Are you ready to say goodbye to Stranger Things?
The hit series premiered on Netflix in 2016, and the 10th anniversary is just half a year away. We’ve gone through five seasons with these Hawkins kids, and now there’s only one episode left.
To help you prepare you for the epic conclusion, Watch With Us has put together this brief guide for the Stranger Things series finale.
Almost all of your burning questions about Stranger Things season 5 are answered below.
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When Is the ‘Stranger Things’ Series Finale Streaming?
The series finale of Stranger Things will drop on December 31 at 5:00 p.m. PST/8:00 p.m. EST. The episode title is below:
- Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up
Will the ‘Stranger Things’ Series Finale Be in Movie Theaters?
Yes. The series finale of Stranger Things will get a limited theatrical release from December 31, 2025, to January 1, 2026. Most of the tickets have already been sold. So if you want to see the last adventure on the big screen, you’ll only have a limited time to do so.
Is There a Trailer For the ‘Stranger Things’ Series Finale?
No. At least not yet. Because interest in the Stranger Things series finale is so high, Netflix may not need to post a trailer at all. In the meantime, the trailer for Stranger Things season 5 Volume 2 is exciting, so let’s watch that again.
Netflix has also released a handful of character posters that spotlight some of the most important teenage characters on the show.
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What Happened in ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5 Volume 2?
We’re going to give you the broad strokes of what happened, since the best way to experience the story is to actually watch it. But there are spoilers ahead for Stranger Things season 5, Vol. 2.
Inside of Vecna’s mind, Holly Weaver hid her horror when “Henry” returned with 11 of her classmates, including Derek. In the Upside Down, Eleven berated Jim Hopper for his willingness to kill himself with a suicide vest. Eleven’s sister, Kali, revealed that Dr. Kay was using her blood in an attempt to create more children with powers like hers. Back in Hawkins, the group used the remains of a Demogorgon to jumpstart Will’s connection to the hive mind. He arrived just as Holly and Max were threatened by Vecna. Will’s interference saved their lives, but he was left comatose.
Elsewhere in the Upside Down, Dustin realized too late that it isn’t an alternate world — it’s a wormhole or “bridge” to another world. Nancy and Jonathan became trapped in a melting room after they attempted to damage the exotic matter of the wormhole. Believing that they were about to die, the couple was finally honest with each other and broke up. Dustin and Steve reconciled with each other and rescued Jonathan and Nancy.
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As Max and Holly made their way through Vecna’s memories in search of an exit, the latter pried into Will’s mind to discover Max’s location in the hospital. Eleven rescued Will from that mental prison, but not in time to warn Lucas and Robin that Demodogs were on the way. With the help of Robin’s girlfriend, Vickie, and Holly’s mother, Karen Wheeler, the group destroyed the Demodogs, and Max woke up from her coma. Holly briefly escaped from Vecna, but it was long enough for Dustin, Steve, Nancy and Jonathan to see her and realize that Vecna is holding the children in the Abyss.
Erica and Murray recruited Mr. Clarke to help them track Dustin, while Eleven, Hopper and Kali returned to Hawkins. After reuniting with Dustin’s group, Team Hawkins made a plan to rescue the kids and destroy the Upside Down once and for all. Before they left, Will came out to his extended friends and family. Kali also told Eleven that they need to stay in the Upside Down to prevent Dr. Kay from making more super-powered children. Some of the group stayed behind in Hawkins while the rest stormed the army base and drove into the Upside Down for the final battle.
Who’s Starring in ‘Stranger Things’ Season 5?
Most of the major cast members returned for the final season, along with a few new faces.
- Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers
- David Harbour as Jim Hopper
- Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven / Jane Hopper
- Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler
- Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson
- Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair
- Noah Schnapp as Will Byers
- Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield
- Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler
- Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers
- Joe Keery as Steve Harrington
- Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley
- Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman
- Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair
- Jamie Campbell Bower as Vecna / Henry Creel / One
- Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler
- Amybeth McNulty as Vicky Dunne
- Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler
- Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow
- Alex Breaux as Lt. Robert Akers
- Joe Chrest as Ted Wheeler
- Sherman Augustus as Lt. Colonel Jack Sullivan
Additionally, Terminator 2: Judgment Day actress Linda Hamilton joined the cast this season as Dr. Kay, the leader of a military team that’s been sent to Hawkins to find and retrieve Eleven.
Stranger Things season 5, Volume and Volume 2 are streaming on Netflix.
