Stranger Things 5 finally arrives this week, with fans around the world waiting for what might be one of the most ambitious television seasons of all time.
AdThe final eight episodes are billed as being of blockbuster scale, with filming taking place over the course of a full year of action, which the stars say was filled with ups and downs.
In an interview with Entertainment Weekly, Maya Hawke (who plays Robin) reflected: "We all had moments where you raised your hand. We were like, 'I'm not doing that well. I need help. My spirits are struggling.'
"We all, this season in particular, came in to help each other move through those moments and find the bounce back."
The perseverance of cast and crew members looks poised to pay off, however, with the Stranger Things trailers dazzling fans and generating enormous online chatter about who might die in the final chapter.
Are you excited to learn all the secrets that Stranger Things season 5 has in store? Fear not: we've got everything you need to know about the upcoming run, which is dropping in three epic volumes.
Stranger Things season 5 release date: When is it coming out in the UK?
Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5. NetflixThe first four episodes of Stranger Things season 5 (aka Volume 1) land on Wednesday 26th November in the US and on Thursday 27th November in the UK.
The next three episodes (aka Volume 2) will be released on Christmas Day (Thursday 25th December) in the US and on Boxing Day (Friday 26th December) in the UK.
And the grand finale will cap things off on New Year's Eve (Wednesday 31st December) in the US and on New Year's Day (Thursday 1st January 2026) in the UK.
Each volume releases at 5pm PT, which equates to 1am here in the UK.
The two-hour finale will also be shown in over 350 cinemas in the US and Canada at the same time as it drops on Netflix. Alas, the episode does not appear to be getting a theatrical run in the UK.
How many episodes are in Stranger Things season 5?Stranger Things season 5 will consist of eight episodes.
This is the same number of episodes as seasons 1 and 3, but one less than seasons 2 and 4. Regardless, this is likely to clock in as one of the longest entries in the saga due to the extensive runtimes already announced (more on that below).
What are the Stranger Things 5 episode titles?Netflix has revealed the titles to all eight episodes in Stranger Things 5, and they he stirred up plenty of speculation among the fanbase.
Here's an overview of all the episodes in Stranger Things season 5 and their runtimes:
Episode 1 - The Crawl (1 hour and 8 minutes)Episode 2 - The Vanishing Of... (54 minutes)Episode 3 - The Turnbow Trap (1 hour and 6 minutes)Episode 4 - Sorcerer (1 hour and 23 minutes)Episode 5 - Shock Jock (TBC)Episode 6 - Escape From Camazotz (TBC)Episode 7 - The Bridge (TBC)Episode 8 - The Rightside Up (approx. 2 hours)The title of the second episode has left people particularly intrigued over who exactly will be "vanishing" this time around. (It also serves as an homage to the first ever episode, The Vanishing of Will Byers.)
In an Instagram post (below), Stranger Things co-creator Ross Duffer described The Crawl as the "most eventful first episode since season 1" and said that The Vanishing Of... boasts the "craziest cold open we've ever done".
When is Stranger Things season 5 set?Stranger Things season 5 will feature a time jump to explain why the appearances of the young cast he changed, bringing the characters' ages in line with those of the cast.
A brief description of Stranger Things season 5, released along with the episode titles, stated that "in the fall of 1987, one last adventure begins" – confirming that this story will take place roughly one year after the fourth.
Stranger Things season 5 cast: Who will return?
Caleb McLaughlin and Sadie Sink star in Stranger Things 5 NetflixOf course, it wouldn't be Stranger Things without the original 'kids' (now all grown up), with a behind-the-scenes clip during production teasing more scenes of them together after season 4 split them up.
That means you can look forward to more scenes of Noah Schnapp (Will), Finn Wolfhard (Mike), Gaten Matarazzo (Dustin), Caleb McLaughlin (Lucas) and Millie Bobby Brown (Eleven).
For Schnapp, this included shooting season 1 flashbacks of his younger self lost in the Upside-Down, which relied upon a body double and state of the art 'de-aging' technology to recreate his childhood look.
Brown had previously gone through the process for Stranger Things 4, which revealed Eleven's backstory in greater depth, and so Schnapp asked his co-star for advice on how to achieve the best result.
"It was fun to step into those director shoes that we don't really get the chance to do on the show," he told Deadline.
"And think introspectively and reflectively of how I act and how I did act and move and breathe and turn and look and kind of relay that onto this little kid, who was so cute."
In terms of the scenes themselves, which see a young(er) Will going toe-to-toe with a Demogorgon, he added it was "gratifying" to find out what happened between the scenes in season 1, and teased that his character is "stronger than we may he believed".
Sadie Sink is also back as Max Mayfield, who befriended the group in season 2 and has since grown particularly close to Lucas, but the nature of her role remains unclear for the time being.
Max had a close brush with death in season 4, which left her comatose and potentially braindead. The first Stranger Things 5 trailer only featured her in an unconscious state, although Sink has previously teased that she may he more action to come.
Other returnees include Winona Ryder as Will's mother Joyce, Did Harbour as Eleven's adoptive father Hopper, plus Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton and Joe Keery as love triangle trio Nancy, Jonathan and Steve.
Here's a list of the confirmed Stranger Things 5 cast – read on for more on the additions and absences in the line-up.
