The first batch of Stranger Things season 5 episodes has landed on Netflix, kicking off the final season of one of the best sci-fi series with a bang. However, the story isn't over yet, as thanks to the season's staggered release, we've still got volume 2 to come, followed by the final episode landing on the site and in theaters on New Year's Day.
Set 18 months after season 4, Stranger Things season 5 picks up with Hawkins in military lockdown, whilst Eleven hides from the soldiers and prepares to take on Vecna one last time. However, did we really think that the Duffer brothers would end one of the best shows on Netflix without throwing a few more spanners in the works? Not only does volume 1 reunite us with our favorite faces, but we also see Demogorgon fights, a whole bunch of kidnappings, and one character even gains powers. But more on that later.
Stranger Things season 5 release date
Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 hit Netflix on November 26, 2025, with volume 2 landing on Christmas Day, and the Finale on New Year's Day.
The final chapter of the show has been a long time coming, and the initial release period seemed to be delayed a fair few times. However, fans were overjoyed when the first set of episodes arrived at the end of November 2025. Now the rest of the season will take over the festive period, with the final episode getting a theatrical release.
Stranger Things season 5 reviews
As season 5 is releasing in three sections, each launch is getting its own batch of reviews, so we only know how critics have received volume 1 for now. In our Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 review, we call the first four episodes an "insanely ambitious" start "with blockbuster set-pieces, riveting twists, heartbreaking performances, and a cliffhanger that will make you wish it was Christmas Day already."
The season currently stands at an 84% score on Rotten Tomatoes. That makes the final season the lowest-rated so far, but we are only less than halfway in, so that may well change. Roll on December 25.
Is Stranger Things season 5 the final season?
Yes, Starnger Things season 5 is the fina season of the series. In terms of Eleven, her friends at Hawkins, and the Upside Down, Stranger Things season 5 will be the last chapter in this story. In an interview with SFX Magazine, Matt and Ross Duffer said the "book is closed" on the series as we know it. "This really is the end of the story of Eleven and Mike and Lucas and Dustin and Steve, and Hawkins specifically." But that doesn't mean it's the last Netflix series that will be set in the Stranger Things universe.
When announcing the looming end of the Netflix show, the Duffer Brothers hinted at a potential spin-off series: "There are still many more exciting stories to tell within the world of Stranger Things. New mysteries, new adventures, new unexpected heroes."
It was revealed earlier this year that the Duffer brothers would be jumping ship from Netflix to Paramount, but they won't be abandoning the long-mooted Stranger Things spin-off, with the brothers even offering a rare update, claiming that the spin-off won't expand the Stranger Things Universe's "insanely convoluted mythology” but instead “live in a bit of a different world,” with "connective tissue" to the original show.
But we do know that a Stranger Things animated series, produced by the Duffer brothers, is on the way, titled Stranger Things: Tales From '85. In celebration of Stranger Things Day 2025, Netflix released the first look at the series, showing animated, younger versions of Eleven, Will, Dustin, Mike, Lucas, and Max. However, the original cast will not be returning to voice the characters.
Stranger Things season 5 trailer
Netflix dropped the official, full-length Stranger Things season 5 trailer on October 30, which you can see above.
The video opens with Mike talking about how awful it is to be "stuck" in military quarantine, which is in place to stop the Upside Down from leaking beyond Hawkins. But it's not enough to stop Vecna. In a montage, we see glimpses of the epic battle from volume 1. However, fans have since spotted that the trailer also includes clips from volume 2, so we have all of that to look forward to. We should also be getting a standalone trailer for volume 2 pretty soon, just as Netflix released one for volume 1.
The full list of episode titles is:
- Stranger Things season 5 episode 1: 'The Crawl' - out now!
- Stranger Things season 5 episode 2: 'The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler' - out now!
- Stranger Things season 5 episode 3: 'The Turnbow Trap' - out now!
- Stranger Things season 5 episode 4: 'Sorcerer' - out now!
- Stranger Things season 5 episode 5: 'Shock Jock'
- Stranger Things season 5 episode 6: 'Escape From Camazotz'
- Stranger Things season 5 episode 7: 'The Bridge'
- Stranger Things season 5 episode 8: 'The Rightside Up'
Stranger Things season 5 plot
In the run-up to Season 5 hitting Netflix, the streamer and series creators, the Duffer brothers, kept very tight-lipped on plot details. Netflix released a synopsis, which reads, "Scarred by the opening of the Rifts, our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished – his whereabouts and plans unknown, 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."
However, it is clear that the descripipn above only covers what happens in volume 1, leaving the rest of the season wide open. Volume 2 lands on Netflix almost one month after volume 2 hit screens. This means you may need a little refresher on the first four episodes before diving into part 2. Don't worry, that's where we come in.
