- Will be the main show's final entry
- Launching in three parts
- First volume arrives in late November
- Volumes 2 arrives in December; finale airs on New Year's Eve / New Year's Day
- Trailers released in July and October
- Core cast set to return
- Plot synopsis and episodes titles revealed
- Other story details teased
- Animated spin-off's title revealed in June
Get ready, nerds, because Stranger Things season 5 is almost here.
The immensely successful Netflix show's final season will premiere on November 26. With its official trailer sending our collective hype levels into overdrive, nobody can wait to see how it ends – and, before Stranger Things makes its final stand on the world's best streaming service, you'll want the complete lowdown on it.
Below, I've rounded up the biggest and latest news on the series' last hurrah, including its release schedule, confirmed cast, plot details, and the franchise's future. Full spoilers follow for Stranger Things season 4. Possible spoilers for season 5 are also discussed, so proceed with caution.
Stranger Things season 5 release date
the fight isn’t over yet. get ready for the epic series finale of STRANGER THINGS.VOL 1 — november 26, 5pm PT*VOL 2 — christmas, 5pm PT*THE FINALE — new year’s eve, 5pm PT**releasing worldwide all at once, date may vary based on your local timezone #TUDUM pic.twitter.com/vv78eN0LRzJune 1, 2025
Stranger Things will return on November 26 in North and South America, and November 27 everywhere else.
It won't air in full, either. During the 2025 edition of its annual Tudum fan event, Netflix revealed Stranger Things season 5 would launch in three parts. Beforehand, Netflix had only confirmed Stranger Things 5 would debut sometime in 2025, which came as a relief as we were worried that season 5 wouldn't arrive until 2026.
Stranger Things season 5 full release schedule
If you skipped past the X/Twitter post in the section above, you'll want to know when season 5's three volumes will arrive and how many episodes they'll contain. Here's everything you need to know:
- Season 5 volume 1 – November 26 / 27; comprises episodes 1 to 4
- Season 5 volume 2 – December 25 / 26; includes episodes 5 to 7
- Season 5 volume 3 – December 31, 2025 / January 1, 2026; only contains the finale
For those wanting to experience the supernatural sci-fi horror show's last-ever episode alongside their fellow fans, Netflix has announced Stranger Things season 5 episode 8 will be available to watch in theaters.
Unfortunately, that only applies in the US and Canada. If you live outside of North America, you'll have to make do with streaming it at home.
Stranger Things season 5 trailer
Stranger Things season 5's first trailer was released in mid-July. You can read my breakdown and discussion of its biggest fan theories via my Stranger Things season 5 trailer launch blog.
That wasn't the first or last footage we've seen. Earlier this year, a Stranger Things 5's date announcement video revealed our first proper look at the show's highly anticipated return.
That followed a behind-the-scenes glimpse at Stranger Things season 5's development in mid-2024. Then, in September, a new season 5 trailer teased one final, danger-filled quest for the Hawkins crew.
And, releasing in time for Halloween 2025, a fright-filled final trailer for Stranger Things 5, which you can view below, dialled the tension up to 11. Well, it would have if Netflix hadn't accidentally leaked season 5's official trailer hours earlier...
Stranger Things season 5 cast: confirmed and rumored
Full spoilers follow for Stranger Things season 4.
Here's the confirmed cast for Stranger Things season 5:
- Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers
- David Harbour as Jim Hopper
- Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven
- Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler
- Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson
- Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair
- Noah Schnapp as Will Byers
- Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield
- Natalie Dyer as Nancy Wheeler
- Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers
- Joe Keery as Steve Harrington
- Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley
- Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair
- Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman
- Jamie Campbell-Bower as Vecna
- Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler
- Amybeth McNulty as Vickie
- Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler
- Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow
- Alex Breaux as Lieutenant Akers
- Linda Hamilton as Doctor Kay
The biggest casting news for this season is that Terminator star Linda Hamilton has joined the Stranger Things 5 ranks. She'll play a gun-toting scientist called Doctor Kay, who's been described as "hyper-intelligent and intimidating" by co-creator Matt Duffer (per Empire magazine).
Last July, we also learned Fisher (Evil Dead Rise), Breaux (Waco: The Aftermath), and up-and-comer Connelly had joined the cast. Fisher will play Holly Wheeler, aka Mike and Nancy's younger sibling, while Connelly and Breaux have been cast as Derek and Lieutenant Akers.
Nell Fisher ("Evil Dead Rise"), Alex Breaux ("Waco: The Aftermath"), and newcomer Jake Connelly have joined the cast of #StrangerThings5! pic.twitter.com/aBI6bIVqHqJuly 15, 2024
Elsewhere, Ted Wheeler (Joe Chrest), Lieutenant Colonel Jack Sullivan (Sherman Augustus), and Suzie (Gabriella Pizzolo) should feature. Doctor Sam Owens' (Paul Reiser) fate is unknown after he was left handcuffed to a pipe in the subterranean Nina Project in season 4. However, I'd be surprised if he isn't part of proceedings.
