Stranger Things is back to close its epic story with a bang. Netflix has officially announced that the fifth and final season of its beloved sci-fi horror series will be released in three volumes:
-
Volume 1: November 26, 2025
-
Volume 2: December 25, 2025
-
Volume 3: December 31, 2025
The announcement was made during the Tudum 2025 event alongside a nostalgic trailer that recaps key events from the previous seasons and teases the chaos to come in Hawkins.
Season 4 Recap: What You Need to Remember
Released in the summer of 2022, Stranger Things Season 4 unraveled the dark origins of the Upside Down. In 1979, Henry Creel — the first of Dr. Brenner’s experiments — killed the other test subjects, only to be banished by Eleven into the dimension that later became the Upside Down. Over time, he transformed into Vecna, a powerful villain bent on merging both worlds by opening four gates via ritualistic murders.
One of his targets was Max Mayfield, who temporarily died during his attack, triggering the fourth gate. Though Eleven revived her, Max remains in a coma, and Vecna is still alive. Hawkins is on the brink of collapse as the Upside Down begins to bleed into reality.
What We Know About Season 5
Set in fall 1987, a year and a half after the Season 4 finale, Season 5 promises a darker, more cinematic experience. Plot details remain under tight wraps, but expect high-stakes confrontations, emotional farewells, and the final showdown between Eleven and Vecna.
The season consists of eight supersized episodes, which Maya Hawke described as “basically eight movies.” The episode titles are:
-
The Crawl
-
The Vanishing of ___
-
The Turnbow Trap
-
Sorcerer
-
Shock Jock
-
Escape from Camazotz
-
The Bridge
-
The Rightside Up
See More ...
Season 5 Cast and Crew
All main characters will return, including:
-
Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven)
-
Finn Wolfhard (Mike Wheeler)
-
Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin)
-
Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas)
-
Noah Schnapp (Will Byers)
-
Sadie Sink (Max Mayfield)
-
Winona Ryder (Joyce Byers)
-
David Harbour (Jim Hopper)
Additional cast includes Joe Keery, Maya Hawke, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, and Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna. Excitingly, ’80s icon Linda Hamilton joins the cast in a mysterious new role.
The Duffer Brothers return as showrunners, with episodes also directed by Shawn Levy, Dan Trachtenberg, and Frank Darabont, who comes out of retirement for this final season.
What Comes After the Final Season?
While Season 5 marks the end of the original Stranger Things series, the franchise continues to grow:
-
Stranger Things: The First Shadow, a stage play prequel, is running on Broadway through 2026.
-
A new animated series inspired by ’80s cartoons is in development.
-
A live-action spinoff is also in the works, though details remain under wraps.
