With the fifth and final season of Stranger Things on the way, let’s remember everything that’s happened in Hawkins. Created by the Duffer Brothers, this popular sci-fi show premiered on Netflix in 2016 and quickly became one of the platform’s biggest hits.
From the start, Stranger Things quickly became popular by blending scary moments, fantastical elements, science fiction, a strong sense of 1980s nostalgia, and characters viewers could connect with. After four seasons of thrilling adventures in Hawkins and the mysterious Upside Down, Stranger Things is wrapping up with a fifth and final season. Here’s what you should know before it arrives.
Where To Watch All Seasons Of Stranger Things
One of the main reasons people love streaming services is the unique shows and movies they offer—content you can’t find anywhere else. Netflix has become known for its original programming, with some successes and some misses. A prime example of their hit shows is Stranger Things.
Since Stranger Things is a Netflix original, you can only watch all of its seasons on Netflix. After you finish season 2, you can also watch Beyond Stranger Things, a special aftershow that dives deeper into the season.
How Many Stranger Things Episodes There Are
The number of episodes in each season of Stranger Things varies. Season one has eight episodes, season two has nine, and season three returns to eight.
The fourth season of Stranger Things was released in two volumes – the first with seven episodes and the second with just two. The upcoming fifth season will also be released in stages, but this time as three parts. The first volume will have four episodes, the second will have three, and then the final two episodes will air a few days later to conclude the series.
If you want to get ready for the fifth season of Stranger Things, you’ll need to watch 34 episodes. After the final season is released, the show will have a total of 42 episodes.
| Stranger Things Season | Episodes | Date of Release |
|---|---|---|
| Season 1 | 8 | July 15, 2016 |
| Season 2 | 9 | October 27, 2017 |
| Season 3 | 8 | July 4, 2019 |
| Season 4 | 9 | Vol 1. May 27, 2022, Vol. 2. July 1, 2022 |
| Season 5 | 8 | Vol 1. November 26, 2025, Vol. 2. December 25, 2025, Series Finale December 31, 2025 |
When Stranger Things Season 5 Comes Out On Netflix – Episode Release Schedule & Runtimes
Netflix
As we’ve already discussed, the fifth and final season of Stranger Things is taking a new approach to its release. Similar to what happened with season 4 and other Netflix shows, the new season won’t be available all at once. The first part, consisting of four episodes, will premiere on November 26, 2025.
The final season of Stranger Things will be released in two parts. Volume 2, consisting of three episodes, will be available on December 25, 2025, as a special Christmas gift to fans. The very last episode of the series will then arrive on December 31, 2025. Both volumes and the finale will be released on Netflix at 5 pm Pacific Time / 8 pm Eastern Time.
Episodes in season 5 vary in length from about 50 minutes to 90 minutes. The finale will be particularly long – even longer than any previous episode, almost like a full-length movie.
| Stranger Things Season 5 | Release Date | Runtime |
|---|---|---|
| Chapter One: The Crawl | November 26, 2025 | 1 hour, 8 minutes |
| Chapter Two: The Vanishing of… | November 26, 2025 | 54 minutes |
| Chapter Three: The Turnbow Trap | November 26, 2025 | 1 hour, 6 minutes |
| Chapter Four: Sorcerer | November 26, 2025 | 1 hour, 23 minutes |
| Chapter Five: Shock Jock | December 25, 2025 | TBC |
| Chapter Six: Escape from Camazotz | December 25, 2025 | TBC |
| Chapter Seven: The Bridge | December 25, 2025 | TBC |
| Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up | December 31, 2025 | around two hours |
Stranger Things Recap: What Happened In Seasons 1-4
Stranger Things Season 1
The story of Stranger Things starts with the vanishing of Will Byers on November 6, 1983, in Hawkins, Indiana. His disappearance happened at the same time scientists at the Hawkins National Laboratory unintentionally opened a doorway to another dimension, releasing a terrifying creature into our world.
I remember when Will disappeared – it happened right after he came home from playing Dungeons & Dragons. The kids later started calling the thing that took him the “Demogorgon.” Everyone started searching for him, the police and Will’s mom, Joyce, especially. At first, Chief Hopper seemed pretty distant from the case, but he quickly became totally involved in trying to find Will.
While everyone was searching for Will, Mike and his friends found a young girl who had escaped from Hawkins Lab. This girl, named Eleven, had special powers that scientists at the lab were trying to control, so Mike decided to hide her at his house.
