STRANGER Things is one of the biggest TV shows in the world, with fans rushing to binge the latest instalment.
It’s been over three years since season 4 came out, but devotees’ prayers have been answered, as the final episodes of the hotly anticipated sci-fi have started to drop.
Stranger Things fans were so keen to catch up on the latest in the story of Hawkins that they seemingly broke Netflix altogether on launch night.
The streaming site crashed minutes after the release of season five.
The ‘outage’ only lasted a matter of minutes though, and before long fans could get stuck into back-to-back episodes.
How can I watch Stranger Things Season 5?
On November 27, 2025, the first part of season 5 (episodes 1-4) dropped on Netflix.
The cast began filming it all the way back in January 2024, but the final cut didn’t make its way onto the streaming giant until late the next year.
The Duffer brothers planned the finale story a decade ago, and they have said they always intended to end the show after four or five seasons.
Stranger Things season 5, Volume 1 dropped on Thursday, November 27, 2025, at 1am (November 26, at 8pm ET).
It might seem like an odd time in the UK, but it premieres at the same time everywhere in the world, so 5pm in Seattle, or 9am in Singapore.
When is Volume 2 of Stranger Things Season 5 dropping?
Stranger Things season 5, Volume 2 (episodes 5-7) was released on Netflix on Boxing day – December 26, 2025, at 1am (December 25, at 8pm. ET).
But even this is not the final showdown for the scary story.
Volume 3 (episode 8, the grand finale), which will finally bring the almost decade-long series to its epic conclusion, will land on Netflix on January 1, at 1am (December 31, at 8pm ET).
How long is Stranger Things final episode?
The feature-length final episode of Stranger Things Season 5, titled The Rightside Up, runs for a whopping two hours and five minutes.
Netflix has officially confirmed this extended duration, allowing for an epic conclusion to the sensational show’s swansong series.
The final episode is also screening in select UK cinemas, coinciding with its Netflix streaming release.
How did Stranger Things Season 4 end?
Season 4 of Stranger Things saw the introduction of Vecna, and the gang being faced with the upside down yet again.
Vecna is a monster that gets into your head – he finds your darkest traumas and makes you relive them before making you die in a brutal fashion.
His victim’s bones are broken and their eyes gouged out after he makes them levitate.
With yet another tragedy befalling the town of Hawkins, the town turns to conspiracy.
After a local cheerleader is murdered by Vecna, Hawkins places blame on new character Eddie Munson played by Joseph Quinn.
Eddie becomes part of the Stranger Things crew quickly which makes it even sadder when he dies in the last episode.
He dies in the upside down, distracting Vecna and buying his friends crucial time to escape.
Eleven has regained her powers after a chilling reintroduction to Papa, the man who controlled her life in the leadup to season 1 of the show.
In the last episode, Eleven – along with Mike, Will and Jonathan – are reunited with their friends in Hawkins after some intense adventures in California which also served to help defeat Vecna.
At the end of season 3 we all thought Hopper was dead.
We were quickly caught up and shown he was very much alive and in a Russian prison.
Joyce and Murray’s story sees them rescuing Hopper.
So, the gang are all back together but the series ended on a dark note, one that says the upside down has not yet been defeated.
How can I watch Stranger Things?
Stranger Things is available on Netflix on any plan.
You can also catch up on seasons 1-4 there ahead of the release of Season 5, Volume 3.
