diff --git a/command/init_test.go b/command/init_test.go
index 96d853d36..a809a3814 100644
--- a/command/init_test.go
+++ b/command/init_test.go
@@ -17,7 +17,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/mitchellh/cli"
 	"github.com/zclconf/go-cty/cty"
 
-	version "github.com/hashicorp/go-version"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/addrs"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/configs"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/configs/configschema"
@@ -25,7 +24,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/internal/getproviders"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/internal/providercache"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/states"
-	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/states/statefile"
 	"github.com/hashicorp/terraform/states/statemgr"
 )
 
@@ -965,12 +963,27 @@ func TestInit_getProvider(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 		defer f.Close()
 
-		s := &statefile.File{
-			Lineage:          "",
-			State:            states.NewState(),
-			TerraformVersion: version.Must(version.NewVersion("100.1.0")),
+		// Construct a mock state file from the far future
+		type FutureState struct {
+			Version          uint                     `json:"version"`
+			Lineage          string                   `json:"lineage"`
+			TerraformVersion string                   `json:"terraform_version"`
+			Outputs          map[string]interface{}   `json:"outputs"`
+			Resources        []map[string]interface{} `json:"resources"`
 		}
-		statefile.WriteForTest(s, f)
+		fs := &FutureState{
+			Version:          999,
+			Lineage:          "123-456-789",
+			TerraformVersion: "999.0.0",
+			Outputs:          make(map[string]interface{}, 0),
+			Resources:        make([]map[string]interface{}, 0),
+		}
+		src, err := json.MarshalIndent(fs, "", "  ")
+		if err != nil {
+			t.Fatalf("failed to marshal future state: %s", err)
+		}
+		src = append(src, '\n')
+		_, err = f.Write(src)
 
 		ui := new(cli.MockUi)
 		m.Ui = ui
@@ -983,7 +996,7 @@ func TestInit_getProvider(t *testing.T) {
 		}
 
 		errMsg := ui.ErrorWriter.String()
-		if !strings.Contains(errMsg, "which is newer than current") {
+		if !strings.Contains(errMsg, "Unsupported state file format") {
 			t.Fatal("unexpected error:", errMsg)
 		}
 	})
diff --git a/states/statefile/read.go b/states/statefile/read.go
index d691c0290..8abd3be14 100644
--- a/states/statefile/read.go
+++ b/states/statefile/read.go
@@ -62,15 +62,6 @@ func Read(r io.Reader) (*File, error) {
 		panic("readState returned nil state with no errors")
 	}
 
-	if state.TerraformVersion != nil && state.TerraformVersion.GreaterThan(tfversion.SemVer) {
-		return state, fmt.Errorf(
-			"state snapshot was created by Terraform v%s, which is newer than current v%s; upgrade to Terraform v%s or greater to work with this state",
-			state.TerraformVersion,
-			tfversion.SemVer,
-			state.TerraformVersion,
-		)
-	}
-
 	return state, diags.Err()
 }
 
diff --git a/states/statefile/testdata/roundtrip/v4-future.in.tfstate b/states/statefile/testdata/roundtrip/v4-future.in.tfstate
new file mode 100644
index 000000000..71d759bc7
--- /dev/null
+++ b/states/statefile/testdata/roundtrip/v4-future.in.tfstate
@@ -0,0 +1,60 @@
+{
+    "version": 4,
+    "serial": 0,
+    "lineage": "f2968801-fa14-41ab-a044-224f3a4adf04",
+    "terraform_version": "999.0.0",
+    "outputs": {
+        "numbers": {
+            "type": "string",
+            "value": "0,1"
+        }
+    },
+    "resources": [
+        {
+            "mode": "managed",
+            "type": "null_resource",
+            "name": "bar",
+            "provider": "provider[\"registry.terraform.io/-/null\"]",
+            "instances": [
+                {
+                    "schema_version": 0,
+                    "attributes_flat": {
+                        "id": "5388490630832483079",
+                        "triggers.%": "1",
+                        "triggers.whaaat": "0,1"
+                    },
+                    "depends_on": [
+                        "null_resource.foo"
+                    ]
+                }
+            ]
+        },
+        {
+            "mode": "managed",
+            "type": "null_resource",
+            "name": "foo",
+            "provider": "provider[\"registry.terraform.io/-/null\"]",
+            "each": "list",
+            "instances": [
+                {
+                    "index_key": 0,
+                    "schema_version": 0,
+                    "attributes_flat": {
+                        "id": "8212585058302700791",
+                        "triggers.%": "1",
+                        "triggers.what": "0"
+                    }
+                },
+                {
+                    "index_key": 1,
+                    "schema_version": 0,
+                    "attributes_flat": {
+                        "id": "1523897709610803586",
+                        "triggers.%": "1",
+                        "triggers.what": "0"
+                    }
+                }
+            ]
+        }
+    ]
+}
diff --git a/states/statefile/testdata/roundtrip/v4-future.out.tfstate b/states/statefile/testdata/roundtrip/v4-future.out.tfstate
new file mode 120000
index 000000000..b4037372e
--- /dev/null
+++ b/states/statefile/testdata/roundtrip/v4-future.out.tfstate
@@ -0,0 +1 @@
+v4-future.in.tfstate
\ No newline at end of file