Stranger Things season 5 episode guide and complete release schedule: What days do the new episodes drop?

Stranger Things season 5 is rolling out in three primetime drops with eight total episodes, and Netflix has locked global times so fans can plan posts and recaps cleanly. Volume 1 arrived on Wednesday, November 26, 2025, with four episodes. Volume 2 lands on Thursday, December 25, with three episodes. The single series finale debuts on Wednesday, December 31. All drops go live at 5:00 p.m. PT and 8:00 p.m. ET, which is 1:00 a.m. GMT and 6:30 a.m. IST the following day.

The cast features Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Gaten Matarazzo, Caleb McLaughlin, Noah Schnapp, Sadie Sink, and new additions, including Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay and Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow.

Storywise, Stranger Things season 5 is set in fall 1987 with Hawkins under military quarantine, Eleven in hiding, and Vecna missing.

Stranger Things season 5: Episode guide and count

• E1 - The Crawl

• E2 - The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler

• E3 - The Turnbow Trap

• E4 - Sorcerer

• E5 - Shock Jock

• E6 - Escape From Camazotz

• E7 - The Bridge

• E8 - The Rightside Up

These eight titles are listed on Netflix’s official episode-titles page, which also reiterates the fall 1987 setting and the core goal to find and kill Vecna.

Stranger Things season 5: Release dates, days, and global drop times

As mentioned earlier, Netflix set a primetime drop rather than the usual midnight PT. The official schedule page lists regional conversions and confirms the 5:00 p.m. PT release for all three waves. The table below provides a complete schedule for international time zones for all the volumes:

Volume 1: Episodes 1-4

Volume 2: Episodes 5-7

Series Finale: Episode 8

US release moment Wednesday, December 31, 2025, at 5:00 p.m. Pacific Time.

Stranger Things season 5: Production and plot snapshot

Setting and premise for Stranger Things season 5

The story picks up in fall 1987 with Hawkins scarred by the opened Rifts and placed under military quarantine. Eleven stays in hiding as the government pressure rises. Vecna’s location and intent are unknown. The central objective is simple and direct. The party must find him and end it. This synopsis appears across Netflix’s official materials and supports clean loglines inside episode recaps.

Cast and new faces in Stranger Things season 5

The main ensemble returns. Netflix also flags new players, including Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay and Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow.

How the Broadway prequel threads into Stranger Things season 5:

The stage prequel Stranger Things: The First Shadow was developed in parallel and connects through Henry Creel’s 1959 backstory and a few key locations. As per the People report dated April 22, 2025, Kate Trefry stated,

“It had to be canon… and it also had to tie in with season 5, which I was working on at the same time.”

She also remarked,

“The play and season 5 are kind of a couplet. They’re part of the same story.”

What the creators are signaling about scope and answers:

Netflix’s release-schedule explainer anchors the primetime plan and includes a forward-looking creator note. As per the Netflix Tudum report dated June 2, 2025, Ross Duffer said,

“The last remaining questions that are answered in that document, we’ve punted a couple of those to have some big reveals in Season 5.”

This frames why late-season mythology beats in Stranger Things season 5 may pay off lore seeded years ago.

Finale fan events and how to position them in coverage:

The series capper of Stranger Things season 5 arrives alongside select theatrical fan events. As per the Netflix Tudum report dated October 23, 2025, Matt and Ross Duffer stated,

“We’re beyond excited that fans will have the chance to experience the final episode of Stranger Things in theaters… getting to see it on the big screen… feels like the perfect way to celebrate the end of this adventure.”

Stay tuned for more updates.