On the non-returns front, Eduardo Franco has confirmed (per IGN) he won't reprise his role as Argyle. Joseph Quinn's Eddie Munson won't be back, either, following his death in last season's finale. Other season 4 characters in Dmitri Antonov (Tom Wlaschiha) and Yuri Ismaylov (Nikola Duricko) aren't likely to appear, either.
Stranger Things season 5 episode titles and runtimes
Before I take a deep dive into this season's story synopsis and fan theories, you might want to know more about its episode titles and runtimes.
Where the latter are concerned, we only know how long the first four chapters will be. Co-creator Ross Duffer revealed each entry's runtime on Instagram in mid-October (see above).
Outside of that quartet, Maya Hawke, who plays Robin Buckley, has teased that Stranger Things 5 will test our runtime limits because "basically, eight movies" have been filmed. Season 5's 12-month shoot yielded 650-plus hours of footage, too, which has been whittled down for its "blockbuster movie" episodes, according to the Duffer brothers.
Meanwhile, the season 5 premiere title, aka 'The Crawl', was unveiled in mid-2022 and sparked four big theories on what Stranger Things 5's first episode title could mean. The other seven were unveiled last November and you can check out their titles, plus any confirmed runtimes, below:
- Episode 1 – The Crawl (68 minutes)
- Episode 2 – The Vanishing Of [Redacted] (54 minutes)
- Episode 3 – The Turnbow Trap (66 minutes)
- Episode 4 – Sorcerer (83 minutes)
- Episode 5 – Shock Jock (TBC)
- Episode 6 – Escape From Camazotz (TBC)
- Episode 7 – The Bridge (TBC)
- Episode 8 – The Rightside Up (TBC)
Stranger Things season 5 story synopsis and speculation
Full spoilers follow for Stranger Things season 4. Potential season 5 spoilers are also discussed.
Here's Stranger Things season 5's plot brief: "The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But, he has vanished – his whereabouts and plans unknown.
"Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming – and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone – the full party – standing together, one last time."
That's a pretty lengthy story synopsis, but it doesn't actually remind us what happened in its forebear's final chapter. It's also been over three years since last season ended so, if you need a reminder about what went down last time out, read my Stranger Things season 4 volume 2 ending explained piece.
Memory refreshed? Great, let's take a look at what else the Duffer brothers and the show's cast have teased about Stranger Things 5.
"Our characters are going after Vecna from minute one," Ross Duffer told Stranger Things season 4 volume 2 unlocked episode in July 2022. "We have a lot to do, in terms of a few more revelations, and also we need to make sure we give our characters time to make these final arcs."
To put a stop to his world-ending plan, the show's main characters are already assembled in Hawkins so, while they'll break into smaller groups to cover as much ground as possible, they're still effectively working together.
Speaking on the Happy Sad Confused podcast, Matt Duffer said that was an intentional creative decision, adding: "We want to go back to a lot things we did in season 1 and a lot of the original groupings and pairings that we had."
Vecna, who was severely injured in the season 4 finale, will be far from a pushover in its follow-up, though.
"We’ve been calling him Vecna 2.0, because he’s changed," Matt Duffer told Empire magazine. "He’s stronger and scarier than ever, with new real-world abilities. In Season 4, he was deadly because he could infiltrate your mind and manipulate you in that manner. Now, he can kick your ass in truly violent ways, like Freddy [Kreuger] on steroids."
As season 5's final trailer teased, Vecna will finally get his hands – via his telekinetic powers, anyway – on the Upside Down's most famous victim in Will Byers.
It sounds like Will, erm, will have a huge role to play this season, too, with Noah Schnapp telling Vogue: "There’s a lot in store for Will. It ties back to where it begins, full circle. I’m excited for fans to see where we wrap his character. I think they’ll be really pleased, but also shocked."
Elaborating further in a chat with US magazine, Schnapp said Will is the "center point" of Stranger Things 5, before revealing (via Forbes) that the whole show "ends with Will".
Based on the X/Twitter post below, it could begin with a flashback showing us a de-aged Will or, as seen in a video from Schnapp (post on Ross Duffer's X/Twitter account) showed, a present day Will revisiting Castle Byers, aka his self-erected childhood hideout.
Season 5. Chapter 1. Scene 1. pic.twitter.com/TIkf1DNipuNovember 7, 2023
Ross Duffer corroborated Schnapp's comments in conversation with Variety, adding: "Will really takes center stage again. This emotional arc for him is what we feel is going to hopefully tie the whole series together. Will is used to being the young one, the introverted one, the one that’s being protected. So part of his journey, it’s not just sexuality – it’s Will coming into his own as a young man."
