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After a record-breaking premiere, Stranger Things season 5 viewership plunges by 60% in week 2

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By Molly Edwards published 10 December 2025

It looks like everyone watched Stranger Things season 5 in the first week

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Will Byers and Vecna in Stranger Things season 5
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While Stranger Things season 5 debuted with massive viewership, its numbers plunged in its second week on Netflix.

As pointed out by What's On Netflix (and per Netflix's own viewing figures), the sci-fi show's viewership dropped from its huge 59.6 million premiere week figure to 23.6 million in its second week (December 1 to December 7).

That doesn't necessarily spell doom for the show, of course, since it likely just means that almost everyone watched the new episodes in their first week streaming. There are two more releases still to come for the final season, too, with Volume 2 landing on December 25, and the finale streaming on December 31.

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Stranger Things season 5's premiere clocked in as the biggest premiere week ever for an English-language show (Korean-language thriller Squid Game season 3 drew 60.1 million views in its first three days of streaming earlier this year). Stranger Things season 4 finished its run with 140.7 million views, so it remains to be seen if season 5 can beat it.

In our Stranger Things season 5, part 1 review, we gave the show four stars, with our verdict reading: "After a three-year wait, Volume 1 of the fifth and final season of Stranger Things doesn't disappoint, with blockbuster set-pieces, riveting twists, heartbreaking performances, and a cliffhanger that will make you wish it was Christmas Day already. Roll on Volume 2."

You can keep up to date with our Stranger Things season 5 release schedule, or catch up on what's already happened with our Stranger Things season 5, part 1 ending explained.

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Molly Edwards
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I'm a Senior Entertainment Writer here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film section. I previously worked on the Disney magazines team at Immediate Media, and also wrote on the CBeebies, MEGA!, and Star Wars Galaxy titles after graduating with a BA in English.

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