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  1. Entertainment
  2. TV
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  4. Stranger Things

Stranger Things season 5 remaining runtimes confirmed, and the final episode is now 3 minutes longer than previously announced

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By Jordan Farley published 23 December 2025

The end is near for Stranger Things

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Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna in Stranger Things season 5 volume 2, in the Upside Down
(Image credit: Netflix)
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With just over a week to go until the final episode of Stranger Things season 5 hits Netflix (and select theaters), series co-creator Ross Duffer has officially confirmed the runtimes of all four remaining episodes. And, let's just say all those snacks lying around the house for Christmas are going to come in handy.

The headline news is that the final episode, 'The Rightside Up', which is streaming from December 31, clocks in at a whopping 128 minutes. Netflix previously announced that Stranger Things' send-off would be 125 minutes, meaning the runtime has been extended by 3 minutes at some point in the last three weeks. Now, this could be a simple oversight, or perhaps that trailer-length extension is a hint we'll be getting a glimpse at next year's animated spin-off show, Stranger Things: Tales from '85, after the credits roll.

All three Volume 2 episodes, which drop on December 25, clock in at over an hour each, it's been confirmed. Episode 5, titled 'Shock Jock,' is 68 minutes long, Episode 6, 'Escape from Camazotz,' is Volume 2's beefiest at 75 minutes, and Episode 7, 'The Bridge,' is 66 minutes. This means that season 5, in total, will run at just over 10 hours. The bumper fourth season, for comparison, was over 13 hours long.

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The Stranger Things Volume 2 teaser dropped earlier this month and has viewers more worried than ever that fan-favorite character Steve Harrington will die. That may explain why the show's creators, the Duffer Brothers, said "It's gonna be a long six-day wait for the finale" following the release of Volume 2. And if you can't wait a mere two days for those new episodes, the first clip from Volume 2, featuring a plan to take down Vecna, is already online.

Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 is streaming now on Netflix. If you need a refresher ahead of Volume 2, check out or Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 ending explained, and make sure you're there the moment the episodes drop by referring to our Stranger Things season 5 release schedule.

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Jordan Farley
Jordan Farley
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Managing Editor, Entertainment

I'm the Managing Editor, Entertainment here at GamesRadar+, overseeing the site's film and TV coverage. In a previous life as a print dinosaur, I was the Deputy Editor of Total Film magazine, and the news editor at SFX magazine. Fun fact: two of my favourite films released on the same day - Blade Runner and The Thing.

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