Stranger Things Season 5 Countdown: When Episode 1 Hits Netflix and the Full Release Schedule
Ready to head back to Hawkins? Here’s when every episode of Stranger Things season 5 drops on Netflix and how to catch them the moment they go live.
Stranger Things is finally back, but Netflix isn’t doing a simple one-and-done drop. Season 5 is sliced into three chunks, the finale is literally hitting theaters, and the timing is a little funky depending on where you live. Here’s the clean, no-nonsense rundown so you know exactly when to press play.
When does Season 5 actually start?
Volume 1 lands on Netflix on November 26 at 5:00 PM Pacific / 8:00 PM Eastern. It’s a four-episode drop, all at once.
In the UK, that translates to a bleary-eyed 1:00 AM GMT on November 27.
The release plan (yes, it’s unusual)
Netflix is rolling the final season out in three Volumes. Volume 1 is four episodes on November 26. Volume 2 arrives December 25 with three more episodes, and two of those are directed or co-directed by Shawn Levy. Volume 3 is a one-episode capper titled 'The Finale' on December 31. It’s a holiday trilogy, basically.
Episode-by-episode schedule
- Episode 1 - 'The Crawl': November 26
- Episode 2: November 26
- Episode 3: November 26
- Episode 4: November 26
- Episode 5: December 25
- Episode 6: December 25
- Episode 7: December 25
- Episode 8: December 31
How many episodes, and how long are they?
Eight total episodes spread across three Volumes. That matches the episode count of seasons 1 and 3, and comes in one shy of seasons 2 and 4, which had nine. Runtimes for Volume 1 are locked; episode 4 clocks in at 83 minutes. Translation: expect some longer chapters this go-round.
Where to watch (and where to sit in a theater)
All of Season 5 will stream on Netflix, regardless of which membership tier you’re on.
And the big swing: the finale is getting a theatrical splash. Netflix will screen the last episode across 350 theaters in the US and Canada starting December 31 at 5:00 PM Pacific / 8:00 PM Eastern, with additional showings on January 1. Hawkins on the big screen to ring in the new year is a pretty fun flex.