Stranger Things season 5 debuts to strong but series-low Rotten Tomatoes score, and it's over 10% lower than season 1

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Stranger Things season 5 is proving a hit with critics, but not as much as earlier seasons

Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5
(Image credit: Netflix)

Stranger Things season 5 has finally landed – well, part of it has, anyway. Volume 1 is streaming on Netflix at this very moment, and reviews are coming in for the first batch of episodes of Stranger Things' final outing.

At the time of writing, Stranger Things season 5 sits at 86% on Rotten Tomatoes, though we expect that score to change as more reviews come in (and again when Volume 2 and the finale arrive). As it stands, though, that's a series-low score: down over 10% from season 1's 97%, and down from season 2's 94% and season 3 and 4's 89%.

It's not all positive, however, with The Atlantic's review reading: "I found the first four episodes largely joyless and grim... If Stranger Things can locate more of [its] humanity in its last few episodes, it'll be much easier to swallow everything else it’s trying to sell us."

Similarly, Vulture writes: "A few well-acted set pieces can't offset the sense that Stranger Things is less scary and less singular at a point when it should be reaching its Mount Doom–like peak."

Molly Edwards
Molly Edwards
Deputy Entertainment Editor

I'm the Deputy Entertainment Editor here at GamesRadar+, covering all things film and TV for the site's Total Film and SFX sections. 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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