diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index 146e80a51..e2f45b63a 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -58,6 +58,7 @@ older clients.
 
 ### API Breaking Changes
 
+* [\#6079](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/6079) Remove `UpgradeOldPrivValFile` (deprecated in Tendermint Core v0.28).
 * (modules) [\#5664](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/5664) Remove amino `Codec` from simulation `StoreDecoder`, which now returns a function closure in order to unmarshal the key-value pairs.
 * (x/auth) [\#6029](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/6029) Module accounts have been moved from `x/supply` to `x/auth`.
 * (x/supply) [\#6010](https://github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/pull/6010) All `x/supply` types and APIs have been moved to `x/bank`.
diff --git a/server/start.go b/server/start.go
index 4a859b4d7..70aaa7c4e 100644
--- a/server/start.go
+++ b/server/start.go
@@ -165,8 +165,6 @@ func startInProcess(ctx *Context, appCreator AppCreator) (*node.Node, error) {
 		return nil, err
 	}
 
-	UpgradeOldPrivValFile(cfg)
-
 	// create & start tendermint node
 	tmNode, err := node.NewNode(
 		cfg,
diff --git a/server/tm_cmds.go b/server/tm_cmds.go
index 44b0736d3..2772de40a 100644
--- a/server/tm_cmds.go
+++ b/server/tm_cmds.go
@@ -43,7 +43,6 @@ func ShowValidatorCmd(ctx *Context) *cobra.Command {
 		Short: "Show this node's tendermint validator info",
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 			cfg := ctx.Config
-			UpgradeOldPrivValFile(cfg)
 
 			privValidator := pvm.LoadOrGenFilePV(cfg.PrivValidatorKeyFile(), cfg.PrivValidatorStateFile())
 			valPubKey, err := privValidator.GetPubKey()
@@ -77,7 +76,6 @@ func ShowAddressCmd(ctx *Context) *cobra.Command {
 		RunE: func(cmd *cobra.Command, args []string) error {
 
 			cfg := ctx.Config
-			UpgradeOldPrivValFile(cfg)
 			privValidator := pvm.LoadOrGenFilePV(
 				cfg.PrivValidatorKeyFile(), cfg.PrivValidatorStateFile())
 			valConsAddr := (sdk.ConsAddress)(privValidator.GetAddress())
diff --git a/server/util.go b/server/util.go
index 0f4f62945..a42161bcc 100644
--- a/server/util.go
+++ b/server/util.go
@@ -19,7 +19,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/cli"
 	tmflags "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/cli/flags"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/libs/log"
-	pvm "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/privval"
 
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/client/flags"
 	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/codec"
@@ -217,16 +216,6 @@ func TrapSignal(cleanupFunc func()) {
 	}()
 }
 
-// UpgradeOldPrivValFile converts old priv_validator.json file (prior to Tendermint 0.28)
-// to the new priv_validator_key.json and priv_validator_state.json files.
-func UpgradeOldPrivValFile(config *cfg.Config) {
-	if _, err := os.Stat(config.OldPrivValidatorFile()); !os.IsNotExist(err) {
-		if oldFilePV, err := pvm.LoadOldFilePV(config.OldPrivValidatorFile()); err == nil {
-			oldFilePV.Upgrade(config.PrivValidatorKeyFile(), config.PrivValidatorStateFile())
-		}
-	}
-}
-
 func skipInterface(iface net.Interface) bool {
 	if iface.Flags&net.FlagUp == 0 {
 		return true // interface down
diff --git a/x/genutil/utils.go b/x/genutil/utils.go
index b8c0d5313..4aea9d9fd 100644
--- a/x/genutil/utils.go
+++ b/x/genutil/utils.go
@@ -11,8 +11,6 @@ import (
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/p2p"
 	"github.com/tendermint/tendermint/privval"
 	tmtypes "github.com/tendermint/tendermint/types"
-
-	"github.com/cosmos/cosmos-sdk/server"
 )
 
 // ExportGenesisFile creates and writes the genesis configuration to disk. An
@@ -54,7 +52,6 @@ func InitializeNodeValidatorFiles(config *cfg.Config) (nodeID string, valPubKey
 	}
 
 	nodeID = string(nodeKey.ID())
-	server.UpgradeOldPrivValFile(config)
 
 	pvKeyFile := config.PrivValidatorKeyFile()
 	if err := tmos.EnsureDir(filepath.Dir(pvKeyFile), 0777); err != nil {