Originally published on 10/30/25

Hellfire Club members, we have some good news! Netflix has finally released the official trailer for Stranger Things season 5, and trustus when we say it’s “totally tubular.” In it, we see fan favorite stars Winona Ryder, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Millie Bobby Brown, Sadie Sink and more fighting Vecna and the Demogorgon all in the hopes of keeping Hawkins, Indiana, safe. Keep scrolling to watch Stranger Things season 5 trailer, and discover when exactly you can expect to stream it this year. 

What to know about ‘Stranger Things’ season 5

Stranger Things season 5 has been confirmed for several years. However, until May 2025, there had been few details on when it would be released or what it would be about. However, at Tudum 2025: The Live Event, Netflix finally revealed a teaser trailer and a release date to fans. 

They also released this official synopsis: “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 heavy, 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.”

Fans of the show will remember that Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower)—a.k.a. 001 and Henry Creel—was the main villain in Season 4. He was the one who murdered a variety of Hawkins residents and whose actions eventually put Max (Sink) into a coma. He also has a history with Eleven (Brown), and it is revealed in the Broadway show Stranger Things: The First Shadow that he also has a connection to Joyce Byers (Ryder) and Jim Hopper (David Harbour). 

As of publication, it is unclear how those relationships will affect Season 5, since most of the characters in the show don’t know who Vecna really is. It’s also unclear if the cast from the show will appear in season 5, with Allison Jaye—who plays Joyce Byers in Stranger Things: The First Shadow—telling First for Women earlier this year, “there are a lot of things planted in the show that culminate in season 5. Obviously, I cannot say which, but there are many, many moments.”

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A look at the ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 cast: Who’s returning?

Along with Harbour, Ryder, Sink, Bower, Schnapp and McLaughlin, the rest of the Stranger Things cast is expected to return for Season 5. This includes Gaten Matarazzo, Finn Wolfhard, Joe Keery, Natalia Dyer, Charlie Heaton, Maya Hawke, Brett Gelman, Priah Ferguson and Cara Buono. 

They will be joined by newcomers Linda Hamilton, Jake Connelly and Alex Breaux, but their roles in the story have yet to be announced. Nell Fisher is also expected to join the cast, playing Holly Wheeler, a role previously held by identical twins Anniston and Tinsley Price. 

 “I’ve known the cast and crew for so long, and they’re my family. And last year, of course, the last day, I was like, ‘I’m not going to cry. I’m not going to cry.’ And then ended up just bawling,” McLaughlin told Screen Rant. “I can’t ask for a better opportunity or ask for a better experience or ask for anything better that I’ve been a part of. So I just feel great.”

A large part of McLaughlin’s storyline in season 5 is expected to be about him trying to figure out how to get Max (Sink) out of her Vecna-induced coma before it’s too late, and you can see a sneak peek of him trying to do that in the photo above. 

But a few beloved characters aren’t coming back, including Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn), whom Matt Duffer confirmed to Empire is “dead.” 

“Joe is so busy anyway, that everyone should know he’s not coming back. He’s shot like five movies since! When the h-ll has he got time to come and shoot Stranger Things?” he continued. “No, sadly, RIP. He’s fully under that ground.”

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What’s in the ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 trailer? 

On Wednesday, October 30, Netflix released a trailer for season 5, and there are so many strange details, like Lucas holding Max and a boombox in an elevator, Mike (Wolfhard) and Eleven talking about how they need to band together one last time and lots of Demogorgon attacks. There is also more information on what season 5 as a whole will look like. This includes the gang trying to keep Vecna from taking over the world–something that was hinted at at the end of season 4. Viewers also see Vecna telling Will (Schnapp)—who used to live in the Upside Down—that he was going to use him one last time. Talk about shocking! 

You can view those moments, along with the rest of the trailer, below.

When does ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 come out?

Stranger Things Season 5 is expected to be released in three parts. The first will be released on Wednesday, November 26, the day before Thanksgiving. Part two will then be released on December 25, and the third and final part will be released six days after that on New Year’s Eve.  This installment will also be available in movie theaters and will have a runtime of two hours. 

“People don’t get to experience how much time and effort is spent on sound and picture, and they’re seeing it at reduced quality,” Matt told Variety. “More than that, it’s about experiencing it at the same time with fans.” 

It is unclear how many episodes there will be in each part, but Netflix is expected to release eight total installments and you can view the titles below!

• “The Crawl”
• “The Vanishing of… Wheeler” — the full title is expected to be revealed closer to its release date 
• “The Turnbow Trap”
• “Sorcerer”
• “Shock Jock”
• “Escape from Camazotz”
• “The Bridge”
• “The Rightside Up”

“I think it began in denial, like, ‘oh another season here we go’!” Sink told Teen Vogue of the show’s ending. “”And then towards the end… there was this numbness, like, ‘Oh God, what’s gonna happen? What am I gonna do?’ That final day, it was one of the most emotional days in my life. I’m really grateful that it was. To be on a show for that long, then get to the final day, and to break down in that way. And be like, I don’t want it to end. That was so special.”

Season 5 is expected to be the show’s final season, and as of publication, it is unclear if Netflix has any plans to release any spin-offs or prequels. 

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