Warning, the following section contains major spoilers for Stranger Things season 5 volume 1.
Stranger Things season 5 takes place 18 months after the events of season 4, where we saw every group in Nevada, Indiana, and Russia, respectively, teaming up to take down Vecna. However, as Will states towards the end of episode 9, Vecna is far from defeated, and the gate to the Upside Down is still very much open.
Season 5 volume 1 picks up with Hawkins under military lockdown, where soldiers are stationed at Hawkins Lab, where they are investigating the Upside Down under the orders of one Dr. Kay. But our Hawkins heroes have a way to bypass this and take on operations of their own. Using their new radio show, Steve and Robin are able to communicate with Hopper, Eleven, and the rest of the gang to let them know when the military is opening their mock-up gate to the Upside Down. In one of their drills, Hopper enters the Upside Down, but ends up getting stuck down there, leaving Eleven no choice but to rescue him.
Meanwhile, Mike and Nancy's little sister Holly has been talking to an imaginary friend called Mr. Whatsit, who turns out to be Vecna. Holly is taken to the Upside Down by a Demogorgon, and Karen and Ted Wheeler are harmed in the process. However, despite Vecna keeping Holly's body hooked up in the Upside Down (just like he did with Will in 1983), Holly's subconscious is held inside Henry Creel's mindscape, which is stuck in the '50s. The twist is that's where Max is, too, and has been ever since she was put in a coma at the end of season 4. Max tells Holly who Henry really is, and explains that the only place she is safe i his mind is inside a mysterious cave.
Down below, Hopper and Eleven are still stuck in the Upside Down, where they find a tall, fleshy wall. With help from Dustin, who drove into the Upside Down with Steve, Nancy, and Jonathan, we learn that the wall actually surrounds the Hawkins Lab, where the military is testing on creatures and keeping number Eight hostage, connected to lots of tubes, presumably using her power to open and close the gate.
During this time, Will Byers is investigating Holly's disappearance, and finds out that she was taken by the same 'imaginary friend' who has been trying to manipulate a whole bunch of kids from Holly's class in the same way. The military catches wind of this and rounds up the kids. However, Will, Mike, and Lucas infiltrate the barracks and try and save the kids before the Demogorgons come for them.
Volume 1 comes to a fiery end when Vecna makes his dramatic entrance from the Upside Down into Hawkins. He tells Will of his evil plan to take twelve "weak" and easily controlled" children from Hawkins to use as "perfect vessels" in order to take over the world. He says Will showed him this was possible ll of those years earlier. Whilst this conversation is happening, the Demogorgons kidnap the children and take them to the Upside Down. However, before the creatures can kill Joyce, Lucas, Mike, and more, Will is able to harness Vecna's powers anf destroy them. Check out our Stranger Things season 5 volume 1 ending explained for more on that.
So, what does this mean for the rest of season 5? It is not clear how the series will end at this stage, but volume 1 sure does open up a lot of possibilities.
Now that Will has powers, there is a chance he may be the one to destroy Vecna, or he could become just as evil. One thing is for sure: we will finally learn what the Upside Down is, as this is something the Duffers say they have been planning for a decade now. Volume 1 confirms that Will still has a connection to the Upside Down, and draws a strange diagram from his memories. Fans have since theorised that the diagram looks rather like a wormhole. Could the Upside Down be some kind of time machine?
Another glaringly obvious detail is how the season is starting to connect with the stage show, Stranger Things: The First Shadow. In Vecna's mindscape, Max is pulled into a memory from 1959, where Joyce Byers is handing out flyers for a play starring Henry, Hopper, and more. This play is at the centre of the stage show, but volume 1 confirmed that it took place on November 6, exactly 24 years before Vecna took Will Byers. Also, whilst in Henry's mind, Max comes across a cave, which Vecna is terrified of. In First Shadow, we learn that when Henry was a young boy, he went missing for a short while and was found wounded by a cave system. Could this be the monster's kryptonite? We will have to wait and see.
Stranger Things season 5 cast
Stranger Things season 5 welcomes back Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven, Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler, Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield, Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair, Noah Schnapp as Will Byers, Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson, Maya Hawke asRobin Buckley, Joe Keery as Steve Harrington, Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler, Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers,, Brett Gelman as Murray Bauma, Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair, Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler, Amybeth McNulty as Vickie, David Harbour as Jim Hopper, Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers, and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna/Henry Creel/One.
The final season adds some new faces too, such as Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay, Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler, Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow, and Alex Breaux as Lieutenant Robert Akers.
For more on what to watch, check out our guides to the best Netflix movies and the best sci-fi movies on Netflix.
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