Stranger Things Season 5 Breaks Every Netflix Record, Soars to No. 1

Stranger Things 5 didn’t just show up, it steamrolled. Netflix says the new season just delivered the platform’s biggest English-language launch ever, and the numbers back it up.

The headline stat

In its first five days, Season 5 pulled 59.6 million views on Netflix. That’s the largest first-week premiere for any English-language series on the service. It also ranks as the third-best opening ever on Netflix overall, behind only Seasons 2 and 3 of Squid Game.

'Stranger Things 5 is the #1 SHOW IN THE WORLD. With 59.6 million views, it also boasts the biggest premiere week ever for an English language show in the history of Netflix.'

- Netflix, via its official X account on December 2, 2025

About that massive jump from Season 4

Netflix used to tally success in total hours watched, not views. Back in 2022, Season 4 logged 287 million hours in its first three days, which Netflix now equates to roughly 22 million views. If you line that up against Season 5’s 59.6 million views over five days, you’re looking at a 171% increase. Yes, the time windows are slightly different (three days vs. five), and the metrics changed, but even with that context, the growth is obvious.

Release plan: slow drip, big results

Only the first four episodes of Season 5 are out right now. Three more drop on December 25, and the series finale lands December 31. That staggered rollout is built to keep Stranger Things parked at or near the top of the charts through the holidays.

Older seasons are surging too

Season 5’s debut lifted the entire franchise back into the weekly Top 10 for November 24–30. The breakdown:

• Season 5: #1
• Season 1: #3 with 8.9 million views
• Season 4: #5 with 6.1 million views
• Season 2: #6 with 5.6 million views
• Season 3: #8 with 4.6 million views

Big picture

There’s nothing subtle about these numbers: Stranger Things 5 just set a new English-language record for Netflix and landed behind only Squid Game’s next chapters globally. With more episodes still to come this month, it’s positioned to run the table through year’s end.