core' npm package is assembled once into the driver"
-  echo "module ('driver/src/main/resources/driver/package'), and the matching Node.js binary from"
-  echo "https://nodejs.org for each platform goes into the driver-bundle module"
-  echo "('driver-bundle/src/main/resources/driver/<platform>'), the same way the upstream"
-  echo "Playwright build does it."
+  echo "module ('driver/src/main/resources/driver/package'), and the Node.js binary from"
+  echo "https://nodejs.org (major version pinned in scripts/NODE_VERSION) for each platform goes"
+  echo "into the driver-bundle module ('driver-bundle/src/main/resources/driver/<platform>'), the"
+  echo "same way the upstream Playwright build does it."
   echo ""
   echo "Usage: scripts/download_driver.sh [option]"
   echo ""
@@ -46,13 +46,19 @@ npm_at_root() {
   (cd "$ROOT" && npm "$@")
 }
 
-# The Node.js version used to be pinned in the upstream driver build script. The script was
-# removed in microsoft/playwright#41518, so we follow the same policy it had: the latest
-# Node.js LTS (see upstream utils/build/update-playwright-node.mjs).
-NODE_VERSION=$(curl -fsSL "https://nodejs.org/dist/index.json" \
-  | node -e "let s='';process.stdin.on('data',d=>s+=d).on('end',()=>console.log(JSON.parse(s).find(r=>r.lts).version.slice(1)))")
+TMP_DIR="$(mktemp -d)"
+trap 'rm -rf "$TMP_DIR"' EXIT
+
+# scripts/NODE_VERSION pins the Node.js major version, like ARG NODE_VERSION in the upstream
+# Docker images. Use the latest release of that major version.
+NODE_MAJOR_VERSION=$(head -1 ./NODE_VERSION)
+# The checksum list of the latest release names every file after the release, e.g.
+#   d38bd5e5...  node-v26.13.0-darwin-arm64.tar.gz
+SHASUMS="$TMP_DIR/SHASUMS256.txt"
+download "https://nodejs.org/dist/latest-v$NODE_MAJOR_VERSION.x/SHASUMS256.txt" "$SHASUMS"
+NODE_VERSION=$(sed -nE 's/.*node-v([0-9]+\.[0-9]+\.[0-9]+)-.*/\1/p' "$SHASUMS" | head -1)
 if [[ -z "$NODE_VERSION" ]]; then
-  echo "Failed to determine the latest Node.js LTS version"
+  echo "Failed to determine the latest Node.js $NODE_MAJOR_VERSION.x version"
   exit 1
 fi
 
@@ -64,9 +70,6 @@ echo "Node.js version: $NODE_VERSION"
 CORE_DEST="$ROOT/driver/src/main/resources/driver"
 NODE_DEST="$ROOT/driver-bundle/src/main/resources/driver"
 
-TMP_DIR="$(mktemp -d)"
-trap 'rm -rf "$TMP_DIR"' EXIT
-
 # 1. playwright-core package -> driver module (once, shared by every platform).
 echo "Assembling playwright-core package to $CORE_DEST/package"
 rm -rf "$CORE_DEST/package"
diff --git a/scripts/roll_driver.sh b/scripts/roll_driver.sh
index f8535e57f..4b45e85a2 100755
--- a/scripts/roll_driver.sh
+++ b/scripts/roll_driver.sh
@@ -24,12 +24,10 @@ fi
 CURRENT_VERSION=$(head -1 ./DRIVER_VERSION)
 echo "Rolling driver from $CURRENT_VERSION to $NEW_VERSION"
 
-if [[ "$CURRENT_VERSION" == "$NEW_VERSION" ]]; then
-  echo "Current version is up to date. Skipping driver download.";
-else
-  echo $NEW_VERSION > ./DRIVER_VERSION
-  ./download_driver.sh
-fi;
+echo $NEW_VERSION > ./DRIVER_VERSION
+# Download even when the driver version is unchanged: the driver bundles the latest release
+# of the Node.js major version pinned in NODE_VERSION.
+./download_driver.sh
 
 ./generate_api.sh
 ./update_readme.sh
diff --git a/utils/docker/Dockerfile.jammy b/utils/docker/Dockerfile.jammy
index 4440772ea..316a95d4f 100644
--- a/utils/docker/Dockerfile.jammy
+++ b/utils/docker/Dockerfile.jammy
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ RUN find /etc/apt -type f \( -name '*.list' -o -name '*.sources' \) \
     wget \
     # Install utilities required for downloading driver
     unzip \
+    # The Node.js binary of the driver links against libatomic (since Node.js 25)
+    libatomic1 \
     # For the MSEdge install script
     gpg && \
     rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && \
diff --git a/utils/docker/Dockerfile.noble b/utils/docker/Dockerfile.noble
index 52779ce15..5ccd4d7bf 100644
--- a/utils/docker/Dockerfile.noble
+++ b/utils/docker/Dockerfile.noble
@@ -19,6 +19,8 @@ RUN find /etc/apt -type f \( -name '*.list' -o -name '*.sources' \) \
     wget \
     # Install utilities required for downloading driver
     unzip \
+    # The Node.js binary of the driver links against libatomic (since Node.js 25)
+    libatomic1 \
     # For the MSEdge install script
     gpg && \
     rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && \
diff --git a/utils/docker/Dockerfile.resolute b/utils/docker/Dockerfile.resolute
index 905962beb..7dabf1f96 100644
--- a/utils/docker/Dockerfile.resolute
+++ b/utils/docker/Dockerfile.resolute
@@ -21,6 +21,8 @@ RUN find /etc/apt -type f \( -name '*.list' -o -name '*.sources' \) \
     wget \
     # Install utilities required for downloading driver
     unzip \
+    # The Node.js binary of the driver links against libatomic (since Node.js 25)
+    libatomic1 \
     # For the MSEdge install script
     gpg && \
     rm -rf /var/lib/apt/lists/* && \