Thanks to her, the children discovered that Will had been taken to a strange, alternate dimension they named “the Upside Down.” Joyce and Hopper also found out about this place, as well as Eleven and the creature called the Demogorgon. They bravely entered the Upside Down to try and save Will. While they were successful in rescuing him, the season hinted that Will had been changed by his experience.
Stranger Things Season 2
By the fall of 1984, a year after the events that traumatized him, Will was still adjusting to everyday life. Meanwhile, Hopper was looking into a strange illness spreading through the town. At the same time, Will began experiencing frightening episodes where he’d unexpectedly find himself back in the terrifying Upside Down, feeling as though something from that dimension was controlling him.
While Will was being cared for by Dr. Owens, his friends, Steve, and a new student named Max, encountered the Demodogs. At the same time, Nancy and Jonathan met Murray Bauman. Elsewhere, Eleven was secretly staying at Hopper’s cabin, and in what many fans consider the show’s weakest episode, she connected with another person who had been experimented on at Hawkins Lab, named Kali.
It was revealed that Will had been controlled by the Mind Flayer. During the attack on the lab by Demodogs, Joyce, Jonathan, and Mike were able to free him from the Mind Flayer’s influence. Following this, Hopper officially adopted Eleven, allowing her to live openly without hiding.
Stranger Things Season 3
As a huge fan, I remember season 3 of Stranger Things being a real turning point. It was set in the summer of ’85 and introduced this creepy Russian storyline, which was totally unexpected! Plus, the new Starcourt Mall was a fantastic setting. What I found really interesting was how the group split up to handle everything – not only were they fighting the Russians, but Billy, Max’s stepbrother, got possessed by the Mind Flayer, adding even more to the chaos. It felt like a lot to juggle, but it made for a super compelling season.
The Mind Flayer, using Billy, possessed many people in Hawkins and grew into a massive creature. This forced a group of kids and teens – including Robin – to confront it at the newly built Starcourt Mall. Unbeknownst to them, a secret Russian base lay beneath the mall, where scientists were trying to create another gateway to the Upside Down.
In the third season of Stranger Things, Eleven and her friends managed to defeat the Mind Flayer, but Eleven lost her powers as a result. Meanwhile, Hopper and Joyce worked to close the gate to the Upside Down at a Russian base, and Hopper seemingly disappeared in the process. The season concluded with Joyce, Jonathan, Will, and Eleven moving to California to start a new life while grieving Hopper’s presumed death.
Stranger Things Season 4
Season 4 of Stranger Things took place in the spring of 1986 and followed the characters as they were divided into three groups. One group, based in Hawkins, was trying to help Eddie Munson, the leader of their school’s Hellfire Club, after he was wrongly accused of murdering Chrissy. Chrissy had been killed by a mysterious creature right in front of Eddie.
Max was deeply affected by Billy’s death and began experiencing frightening hallucinations, feeling like something was hunting her. These events, along with Chrissy’s murder and other violent crimes in Hawkins, were all connected. The person responsible turned out to be Vecna (played by Jamie Campbell Bower), and he was now focused on Max as his next victim.
Henry Creel, who later became known as Vecna, was the first test subject at Hawkins Lab. He had powerful psychic abilities and used them to murder his family. Dr. Brenner then used Henry as a model for his experiments on other children, including Eleven. Eleven ultimately defeated Henry and sent him to the Upside Down, a desolate dimension that, at the time, was inhabited only by creatures like demobats, demogorgons, and the Mind Flayer.
Over time, Henry transformed into a monster, becoming the powerful ruler of the Upside Down. He was the one responsible for all the strange and frightening events that have plagued Hawkins since the beginning of the series.
While Eleven was recovering her powers at a hidden facility under the watch of Dr. Owens and Dr. Brenner, the military was also pursuing her. At the same time, Joyce and Murray journeyed to Russia to find and rescue Hopper, who had been captured after the events of the previous season.
Following a difficult fight with Vecna in the Upside Down to try and save Max, the monster got away, leaving Max badly hurt, blind, and in a coma. The fourth season of Stranger Things ended with everyone returning to Hawkins, but their relief was short-lived when a huge earthquake created openings to the Upside Down all over town.
The fourth season of Stranger Things ended with the boundary between the Upside Down and the real world starting to break down. Season five will focus on the consequences of this, what happens to Max, and the group’s attempt to once and for all defeat Vecna—though their efforts may come at a great cost.
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2025-11-06 00:48