Stranger Things Final Season Will Test Every Character’s Limits

Netflix has released the official first teaser trailer for Stranger Things season 5, the finale for the wildly popular series that will air late this year. The short teaser, which follows several previous official reveals and clips, offers a tense, chilling, and action-packed look at the Hawkins gang’s final battle against their worst nightmare yet: the Upside Down has returned, this time in full force.

The main trailer hits the ground running, bombarding the audience with grisly glimpses of the threats threatening Hawkins. We see the Upside Down bleeding into Hawkins more prominently, dark hallways patrolled by the doggos, quick explosions of fire thanks to a flamethrower, and, of course, the Hawkins gang (plus a few familiar faces).

Season 4 ended on a literal earth-shattering cliffhanger when Vecna (Jamie Campbell Bower), a nameless dark ritualist villain seemingly responsible for most of the series’ horrors, tore a large rift wide open, leading to the Upside Down completely leaking into Hawkins, bringing all of the Upside Down’s twisted terrors with it. The new trailer reveals that Season 5 takes place a few months later, specifically in the fall of 1987. Hawkins’ year 5 lands on the third anniversary of Will Byers’ disappearance, the event that kicked off all of the season 1 Hawkins gang’s adventures to begin with.

Fans of the series are set to get eight new episodes in season 5, although these will be feature-length episodes, meaning fans can expect eight Stranger Things-sized movies’ worth of material.

The official synopsis further sets up the big high stakes that the showrunners are promising, as well as major emotional payoffs that fans can look forward to. Hawkins has forever changed in the Rifts’ opening, and all the characters Hawkins has ever had to offer are working together for one common goal: to find and kill Vecna. And all the while, Vecna could be one step ahead, and nobody knows where he is. To top it all off, the U.S. government has placed Hawkins under military quarantine and is upping the ante to catch Eleven, meaning the majority of Stranger Things fans’ favorite character is on the run again.

The heavier emotional weight comes in with the idea that the season is occurring on the third anniversary of Will’s disappearance. The release of the trailer notes the town’s fear as time ticks by on the anniversary, adding extra horror to the enemies’ inevitable return. The teaser solidifies the promise that the final battle between Hawkins and the Upside Down is well on its way, but this year, the darkness is different and far more lethal. The fate of Hawkins might finally rest on the shoulders of the full party and every ally Hawkins has to offer. Fans of the series will have to see it all play out to the end to find out.

Who’s in Stranger Things Season 5?

Fans of the series know the core Hawkins gang will return, as will several important recurring characters in the ensemble. Amybeth McNulty will reprise her role as Vicki, as will Gabriella Pizzolo, who returns to play Dustin’s girlfriend Suzie. Jamie Campbell Bower will return as Vecna, the nameless, hooded villain whose terrifying presence loomed over the entirety of season 4.

The new trailer also drops names and confirmation for several new faces in Hawkins, including a few returning actors who have reprised their roles in past Stranger Things projects and spinoffs. Linda Hamilton will star as Dr. Kay, bringing her strong, sassy as hell energy to the Upside Down. Nell Fisher will star as Holly Wheeler, with Jake Connelly playing Derek Turnbow, and Alex Breaux will play Lt. Akers.

Fans will also spot several moments that show a sense of nostalgia in play for longtime fans, including a scene where Lucas and a gaggle of others are cowering from the demo-dogs that populate the Upside Down in a familiar-looking kitchen. The scene is a reference to the famous kitchen scene from Jurassic Park, where the characters hide from the velociraptors. Fans of the psychological horror and jump scares from Stranger Things will also remember the sound of Vecna’s gruff “found you” from the teaser.

The emotional beats of the new teaser, however, are not all there to set up stunts and good-versus-evil showdowns. The trailer does not shy away from showing that Eddie Munson (Joseph Quinn) has not been forgotten or forgiven by all of Hawkins, despite his death in the season 4 finale being a total sacrifice for the greater good. His grave is shown to have been vandalized with “Burn in hell” spray-painted on it. Eddie’s death was one of the biggest gut punches that Stranger Things had thrown at fans since Bob Newby’s death in season 2.

The news that the eighth season would be broken into three parts has already upset some fans who were hoping to have the opportunity to binge the entire season on release day. Volume 1 will be released on November 26, 2025, followed by Volume 2 a month later on Christmas Day, December 25, 2025. In what is arguably the most classic Stranger Things end date, the finale drops on New Year’s Eve, December 31, 2025.

The three-part release strategy is sure to draw the ire of some fans who can’t wait for the series’ end game, but spreading the Stranger Things finale over the holidays should keep the popular series in the limelight for at least a few weeks in a row.