When is the next part of Stranger Things Season 5 on Netflix? Release change explained
NetflixStranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 can’t come fast enough after an explosive four-episode premiere. But you’ve got a bit of a wait until the series returns to Netflix due to a switch up with the release schedule.
The debut of the long-awaited fifth and final chapter was bigger than anyone expected – so big, in fact, that the influx of viewers momentarily crashed Netflix.
Thankfully, the streaming service was back to normal soon enough, giving fans the opportunity to finally catch up with Hawkins after the events of Stranger Things Season 4.
A lot goes down in the gang’s hunt for Vecna, culminating in a twist that proves the battle is only just beginning. The Duffer brothers have promised more questions will be answered in Volume 2, so here’s when to expect it. Warning: spoilers ahead!
Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 release date & time
Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 2 drops on Netflix on December 25, 2025 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET. Yes, that’s Christmas Day.
The times may vary depending on where you are in the world, so be sure to take note of when it drops in your region:
- 10pm Brazil
- 3am UK – November 27
- 4am CET – November 27
- 8:30am India Standard Time – November 27
- 12pm Japan – November 27
- 2pm Australia – November 27
- 4pm New Zealand – November 27
Usually, new Netflix titles drop at 12am PT / 3am ET and, more often than not, all episodes are released in one go, but Stranger Things’ release schedule has been switched up.
Why is it delayed?
NetflixStranger Things Season 5 is releasing later in the day, but it’s intentional. There aren’t any production issues at play; Netflix simply wants US audiences to watch during prime viewing hours.
It’s a tactic the streaming service uses for some of its biggest titles, including Squid Game: The Challenge Season 2, which also aired its finale on a delayed schedule to minimize early spoilers and maximize viewership.
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The trade-off? Fans outside the US will either have to stay up late or avoid social media until they’ve watched Volume 2. It also means American viewers will be spending their festive evening watching demogorgons and D&D battles instead of Home Alone.
How many parts is Stranger Things Season 5?
NetflixUnlike Seasons 1-3, Stranger Things’ latest chapter is following the same pattern as Season 4. Instead of dropping all episodes in one bingeable block, Netflix and the Duffer brothers have split the final chapter into three distinct releases:
- Volume 1 (Episodes 1-4) – November 26
- Volume 2 (Episodes 5-7) – December 25
- Volume 3 (Episode 8) – December 31
The staggered schedule gives each chapter space to dominate the conversation, builds tension heading into the final battle, and ultimately helps to increase viewership.
Think about it: there will be a good amount of fans who only subscribe for Stranger Things. With a staggered release, they’ll be paying for two months instead of one.
Season 5 runtimes & episode titles
NetflixThere are eight episodes in total, and even though that might not feel like a lot, each of them have bumper-sized runtimes. As the Duffer brothers have said, Season 5 feels like “eight blockbuster movies.”
You can check out the titles and runtimes below:
- ‘Chapter One: The Crawl’ – 1 hour 8 minutes
- ‘Chapter Two: The Vanishing of’ – 54 minutes
- ‘Chapter Three: The Turnbow Trap’ – 1 hour 6 minutes
- ‘Chapter Four: Sorcerer’ – 1 hour 23 minutes
- ‘Chapter Five: Shock Jock’ – 1 hour 17 minutes
- ‘Chapter Six: Escape from Camazotz’ – 58 minutes
- ‘Chapter Seven: The Bridge’ – 1 hour 37 minutes
- ‘Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up’ – 2 hours 1 minute
What happened in Season 5 Volume 1
NetflixStranger Things Season 5 kicks off with four explosive episodes that establish key plotlines: Hawkins’ quarantine, the military’s secret Upside Down operation, Max’s true fate, and Vecna’s return.
Volume 1 opens by flashing back to Will’s original abduction, showing how Vecna infected him and cemented their hive mind link. Jumping to 1987, Hawkins is now sealed under quarantine, the military are after Eleven, and families are still displaced from the “earthquake.”
The Byers are staying with the Wheelers, where Holly has begun talking to an imaginary friend she calls Mr. Whatsit, a detail that becomes crucial later.
The group learns of a supply run into the Upside Down and attempts to hijack it as a way to infiltrate the military’s shadow base. Eleven, Hopper, and Joyce are all involved, though Hopper initially refuses to let El go for her own safety.
NetflixWhen the mission finally launches, everything collapses: Vecna sends Demogorgons after the convoy, Hopper is injured and stranded in the Upside Down, and Holly is snatched through a gate in her bedroom ceiling.
The next episode reveals Holly has been taken into a dream-like version of the Creel House, controlled by Henry Creel (her “Mr. Whatsit”), who has been manipulating her this whole time.
Meanwhile, Karen and Ted are brutally injured trying to protect her, and Eleven crosses into the Upside Down to hunt the creature responsible. The military assumes El caused the attack, tightening their manhunt under Dr. Kay, a cold, calculating scientist who appears to be running the entire operation.
As Vecna continues taking children, the group discovers his next target: Holly’s school bully Derek. They stage an infiltration at Derek’s home to lure in a Demogorgon, tag it, and follow it back to Vecna’s lair, a plan that mostly works.
NetflixDustin, Steve, and the others follow the creature into the Upside Down, crashing into a massive organic wall surrounding Hawkins, while Will, connected to the hive mind, begins painting visions that reveal Vecna needs twelve children for a larger plan.
Elsewhere, Max finally reappears, and while she’s alive, she’s trapped inside Vecna’s memories. She has been hiding in a cave he’s too scared to enter, which ties directly to The First Shadow’s revelation that the caves are where Henry was corrupted by the Mind Flayer as a child.
Everything converges at the military base when Eleven and Hopper break into Dr. Kay’s facility and discover Kali, 008, imprisoned behind a sealed vault door. At the same time, Vecna storms the Hawkins compound, abducts the children, and confronts Will directly.
NetflixIn the final minutes, Will taps into the hive mind, channels Vecna’s power, and stops the Demogorgons mid attack, confirming he can use the hive’s abilities. It’s the season’s biggest twist, setting Will up as a crucial piece in the final battle.
One of the biggest questions coming out of Volume 1 is whether the Mind Flayer is the real big bad behind all of this. When asked this question in an interview with Variety, the Duffer brothers understandably couldn’t give anything away.
However, Matt did tease, “You’re asking a question that will be answered in the final episode. The next spoiler talk we do, I’ll address it.”
Until then, find out if anyone died in Volume 1, check out the Season 5 soundtrack, and read our rankings of the best Stranger Things characters and the best Stranger Things episodes.