If you finished Stranger Things Volume 2 and immediately felt that hollow “wait, that’s it?” feeling, you’re not imagining things. The very last episode of Stranger Things is being saved for a later release.
Netflix has confirmed exactly when the series finale will arrive, and it’s being treated very differently from the rest of the season.
The Stranger Things Season 5 finale will release on December 31, 2025, with Netflix dropping the episode at 5pm PT/8pm ET.
That timing applies to the Americas, which means US, Argentina, Brazil, Canada, and neighboring regions will all get the final episode on New Year’s Eve.
For viewers elsewhere, though, the episode lands slightly later due to time zones:
- UK and Europe: January 1, 2026 (early morning)
- Asia: January 1, 2026
- Australia & Oceania: January 1, 2026
Why is the finale releasing separately?
Unlike Volumes 1 and 2, the finale is a standalone release because Netflix and the Duffer brothers chose to treat Episode 8 as a major event rather than part of a batch drop.
In an interview with TheWrapped, the Duffer brothers said: “It was honestly Netflix when they said they came up with the idea to do this the finale separate,” and they agreed because it made sense to have a theatrical release.
The episode, titled “Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up,” runs for 2 hours and 8 minutes, which makes it the longest episode in the show’s history.
Stranger Things Season 5 release schedule
Season 5 has been split into three parts:
- Volume 1 (Episodes 1-4): November 26, 2025
- Volume 2 (Episodes 5-7): December 25, 2025
- The Finale (Episode 8): December 31, 2025
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