‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Release Schedule: Episodes and Time

Vecna‘s return draws ever closer with the upcoming premiere of Stranger Things season 5.

The Hawkins gang is back for one final battle with the monstrous villain from the Upside Down, and the adventure will be epic, with season 5 of the Netflix show consisting of eight action-packed episodes, including one with a special limited engagement in theaters.

“We’ve known for a really long time what the final scene of the show was going to be, which gave us a North Star,” co-creator Matt Duffer told The Hollywood Reporter in November 2025. “But as far as a lot of the details, that was us and our writers following the story and the characters in ways that often surprised us.”

“We want every season to not only have its own identity, but we wanted to swing for the fences. And that’s what we tried to do, season by season,” he explained.

The end of Stranger Things is one of the most highly anticipated pop culture events of the year and the holiday season.

Here’s everything to know about the release schedule for Stranger Things season 5.

When will Stranger Things season 5 be released?

The first four episodes of Stranger Things season 5 premiere on Nov. 26.

The remaining four episodes will be released a few weeks later in late December 2025, more specifically on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.

Season 4 followed a similar strategy, releasing in two volumes in May 2022 and July 2022, respectively.

How many episodes are in Stranger Things season 5?

Stranger Things season 5 will consist of eight episodes, matching the previous seasons, which all had eight or nine episodes.

“We do every last remaining thing we wanted to do with the Demogorgons and Mind Flayer and Vecna and the Upside Down and Hawkins and these characters,” Matt teased to Variety in October 2025, when discussing the final batch of episodes.

What is the Stranger Things episode release schedule?

Get ready to spend the holidays in Hawkins! Stranger Things season 5 will be released in three volumes, debuting on Thanksgiving Eve, Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve.

Here’s the episode release schedule for Stranger Things season 5:

Nov. 26:

• Episode 1: “The Crawl”
• Episode 2: “The Vanishing of …”
• Episode 3: “The Turnbow Trap”
• Episode 4: “Sorcerer”

Dec. 25:

• Episode 5: “Shock Jock”
• Episode 6: “Escape From Camazotz”
• Episode 7: “The Bridge”

Dec. 31:

• Episode 8: “The Rightside Up”

What time do Stranger Things season 5 episodes come out?

The new episodes of Stranger Things will premiere at 8 p.m. ET/5 p.m. PT on each of the three release dates: Nov. 26, Dec. 25 and Dec. 31.

The year will end with the final episode of Stranger Things, nearly 10 years after the series premiere in July 2016.

After a decade filled with Demogorgons, the fact that the fantasy sci-fi series will not return will take some adjusting for both fans and the creators.

“When we finish a season, there’s always the safety net of ‘Oh, we get to go back to these characters,’ ” co-creator Ross Duffer told Variety. “That is going to be the hardest thing to adjust to, when it’s January 1 and it’s like, ‘Oh, we don’t have that!’ ”

Which episodes of Stranger Things season 5 will be in theaters?

The Stranger Things series finale, titled “The Rightside Up,” will be released in select theaters on Dec. 31.

“We’re beyond excited that fans will have the chance to experience the final episode of Stranger Things in theaters — it’s something we’ve dreamed about for years, and we’re so grateful to … everyone at Netflix for making it happen,” series creators Matt and Ross told Tudum.

“Getting to see it on the big screen, with incredible sound, picture, and a room full of fans, feels like the perfect — dare we say bitchin’ — way to celebrate the end of this adventure,” they added.

According to Netflix, the episode will be screened in more than 350 theaters in the U.S. and Canada at 8 p.m. ET, the same time it drops on the streaming service.

The finale will run in theaters through Jan. 1.