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It wasn't long ago that Stranger Things season 5 seemed like a far-off dream. Sure, the cast of the landmark Netflix sci-fi hit would talk about its conclusion at Comic-Con, but ever since its penultimate season wrapped in 2022, we had been in the dark regarding the Stranger Things season 5 release dates. But here in the waning days of 2025, loyal Stranger Things fans like yourself know all there is to know about those final episodes...

Or do you?

I mean, you have the release dates written down (maybe even tickets bought), but do you know what time Stranger Things' season 5 episodes are going to drop? What about how long they'll be? And what are they called, anyway?? Don't panic, Upside Down enjoyer, the Popverse team is here, and we've got Everything uou need to know about Stranger Things season 5 episodes below.

What time are the Stranger Things Season 5 episodes coming out?

Stranger Things season 5 will be released on Netflix in three chunks: on November 26, Christmas Day, and New Year's Eve, respectively. But hee, that's old news, right? What you need to know is exactly when on each of those major holidays (technically, US Thanksgiving is Nov. 27, I guess) the episodes drop. Well, let us be the ones to tell you: every episode of Stranger Things season 5 premieres on Netflix at 5 PM PT, or 8 PM EST. Make sure you're somewhere with good wifi.

But the episode release time isn't the only important thing about Stranger Things season 5, and in these still-active days of fan speculation, it provides absolutely nothing in terms of plot relevance. So to get into more specifics regarding this last trip to Hawkins, let's take a look at...

Stranger Things season 5 episode release schedule and titles

One of the most exciting days of the long wait for Stranger Things season 5 was when Netflix officially announced the titles of each episode, although it did come missing a curious piece of the puzzle; the title of Stranger Things, season 5, episode 2 is still not 100% known. Similar to the title of the Stranger Things pilot episode, The Vanishing of Will Byers, the first chapter of season 5 hints at someone going missing. But who is that person? Apparently, Netflix thinks that's too much of a spoiler to reveal at the moment.

(Although I'll tell you this right now - my money says the words after "The Vanishing of" in that title are not "Barbara Holland.")

Anyway, here are all the Stranger Things season 5 episode titles, along with where they fall in the season and their respective release dates. Enjoy Googling "Camazotz," after you read these - I know I just did.

How many episodes are in Stranger Things Season 5?

Since Stranger Things season 1, the seasons have been staggering an 8-to-9 episode count, with 2 and 4 clocking in at 9 and 1 and 3, each ending with 8. Season 5 follows this same pattern, with an 8-episode count planned for the last season. However, as the Netflix groundbreaker heads toward its conclusion, the show is changing one major thing about its episodes...

Will Stranger Things Season 5 have longer episodes?

Yes indeed! As reported by Variety on October 13, the episode lengths for Stranger Things's final season will be considerably longer than those of the first three seasons. Er, the ones we know about so far, at least. Here are the runtimes for episodes 1-4 of Season 5:

• Stranger Things season 5, episode 1 runtime: 1 hour, 8 minutes
• Stranger Things season 5, episode 2 runtime: 54 minutes
• Stranger Things season 5, episode 3 runtime: 1 hour, 6 minutes
• Stranger Things season 5, episode 4 runtime: 1 hour, 23 minutes

Of course, there are four episodes unaccounted for above, and as of this writing, the runtime of episodes 5-8 has not been officially revealed by Netflix. Accordingly, we can't say whether season 5 as a whole will run longer than season 4, the finale of which lasted a whopping 2 hours and 22 minutes.

Popverse will be updating this Stranger Things season 5 episode guide as more information becomes available.

As we all collectively wait for Stranger Things season 5, here's the keys to getting ready:

• How to watch Stranger Things in chronological or release order
• Getting to know the Stranger Things season 5 cast
• There needs to be more death in Stranger Things, says co-star Gaten Matarazzo
• The Stranger Things time jump between season 4 and 5 has been confirmed by Netflix - and it raises some serious questions
• "They land the plane," David Harbour describes the Stranger Things finale, which he calls its "best episode"