Stranger Things season 5 is coming in three parts this holiday season – and a terrifying first look at Netflix Tudum teases the highest stakes yet

Eleven holding out her hand in Stranger Things
(Image credit: Netflix)

Stranger Things season 5 finally has a release date and some new footage - and we are so ready.

Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, and Finn Wolfhard took the Tudum stage to introduce the first trailer for season 5, which was mostly a montage of clips from seasons 1-4 - before ending on a few seconds of new footage, which sees Will Byers yelling "Run!" as officials have their guns pointed at something terrifying that's about to burst out of the ground (and to be quite honest it looks just like the fires of hell).

The brief clip, which you can view below, includes the following release dates: Part 1: November 26; Part 2: Christmas; Finale: New Year's Day. Sheesh.

The trio also showed some behind-the-scenes footage dating all the way back to 2016. Gaten Matarazzo appeared via video to introduce his favorite scene, which was the graveyard scene with Max in season 4. Millie Bobby Brown also appeared via video to introduce a cheeky scene from season 4 where Eleven is moving helicopters with her powers.

Stranger Things season 5 marks the show's final season after first hitting Netflix in 2016. The series is one of the biggest shows on the streaming platform. Each episode of season 4 was shot like its own hour-long movie, with season 5 following suit - which explains why it's taken such a long time to hit the streamer. The final season will consist of eight episodes, with the first one titled, "Chapter One: Crawl."

To refresh your memory, season 4 ended with Vecna being defeated - but only kinda sorta. You might remember that final shot of Eleven and co. standing in a field as The Upside Down leaks into Hawkins and begins to destroy all of the nature and vegetation. The feds are also after Eleven, which explains those missing posters that hit the internet last year.

The returning cast includes Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Finn Wolfhard, Millie Bobby Brown, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Priah Ferguson, Cara Buono, and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna.

Amybeth McNulty is set to return as a series regular, promoted from guest star, with action movie icon Linda Hamilton cast in an undisclosed starring role.

For more, check out our list of the best Netflix shows and the best Netflix movies to stream right now.

Lauren Milici
Senior Writer, Tv & Film

Lauren Milici is a Senior Entertainment Writer for GamesRadar+ currently based in the Midwest. She previously reported on breaking news for The Independent's Indy100 and created TV and film listicles for Ranker. Her work has been published in Fandom, Nerdist, Paste Magazine, Vulture, PopSugar, Fangoria, and more.

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