That new Stranger Things Season 5 teaser was jammed packed with insane footage — but as it turns out, apparently none of it is really a spoiler, according to one of the Duffer Brothers themselves.
“Don’t worry about spoilers,” Ross Duffer, the series creator and showrunner alongside brother Matt, explained via Instagram alongside the trailer. “This teaser pulls from every episode except seven, but it’s mostly Volume One and just barely scratches the surface.”
🚨 CODE RED 🚨
THE STRANGER THINGS 5 TEASER IS HERE pic.twitter.com/xklBxyJ11N
— Netflix (@netflix) July 16, 2025
Ultimately, he’s got a point, as the main thing the teaser does show is the time jump from 1987 to the present day of Season 5. That said, the official synopsis does give us a lot more insight into what’s coming:
“Scarred by the opening of the Rifts, our heroes are united by a single goal: find and kill Vecna. But he has vanished – his whereabouts and plans unknown. As the anniversary of Will’s disappearance approaches, so does a heavy, familiar dread. The final battle is looming – and with it, a darkness more powerful and more deadly than anything they’ve faced before. To end this nightmare, they’ll need everyone – the full party – standing together, one last time.”
Stranger Things 5 release schedule:
- Volume 1: November 26, 2025 @ 5pm PT
- Volume 2: December 25, 2025 @ 5pm PT
- The Finale: December 31, 2025 @ 5pm PT
What we do know about the final season at this point is that it will consist of eight episodes that will be released in three volumes. The release schedule coincides with some upcoming major holidays, with the first volume dropping for Thanksgiving and the second and third hitting on Christmas Day and New Year’s Eve respectively.
The show’s beloved cast returns for Season 5, with Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, David Harbour, Wynona Ryder, Sadie Sink, Gaten Matarazzo, Noah Schnapp, and Caleb McLaughlin all getting back in the saddle alongside a few new faces. The most notable newbie in the cast is undoubtedly Terminator star Linda Hamilton, Sarah Connor herself.
Netflix previously revealed the episode titles of Stranger Things Season 5, which arrives over three years after the finale of Season 4. For more, check out the burning questions we still have from Stranger Things Season 4.
While Stranger Things is coming to an end in terms of its main Netflix series, there’s plenty more from the franchise to look forward to. Stage play Stranger Things: The First Shadow made its Broadway debut this April, there’s a Stranger Things animated series that will take fans back to Hawkins in 2026, a collection of books, and the touring Stranger Things Experience.
Lex Briscuso is a film and television critic and a freelance entertainment writer for IGN. You can follow her on Twitter at @nikonamerica.
