diff --git a/CHANGELOG.md b/CHANGELOG.md
index d8beaa05f..c8a7dfd57 100644
--- a/CHANGELOG.md
+++ b/CHANGELOG.md
@@ -1,5 +1,11 @@
 # Changelog
 
+## Unreleased Changes 
+
+### Breaking Changes
+
+- Behavioral change for the `TraceIgnoreStatusCodes` option. The option now defaults to ignoring 404 status codes.
+
 ## 0.36.2
 
 The Sentry SDK team is happy to announce the immediate availability of Sentry Go SDK v0.36.2.
diff --git a/client.go b/client.go
index 346230223..03800f81a 100644
--- a/client.go
+++ b/client.go
@@ -247,7 +247,10 @@ type ClientOptions struct {
 	//   [][]int{{404}, {500}}                   // ignore status codes 404 and 500
 	//   [][]int{{404}, {400, 405}, {500, 599}}  // ignore 404, range 400-405, and range 500-599
 	//
-	// By default, this is empty and all status codes are traced.
+	// By default, this ignores 404 status codes.
+	//
+	// IMPORTANT: to not ignore any status codes, the option should be an empty slice and not nil. The nil option is
+	// used for defaulting to 404 ignores.
 	TraceIgnoreStatusCodes [][]int
 }
 
@@ -325,6 +328,10 @@ func NewClient(options ClientOptions) (*Client, error) {
 		options.MaxSpans = defaultMaxSpans
 	}
 
+	if options.TraceIgnoreStatusCodes == nil {
+		options.TraceIgnoreStatusCodes = [][]int{{404}}
+	}
+
 	// SENTRYGODEBUG is a comma-separated list of key=value pairs (similar
 	// to GODEBUG). It is not a supported feature: recognized debug options
 	// may change any time.
diff --git a/client_test.go b/client_test.go
index de9d43418..9f0eea7ba 100644
--- a/client_test.go
+++ b/client_test.go
@@ -733,7 +733,12 @@ func TestTraceIgnoreStatusCodes(t *testing.T) {
 		statusCode        interface{}
 		expectDrop        bool
 	}{
-		"No ignored codes": {
+		"Default behavior: ignoreStatusCodes = nil, should drop 404s": {
+			statusCode:        404,
+			ignoreStatusCodes: nil,
+			expectDrop:        true,
+		},
+		"Specify No ignored codes": {
 			statusCode:        404,
 			ignoreStatusCodes: [][]int{},
 			expectDrop:        false,
diff --git a/echo/sentryecho_test.go b/echo/sentryecho_test.go
index 03a060589..74f17022e 100644
--- a/echo/sentryecho_test.go
+++ b/echo/sentryecho_test.go
@@ -356,8 +356,9 @@ func TestIntegration(t *testing.T) {
 	transactionsCh := make(chan *sentry.Event, len(tests))
 
 	err := sentry.Init(sentry.ClientOptions{
-		EnableTracing:    true,
-		TracesSampleRate: 1.0,
+		EnableTracing:          true,
+		TracesSampleRate:       1.0,
+		TraceIgnoreStatusCodes: make([][]int, 0), // don't ignore any status codes
 		BeforeSend: func(event *sentry.Event, hint *sentry.EventHint) *sentry.Event {
 			eventsCh <- event
 			return event
diff --git a/gin/sentrygin_test.go b/gin/sentrygin_test.go
index 01dbdff33..51527872f 100644
--- a/gin/sentrygin_test.go
+++ b/gin/sentrygin_test.go
@@ -354,8 +354,9 @@ func TestIntegration(t *testing.T) {
 	eventsCh := make(chan *sentry.Event, len(tests))
 	transactionsCh := make(chan *sentry.Event, len(tests))
 	err := sentry.Init(sentry.ClientOptions{
-		EnableTracing:    true,
-		TracesSampleRate: 1.0,
+		EnableTracing:          true,
+		TracesSampleRate:       1.0,
+		TraceIgnoreStatusCodes: make([][]int, 0), // don't ignore any status codes
 		BeforeSend: func(event *sentry.Event, hint *sentry.EventHint) *sentry.Event {
 			eventsCh <- event
 			return event