diff --git a/src/flags.ts b/src/flags.ts
index 47345957c..fdfd0ac94 100644
--- a/src/flags.ts
+++ b/src/flags.ts
@@ -4,6 +4,7 @@ import {CLIError} from './errors'
 import {loadHelpClass} from './help'
 import {BooleanFlag, CustomOptions, FlagDefinition, OptionFlag} from './interfaces'
 import {dirExists, fileExists} from './util/fs'
+import {loadVersionClass} from './version'
 
 type NotArray<T> = T extends Array<any> ? never : T
 /**
@@ -156,7 +157,9 @@ export const version = (opts: Partial<BooleanFlag<boolean>> = {}): BooleanFlag<v
     description: 'Show CLI version.',
     ...opts,
     async parse(_, ctx) {
-      ctx.log(ctx.config.userAgent)
+      const VersionClass = await loadVersionClass(ctx.config)
+      const versionInstance = new VersionClass(ctx.config)
+      await versionInstance.showVersion()
       ctx.exit(0)
     },
   })
diff --git a/src/index.ts b/src/index.ts
index 88225fad1..1e4c74503 100644
--- a/src/index.ts
+++ b/src/index.ts
@@ -57,3 +57,4 @@ export {Performance} from './performance'
 export {type Settings, settings} from './settings'
 export {toConfiguredId, toStandardizedId} from './util/ids'
 export {ux} from './ux'
+export {loadVersionClass, Version, VersionBase} from './version'
diff --git a/src/interfaces/pjson.ts b/src/interfaces/pjson.ts
index 321699a78..22136c3ab 100644
--- a/src/interfaces/pjson.ts
+++ b/src/interfaces/pjson.ts
@@ -83,17 +83,22 @@ export type HookOptions = {
   identifier: string
 }
 
-export type HelpLocationOptions = {
+export type ClassLocationOptions = {
   /**
-   * The file path containing help class.
+   * The file path containing the class.
    */
   target: string
   /**
-   * The name of the export to use when loading the help class from the `target` file. Defaults to `default`.
+   * The name of the export to use when loading the class from the `target` file. Defaults to `default`.
    */
   identifier: string
 }
 
+/**
+ * @deprecated Use {@link ClassLocationOptions} instead.
+ */
+export type HelpLocationOptions = ClassLocationOptions
+
 export type S3Templates = {
   baseDir?: string
   manifest?: string
@@ -175,7 +180,11 @@ export type OclifConfiguration = {
   /**
    * The location of your custom help class.
    */
-  helpClass?: string | HelpLocationOptions
+  helpClass?: string | ClassLocationOptions
+  /**
+   * The location of your custom version class.
+   */
+  versionClass?: string | ClassLocationOptions
   /**
    * Options for the help output.
    */
diff --git a/src/main.ts b/src/main.ts
index 477c10706..3f5b4491b 100644
--- a/src/main.ts
+++ b/src/main.ts
@@ -8,7 +8,7 @@ import * as Interfaces from './interfaces'
 import {getLogger, setLogger} from './logger'
 import {OCLIF_MARKER_OWNER, Performance} from './performance'
 import {SINGLE_COMMAND_CLI_SYMBOL} from './symbols'
-import {ux} from './ux'
+import {loadVersionClass} from './version'
 
 export const helpAddition = (argv: string[], config: Interfaces.Config): boolean => {
   if (argv.length === 0 && !config.isSingleCommandCLI) return true
@@ -74,7 +74,9 @@ export async function run(argv?: string[], options?: Interfaces.LoadOptions): Pr
 
