‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Release Dates, Cast, Plot and Everything We Know So Far

After three years of waiting, the fifth and final season of Netflix‘s Stranger Things is set to premiere on November 26, 2025, as devoted fans prepare to say goodbye to the Hawkins gang and the sci-fi horror hit. Eleven, Hopper, and the rest of the courageous heroes are preparing to take their final stand against the malevolent Vecna and return order to their small Indiana town and the world once and for all.

The groundbreaking series first debuted in 2016 and captivated audiences worldwide with its immersive world-building, phenomenal cast and characters, and stellar writing. The Duffer Brothers brilliantly pay homage to the movies, shows, music, and pop culture of the ’80s throughout the series. The concluding installment will be split into three parts, with the series finale scheduled to drop on New Year’s Eve 2025. Let’s take a look at everything we know so far about the fifth and final season of Stranger Things.

What Is the Premise of ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5?

The fifth and final season of the sci-fi horror juggernaut will experience an 18-month time jump, set in the fall of 1987. It will once again focus on Hawkins as it deals with the devastating aftermath of the opening of the Rifts, which led the government to place it under military quarantine. Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) is forced into hiding as the search for her intensifies, but she and her friends must track down Vecna before he causes more carnage. Series creators Matt and Ross Duffer revealed that one of the main objectives of the final season is to honor the characters who have been staples since the very beginning, with Ross telling Variety:

“Just as important as the supernatural, we have so many characters now, most of whom are still living. It’s important to wrap up those arcs because a lot of these characters have been growing since Season 1. So, it’s a balancing act between giving them time to complete their character arcs and also tying up these loose ends and doing our final reveals.”

According to the duo’s interview with Collider, Will (Noah Schnapp) will be the “primary focus” in the highly anticipated installment, and all the final episodes will “circle back to season one.” Likewise, Eleven’s whereabouts and what she’s been up to over the past 18 months will be a major focal point, as Netflix teased that the character went missing following the deadly showdown in the Season 4 finale. Part of the official logline for the season also teases: “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.” Ross further said of Will’s arc and his fellow characters:

“I think you’ll see that with a couple of the character arcs, not just with Will. But also with Steve and Nancy, and her relationship with Jonathan, where things are not fully resolved. The characters have maybe made steps, like in the case of Will, but that journey isn’t over yet.”

‘Stranger Things’ Season 5: New and Returning Cast Members

The main Hawkins crew will be back to take one last stand against Vecna, with fan-favorites like Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Joe Keery (Steve), and Priah Ferguson (Erica) among the core actors reprising their roles. The final season of Stranger Things will also be adding some new cast members, as Hollywood veteran Linda Hamilton was confirmed to be joining the series as the mysterious scientist Dr. Kay in June 2023. Other fresh faces include Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler, Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow, and Alex Breaux as Lt. Akers, all of whom will help audiences say goodbye to the global Netflix hit after nine years.

Fans may be disappointed to learn that a couple of standout characters from previous seasons will not appear in the finale, as both Eduardo Franco (who played Argyle in Season 4) and Joseph Quinn (the beloved Eddie Munson) are not returning to the Stranger Things universe. In a YouTube interview in January 2024, Franco revealed, “I never got a phone call, so I think that’s it.” Similarly, after years of speculation from devoted viewers and teasing from Quinn himself, the fate of the Metallica-loving Eddie Munson has been officially revealed: he will not be coming back from the grave. Matt Duffer told Empire in October 2025:

“I love that Joe Quinn is toying with people! But no, he’s dead. Joe is so busy anyway, that everyone should know he’s not coming back. He’s shot like five movies since! When the hell has he got time to come and shoot Stranger Things? No, sadly, RIP. He’s fully under that ground.”

Stranger Things Season 5 cast members include:

• Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven
• Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers
• David Harbour as Jim Hopper
• Noah Schnapp as Will Byers
• Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler
• Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson
• Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair
• Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield
• Joe Keery as Steve Harrington
• Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler
• Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley
• Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers
• Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair
• Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna
• Brett Gelman as Murray
• Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler
• Amybeth McNulty as Vickie
• Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler
• Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow
• Alex Breaux as Lt. Akers
• Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay

‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Episodes and Release Schedule

Netflix

The conclusion of Stranger Things will be a bittersweet experience for both new and longtime fans. However, fans will be happy to know that the final season is looking to go out with quite a bang and will feature eight cinematic episodes. The season will be released in three installments: Volume 1 will be available to stream on November 26, 2025; Volume 2 will arrive on Christmas Day; and the series finale will debut on New Year’s Eve 2025, with each volume released at 5:00 p.m. PT.

You will also have the chance to see the final episode on the big screen, as over 350 theaters in both the United States and Canada will be playing the feature-length series finale on both December 31 and January 1. The Duffer Brothers are directing multiple episodes of the last season, and they enlisted the talents of the Oscar-nominated Frank Darabont to helm two installments: “Chapter Three: The Turnbow Trap” and “Chapter Five: Shock Jock.” The episodes are in excellent hands, as Darabont is known for directing popular adaptations of Stephen King classics, including The Shawshank Redemption and The Green Mile, and for developing The Walking Dead.

While attending Netflix’s TV and film preview event in January 2025, the Duffer brothers revealed that they spent an entire year filming the final season and described the experience as “super intense and emotional,” adding that “There was so much crying. The show means so much to all of us, and everyone put their hearts and souls into it.” The duo teased that, though Stranger Things was coming to an end, they still have more stories to tell in the universe and are actually working on potential spinoffs, including an anthology series. Ross Duffer said of the upcoming concluding season:

“By the end, we had captured over 650 hours of footage. So, needless to say, this is our biggest and most ambitious season yet. It’s like eight blockbuster movies. It’s pretty insane.”

Release Date

2016 – 2025

Network

Netflix

Writers

Kate Trefry, Jessie Nickson-Lopez, Jessica Mecklenburg, Alison Tatlock