As for other subplots that need resolving, we should find out why the Upside Down is seemingly stuck in 1984. We still don't have all the answers – outside of what's revealed in prequel stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow – about this realm. We're also in the dark about why it's spookier and more dingy than the realm Henry Creel first traveled to, or what The Mind Flayer is. Ross Duffer (per Stranger Things season 4 volume 2's unlocked episode) claims those queries will be answered.
There's also the loose end concerning number eight – aka Kali Prasad. We haven't seen Kali since season 2 and, unlike every other test subject under Doctor Brenner's supervision (who had telekinetic abilities), she had different powers. Why was she the odd one out? And will we see her again?
Who could die in Stranger Things season 5?
As far as I'm concerned, anybody. By all accounts, Stranger Things season 5 sounds like it'll be the deadliest yet, which implies some main characters will perish.
One character whose fate is very uncertain is Max Mayfield. She was left in a coma after Vecna almost killed her in season 4 episode 8 and, as both trailers have shown, she's still unconscious when this season begins.
Before filming commenced on season 5, Sadie Sink, who plays her, said she was in the dark about Max's fate. You can read our thoughts on how Max's story could go one of two ways in Stranger Things season 5.
There are plenty more candidates who might not make it out alive. Eleven could sacrifice herself by using her powers to destroy Vecna and the Upside Down for good. Hopper might give his life to save Eleven in order to give her a life once Vecna and the Upside Down are gone for good, too.
And what about Steve, who was originally supposed to die in season 1 but, due to his ongoing fan popularity, was kept around? Will he finally perish in the fight to end Vecna, or is he one of those who'll surprisingly make it to the end of the show? We'll know for sure once season 5 ends. Speaking of which...
How will Stranger Things season 5 end?
Nobody outside of the cast and crew know, but that hasn't stopped them dropping some hints about the series' last-ever installment.
For starters, the Duffers confirmed they rewrote parts of season 5 (per Netflix Tudum) based on fan feedback, which means it'll end in a different way than originally intended. Thankfully, nothing about season 5's concluding chapter has appeared online, even after Netflix reportedly suffered a major Stranger Things 5 leak in February. For now, then, its biggest secrets are still being kept under wraps.
"It [the season 5 finale] is going to be Return of the King-ish with eight endings," Matt Duffer told a July 2022 edition of the Happy Sad Confused podcast. "If you just watch Return of the King, it feels like too many endings. [But] if you watch all of them back-to-back, which I’ve done multiple times, it’s exactly right. If it were any shorter, it would feel cheap and wrong."
Stranger Things season 5 won't answer every question, either. After all, the Duffers have retconned some early season plot points in later instalments (via Variety), and the pair have since suggested some loose plot threads will be left dangling.
"We didn’t want to tie everything into a perfect bow," Ross Duffer teased in a chat with Empire. "But, I think we answer most questions and resolve every arc. It was our intention to write a definitive ending to this story."
Adding to his brother's comments in a Variety profile piece, Matt Duffer said: "We do every last remaining thing we wanted to do with the Demogorgons and Mind Flayer and Vecna and the Upside Down and Hawkins and these characters. This is a complete story. It’s done."
And what of the show's last-ever episode? Gaten Matarazzo, who plays Dustin, told NME it'll be a "satisfying" and "cathartic" final chapter, while Finn Wolfhard, who plays Mike Wheeler, told People.com that he was "satisfied... confused... and sad" about it.
David Harbour also told THR that the series' final episode is "the best episode they [the Duffers] have done" before teasing how tear-jerking it is. Have a box of tissues at the ready, everyone!
The future of Stranger Things
Stranger Thing 5 is the end of the mainline show, but other projects have expanded and will continue to flesh out its universe.
The first one – a stage play titled Stranger Things: The First Shadow – is set in 1959 and tells the tale of the Creel Family's arrival in Hawkins. It's currently playing on Broadway and, based on a huge plot point it contains, The First Shadow's big lore reveal will need addressing in season 5 for anyone who doesn't get the chance to see it.
As for other projects, an animated spin-off called Stranger Things: Tales From '85 is due out sometime in 2026 and will feature a new supernatural threat for Eleven and company to deal with. A live-action spin-off, which Stranger Things star Finn Wolfhard correctly guessed the outline of, is also thought to be in development.
Wherever the franchise goes next, though it'll largely be without the Duffer brothers. Per The Hollywood Reporter, the siblings recently penned a four-year deal with Paramount, thus bringing their exclusive decade-long association with Netflix to a close.
Other Netflix projects of theirs, Stranger Things or otherwise, will still launch on the platform. They'll be involved as executive producers on future Stranger Things productions, too. Once their Netflix contracts end in April 2026, though, it'll be up to other creatives to lead the charge with this franchise.
For more Netflix-based coverage, read our guides on Bridgerton season 4, One Piece season 2, 3 Body Problem season 2, and Avatar: The Last Airbender season 2.