   // display version if applicable
   if (versionAddition(argv, config)) {
-    ux.stdout(config.userAgent)
+    const VersionClass = await loadVersionClass(config)
+    const version = new VersionClass(config)
+    await version.showVersion()
     await runFinally()
     return
   }
diff --git a/src/version.ts b/src/version.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..617e97773
--- /dev/null
+++ b/src/version.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,50 @@
+import {tsPath} from './config/ts-path'
+import * as Interfaces from './interfaces'
+import {ClassLocationOptions} from './interfaces/pjson'
+import {load} from './module-loader'
+import {ux} from './ux'
+
+export abstract class VersionBase {
+  constructor(protected config: Interfaces.Config) {}
+
+  /**
+   * Show the CLI version information.
+   */
+  public abstract showVersion(): Promise<void>
+}
+
+export class Version extends VersionBase {
+  public async showVersion(): Promise<void> {
+    ux.stdout(this.config.userAgent)
+  }
+}
+
+interface VersionBaseDerived {
+  new (config: Interfaces.Config): VersionBase
+}
+
+function extractClass(exported: any): VersionBaseDerived {
+  return exported && exported.default ? exported.default : exported
+}
+
+function determineLocation(versionClass: string | ClassLocationOptions): ClassLocationOptions {
+  if (typeof versionClass === 'string') return {identifier: 'default', target: versionClass}
+  if (!versionClass.identifier) return {...versionClass, identifier: 'default'}
+  return versionClass
+}
+
+export async function loadVersionClass(config: Interfaces.Config): Promise<VersionBaseDerived> {
+  if (config.pjson.oclif?.versionClass) {
+    const {identifier, target} = determineLocation(config.pjson.oclif?.versionClass)
+    try {
+      const path = (await tsPath(config.root, target)) ?? target
+      const module = await load(config, path)
+      const versionClass = module[identifier] ?? (identifier === 'default' ? extractClass(module) : undefined)
+      return extractClass(versionClass)
+    } catch (error: any) {
+      throw new Error(`Unable to load configured version class "${target}", failed with message:\n${error.message}`)
+    }
+  }
+
+  return Version
+}
diff --git a/test/version/_test-version-class-identifier.ts b/test/version/_test-version-class-identifier.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..b5b1fb0f4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/version/_test-version-class-identifier.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+// `loadVersionClass` tests require an oclif project for testing so
+// it is re-using the setup here to be able to do a lookup for
+// this sample version class file in tests, although it is not needed
+// for ../version itself.
+
+import {VersionBase} from '../../src'
+
+export class MyVersion extends VersionBase {
+  async showVersion(): Promise<void> {
+    console.log('custom version output from named export')
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/version/_test-version-class.ts b/test/version/_test-version-class.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..fd0165ca4
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/version/_test-version-class.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,12 @@
+// `loadVersionClass` tests require an oclif project for testing so
+// it is re-using the setup here to be able to do a lookup for
+// this sample version class file in tests, although it is not needed
+// for ../version itself.
+
+import {VersionBase} from '../../src'
+
+export default class CustomVersion extends VersionBase {
+  async showVersion(): Promise<void> {
+    console.log('custom version output')
+  }
+}
diff --git a/test/version/version.test.ts b/test/version/version.test.ts
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..3c7d632fc
--- /dev/null
+++ b/test/version/version.test.ts
@@ -0,0 +1,63 @@
+import {expect} from 'chai'
+import {resolve} from 'node:path'
+
+import {Config} from '../../src'
+import {loadVersionClass} from '../../src/version'
+import configuredVersionClass from './_test-version-class'
+import {MyVersion} from './_test-version-class-identifier'
+
+describe('loadVersionClass', () => {
+  let config: Config
+
+  beforeEach(async () => {
+    config = await Config.load()
+  })
+
+  it('defaults to the native version class', async () => {
+    delete config.pjson.oclif.versionClass
+
+    const versionClass = await loadVersionClass(config)
+    expect(versionClass).not.be.undefined
+    expect(versionClass.prototype.showVersion)
+  })
+
+  it('loads version class defined in pjson.oclif.versionClass', async () => {
+    config.pjson.oclif.versionClass = '../test/version/_test-version-class'
+    config.root = resolve(__dirname, '..')
+
+    expect(configuredVersionClass).to.not.be.undefined
+    expect(await loadVersionClass(config)).to.deep.equal(configuredVersionClass)
+  })
+
+  it('loads version class defined using target but no identifier', async () => {
+    config.pjson.oclif.versionClass = {
+      target: '../test/version/_test-version-class',
+      // @ts-expect-error for testing purposes
+      identifier: undefined,
+    }
+    config.root = resolve(__dirname, '..')
+
+    expect(configuredVersionClass).to.not.be.undefined
+    expect(await loadVersionClass(config)).to.deep.equal(configuredVersionClass)
+  })
+
+  it('loads version class defined using target and identifier', async () => {
+    config.pjson.oclif.versionClass = {
+      target: '../test/version/_test-version-class-identifier',
+      identifier: 'MyVersion',
+    }
+    config.root = resolve(__dirname, '..')
+
+    expect(MyVersion).to.not.be.undefined
+    expect(await loadVersionClass(config)).to.deep.equal(MyVersion)
+  })
+
+  describe('error cases', () => {
+    it('throws an error when failing to load the version class defined in pjson.oclif.versionClass', async () => {
+      config.pjson.oclif.versionClass = './lib/does-not-exist-version-class'
+      await expect(loadVersionClass(config)).to.be.rejectedWith(
+        'Unable to load configured version class "./lib/does-not-exist-version-class", failed with message:',
+      )
+    })
+  })
+})