Noah Schnapp as Will ByersWinona Ryder as Joyce ByersDid Harbour as Jim HopperMillie Bobby Brown as Eleven/Jane HopperFinn Wolfhard as Mike WheelerGaten Matarazzo as Dustin HendersonCaleb McLaughlin as Lucas SinclairSadie Sink as Max MayfieldNatalia Dyer as Nancy WheelerCharlie Heaton as Jonathan ByersJoe Keery as Steve HarringtonMaya Hawke as Robin BuckleyBrett Gelman as Murray BaumanPriah Ferguson as Erica SinclairPaul Reiser as Dr Sam OwensJamie Campbell Bower as Peter Ballard/Henry Creel/One/VecnaCara Buono as Karen WheelerGabriella Pizzolo as SusieLinda Hamilton as Dr KayNell Fisher as Holly WheelerJake Connelly as Derek Turnbow Alex Breaux as Lt AkersAmybeth McNulty as VickieJoining the line-up as a newcomer is Terminator icon Linda Hamilton, whose casting was announced at a TUDUM fan event. She said at the time: "I don’t know how to be a fangirl and an actress at the same time. I'm gonna work on that."
More recently, child actors Nell Fisher (Evil Dead Rise) and Jake Connelly he joined the Stranger Things family, alongside Alex Breaux, who recently played a young Dr Brenner on Broadway's edition of stage play The First Shadow.
As for the show's Dr Brenner, it seems unlikely that he'll be returning after his expanded role in season 4 ended in calamity, despite actor Matthew Modine positing that his character might he survived (again).
Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay in Stranger Things. NetflixAnother character who won't be returning is Eduardo Franco's Argyle. Introduced in season 4, Argyle was a stoner friend of Jonathan Byers (played by Charlie Heaton), who quickly became a key part of the season.
He rescued Jonathan, Will (Noah Schnapp), Mike (Finn Wolfhard) and Agent Harmon (Ira Amyx) before helping Eleven (Millie Bobby Brown) fight Vecna at the pizza parlour where he worked.
However, when asked if he'll be part of the final season on the Steve Varley Show, he said: "It's nice to hear that there's, you know, concern or something, you know what I mean? But I never got a phone call. So I think, yeah, I think that's it."
What will the plot of Stranger Things season 5 be?
Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers in Stranger Things. NetflixStranger Things season 5 will follow the final battle for Hawkins – and the world – after season 4 saw the barrier between our reality and the Upside-Down seemingly rupture for good.
The official synopsis for Stranger Things season 5 reads: "The fall of 1987. Hawkins is scarred by the opening of the Rifts, and our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished – his whereabouts and plans unknown.
"Complicating their mission, the government has placed the town under military quarantine and intensified its hunt for Eleven, forcing her back into hiding. As the anniversary of Will's disappearance approaches, so does a hey, familiar dread.
"The final battle is looming – and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they've faced before. To end this nightmare, they'll need everyone – the full party – standing together, one last time."
Co-creator Matt Duffer told The Hollywood Reporter in a recent interview that season 5 sticks to the "north star" ending that the team he had in mind for "a really long time," but allowed room for added detours that "often surprised" even them.
"Really the way we approach every season... was as if every season was a movie. Let’s not lee anything on the table," he explained.
Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair in Stranger Things. NetflixExpanding further in an interview with RadioTimes.com, the Duffers revealed that they had studied past series finales in an attempt to oid the pitfalls of the most infamous misfires.
"When you're looking at the endings that don't work, it is when it feels like sometimes the shows are trying too hard to surprise fans or do something different," theorised Matt.
"So we want it to feel very much in line with the show and the endings for each of the characters to feel inevitable. That's what we're striving for," he continued, citing Breaking Bad, Six Feet Under and Friday Night Lights as influential success stories.
In keeping with earlier seasons, we know this is going to be an emotional one.
While promoting Deadpool & Wolverine, producer Shawn Levy said: "It's not too far away but also not soon enough... When the Duffers pitched the story of season 5, nobody wasn't crying, including me. Not a dry eye in that room."
Stranger Things season 5 trailerA full-length trailer has now been released and, as you probably already guessed, it looks like our heroes are really going to be put through the wringer this season as Vecna emerges from the darkness.
Watch for yourself below:
A second trailer focused on Volume 1 (consisting of episodes 1-4) followed, which had a more fun and optimistic tone – but still carries foreboding signs of trouble ahead. You can watch it on YouTube.
Will Stranger Things season 5 be the final season?Yes, it's true! When season 5 was announced, it was confirmed that it would be the final season of the show.
However, spin-offs are in the works at Netflix, with an animated series titled Tales of '85 being first up, followed by a live-action anthology influenced by the unique style of Twin Peaks (via Deadline).
It's unclear just how involved the Duffer brothers will be in the latter project, given they recently closed a film and television deal with rival media giant Paramount.
Explaining the shock pivot, the filmmakers said that they were keen to release features for the big screen and support the embattled cinema experience, while Netflix's model is primarily focused on home viewing.
Speaking to RadioTimes.com at the premiere, producer Shawn Levy said that he'd love to see a Stranger Things spin-off focused on odd couple besties Dustin and Steve, but made no promises that such a project would become a reality.
Previously, Dustin actor Matarazzo has suggested that he would consider reprising the role, but only after a break to pursue other opportunities – understandable after committing about a decade to Stranger Things.
He said: "If you were to ask me a year from now if I wanted to come back, I'd probably be like, 'I’m gonna do some other stuff for a bit initially,' but who knows what it's going to be like?"
"I would love to see, potentially, if there's a continuation of Dustin after [season] 5, if any of us make it up to that point, I would love to see what would happen, what Dustin would be like as a 30-year-old."
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