Stranger Things season 5 launched with a bang last month, proving that the three-year hiatus didn’t ruin the show’s popularity. The slow march towards the finale will continue with another much-anticipated drop that is likely to be as emotional and dramatic as ever.
If you are ready to set aside some time this holiday season – with or without the rest of your family – here is everything you need to know before you jump back into Stranger Things.
When does Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2 come out?
Netflix is dropping season 5 of Stranger Things in three separate chunks. The streaming giant took a similar approach to season 4, which hit the streaming service in two volumes in 2022. The first three seasons were released all at once in 2016, 2017 and 2019.
Chapters 5 through 7 will come out first, dropping on Netflix on Thursday, December 25 at 8 p.m. ET. Chapter 8 will come out the following Thursday. As for Volume 2, here is an episode list featuring titles, runtimes and release dates:
- S5E5: Chapter Five: Shock Jock (1h8m) – December 25, 8 p.m. ET
- S5E6: Chapter Six: Escape from Camazotz (1h15m) – December 25, 8 p.m. ET
- S5E7: Chapter Seven: The Bridge (1h6m) – December 25, 8 p.m. ET
(Warning: Spoilers for Stranger Things Season 5, Chapters 1-4 ahead).
Who will show up in these episodes?
No main characters died in season 5, volume 1 – unless Karen and Ted’s injuries turn out to be fatal – so the list of key players is as long as ever heading into the home stretch. Here is the main cast for the second half of season 5:
- Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven
- Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler
- Noah Schnapp as Will Byers
- Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson
- Caleb McLaughlin as Lucas Sinclair
- Sadie Sink as Max Mayfield
- David Harbour as Jim Hopper
- Winona Ryder as Joyce Byers
- Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler
- Joe Keery as Steve Harrington
- Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers
- Maya Hawke as Robin Buckley
- Amybeth McNulty as Vickie
- Priah Ferguson as Erica Sinclair
- Nell Fisher as Holly Wheeler
- Cara Buono as Karen Wheeler
- Joe Chrest as Ted Wheeler
- Brett Gelman as Murray Bauman
- Jake Connelly as Derek Turnbow
- Jamie Campbell Bower as Henry Creel
- Linda Hamilton as Dr. Kay
- Alex Breaux as Lt. Akers
- Linnea Berthelsen as Kali Prasad / Eight
Check out DraftKings’ breakdown of the Stranger Things Top 10 Characters, Ranked.
What to expect in Stranger Things Season 5, Volume 2
In season 5, episode 4, Vecna finally revealed himself in the real world. He and his demogorgons laid waste to the military base in downtown Hawkins, as well as thwarting the gang’s plan to save the kids marked for vanishing. Vecna presumably sent their minds to Camazotz, where Holly and Max are on the run in a mysterious canyon built out of Henry’s memories. Since Chapter 6 is called “Escape from Camazotz,” there will presumably be another plan to get them out of Vecna’s fleshy wall prison in the Upside Down.
Even though Mike, Will, Joyce, Lucas and Robin failed to protect Derek and Holly’s other classmates, they all survived thanks to Will’s newfound powers. It remains to be seen if he has the same power set as Eleven or Vecna, or what the true origin of his powers are, but we could very well find out more in the episodes ahead.
In the Upside Down, Dustin, Steve, Nancy and Jonathan were last seen on their way to the alternate version of Hawkins Lab, which is at the center of Vecna’s wall. Eleven and Hopper are also stuck in the alternate dimension, although they successfully infiltrated Dr. Kay’s lab and found Eight. The Eight side plot from season 2 was among the more reviled by the broader fanbase, so bringing that character back so late in the game suggests she has a major role to play. Between Eleven, Eight and Will, there might just be enough sci-fi fire power to outgun Vecna, but his mind prisons and army of demogorgons are sure to extract some cost in the final few episodes.
We are also rapidly approaching the four-year anniversary of Will going missing in season 1, which is sure to play into the conclusion of the series to some degree. The time travel theories are still out there, after all.
Will there be more Stranger Things after Season 5?
The season 5 finale, “The Rightside Up,” will be the last episode of the mainline Stranger Things series on Netflix. The franchise won’t be put to rest entirely, though, with several different projects seemingly in the works.
Earlier this month, Caitlin Schneiderhan’s spinoff novel “Stranger Things: One Way or Another” hit bookshelves nationwide. The story follows Nancy and Robin investigating mysteries in Hawkins between seasons 4 and 5. Netflix announced in November that an animated series – “Stranger Things: Tales from ’85” – was also on the release schedule. The show, which is slated to hit Netflix in 2026, will follow the same core characters from the main show in between seasons 2 and 3.
The Duffer Brothers have also confirmed that they are working with Netflix on developing another spinoff show set in the Stranger Things universe. The show will feature new characters and a “clean slate,” but details beyond that remain under wraps.
