Stranger Things is drawing to a close via Episode 8 of Season 5, which is titled ‘The Rightside Up’ – here’s when and where you can watch the series finale, plus details of the theatrical screenings.
After nearly a decade, Stranger Things is ending on Netflix this week, but while character deaths have been rumored for months, don’t expect a Game of Thrones-style bloodbath in the finale episode.
“We’re not in Westeros,” co-creator Matt Duffer told The Hollywood Reporter. “There’s not going to be a Red Wedding situation. We’re not trying to shock or upset anyone.”
That’s not to say that everyone will make it through the final two-hour instalment, however, so to find out exactly when the finale drops and we learn who survives, scroll down…
Stranger Things Season 5 Volume 3 – which consists of the Episode 8 series finale – drops on Netflix on December 31, 2025 at 5pm PT / 8pm ET. Yes, that’s New Years Eve.
If you’re in the UK, that’s 1am on New Year’s Day, meaning you’ll have to take it easy when seeing in the new year if you want to watch the episode immediately.
Times vary in other regions, with the following a guide to alternate parts of the globe:
- 10pm Brazil – December 31
- 1am UK – January 1
- 2am CET – January 1
- 6:30am India Standard Time – January 1
- 10am Japan – January 1
- 12pm Australia – January 1
- 2pm New Zealand – January 1
How many episodes are there?
Season 5 of Stranger Things consists of eight episodes in total, with their titles and runtimes as follows:
- ‘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 8 minutes
- ‘Chapter Six: Escape from Camazotz’ – 1 hour 15 minutes
- ‘Chapter Seven: The Bridge’ – 1 hour 6 minutes
- ‘Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up’ – 2 hours 5 minutes
The Stranger Things finale is also screening theatrically
If you want to watch Stranger Things Season 5 Episode 8 on the big screen, the super-sized chapter is also screening theatrically.
‘The Rightside Up’ will play in 500 cinemas across the US and Canada beginning December 31 at 5pm PT – timed to the finale’s global premiere on Netflix – and continue playing through January 1, 2026.
Simply head to ST5Finale.com for a full list of locations, plus details of how to secure your ticket.
What happened at the end of Volume 2?
At the end of Volume 2 of Stranger Things 5, Vecna/Henry Creel/Mr. Whatsit placed the kidnapped children in a trance, that’s set to put his final plan in motion.
Vecna wants to reshape the world using the children he took, as he considers them the “perfect vessels” to control, and help Hawkins merge with another world called ‘The Abyss.’
That will take a tremendous amount of energy, which is what the kids trapped in the Creel House in Camazotz are being used for, through the powerful spell that Vecna casts at the end of Episode 7.
As for how to break that spell, Steve Harrington comes up with a potential solution, suggesting they allow Vecna to draw the two worlds together, then when the Squawk radio tower pokes through a rift, Eleven can spring into action.
“She does her meditation thingy,” explained Steve. “Enters Vecna’s sick mind, and banishes him,” creating an opportunity for the Hawkins heroes to enter The Abyss, break the spell, and rescue both the children and the town.
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