diff --git a/package.json b/package.json
index 920aa6ee..82e30150 100644
--- a/package.json
+++ b/package.json
@@ -62,6 +62,7 @@
 		"p-timeout": "^6.1.1",
 		"path-exists": "^5.0.0",
 		"pkg-dir": "^7.0.0",
+		"read-pkg": "^7.1.0",
 		"read-pkg-up": "^9.1.0",
 		"rxjs": "^7.8.0",
 		"semver": "^7.3.8",
diff --git a/source/prerequisite-tasks.js b/source/prerequisite-tasks.js
index 50006c8d..df19e527 100644
--- a/source/prerequisite-tasks.js
+++ b/source/prerequisite-tasks.js
@@ -4,10 +4,11 @@ import {execa} from 'execa';
 import Version from './version.js';
 import * as git from './git-util.js';
 import * as npm from './npm/util.js';
-import {getTagVersionPrefix} from './util.js';
+import * as util from './util.js';
 
 const prerequisiteTasks = (input, pkg, options) => {
 	const isExternalRegistry = npm.isExternalRegistry(pkg);
+	/** @type {Version} */
 	let newVersion = null;
 
 	const tasks = [
@@ -62,6 +63,18 @@ const prerequisiteTasks = (input, pkg, options) => {
 				newVersion = Version.getAndValidateNewVersionFrom(input, pkg.version);
 			},
 		},
+		{
+			title: 'Check for Node version bump',
+			async task() {
+				// TODO: path
+				const nodeVersionIncreased = await util.hasNodeVersionIncreased(pkg, '');
+
+				if (nodeVersionIncreased && !newVersion.isMajor(input)) {
+					// TODO: better message
+					throw new Error('The Node version has increased, but this release is not a major version.');
+				}
+			},
+		},
 		{
 			title: 'Check for pre-release version',
 			task() {
@@ -75,7 +88,7 @@ const prerequisiteTasks = (input, pkg, options) => {
 			async task() {
 				await git.fetch();
 
-				const tagPrefix = await getTagVersionPrefix(options);
+				const tagPrefix = await util.getTagVersionPrefix(options);
 
 				await git.verifyTagDoesNotExistOnRemote(`${tagPrefix}${newVersion}`);
 			},
diff --git a/source/util.js b/source/util.js
index 88960b55..6ca107c7 100644
--- a/source/util.js
+++ b/source/util.js
@@ -1,11 +1,13 @@
 import {readPackageUp} from 'read-pkg-up';
+import {packageDirectory} from 'pkg-dir';
+import {readPackage} from 'read-pkg';
 import issueRegex from 'issue-regex';
 import terminalLink from 'terminal-link';
 import {execa} from 'execa';
 import pMemoize from 'p-memoize';
 import ow from 'ow';
 import chalk from 'chalk';
-import {packageDirectory} from 'pkg-dir';
+import semver from 'semver';
 import * as gitUtil from './git-util.js';
 import * as npmUtil from './npm/util.js';
 
@@ -82,9 +84,14 @@ export const getNewFiles = async () => {
 	};
 };
 
+const getPackageJsonFromLastRelease = async pkgPath => {
+	const pkg = await gitUtil.readFileFromLastRelease(pkgPath);
+	// TODO: tests are failing, either sindresorhus/read-pkg#28 or use normalize-package-data
+	return readPackage(pkg);
+};
+
 export const getNewDependencies = async (newPkg, pkgPath) => {
-	let oldPkg = await gitUtil.readFileFromLastRelease(pkgPath);
-	oldPkg = JSON.parse(oldPkg);
+	const oldPkg = await getPackageJsonFromLastRelease(pkgPath);
 
 	const newDependencies = [];
 
@@ -120,3 +127,14 @@ export const getPreReleasePrefix = pMemoize(async options => {
 		return '';
 	}
 });
+
+export const hasNodeVersionIncreased = async (newPkg, pkgPath) => {
+	const oldPkg = await getPackageJsonFromLastRelease(pkgPath);
+
+	// TODO: what if `oldPkg` had a version but `newPkg` doesn't?
+	if (!oldPkg || !newPkg.engines.node) {
+		return false;
+	}
+
+	return semver.gt(newPkg.engines.node, oldPkg.engines.node);
+};
diff --git a/source/version.js b/source/version.js
index 56710fac..818ba2d7 100644
--- a/source/version.js
+++ b/source/version.js
@@ -12,6 +12,12 @@ export default class Version {
 		return Boolean(semver.prerelease(this.version));
 	}
 
+	// TODO: should this be validated? it's after `getNewVersionFrom` in tasks
+	// add test in test/version.js
+	isMajor(input) {
+		return semver.diff(this.version, input) === 'major';
+	}
+
 	satisfies(range) {
 		Version.validate(this.version);
 		return semver.satisfies(this.version, range, {