Stranger Things season 5 release schedule and runtimes: When are new episodes out?

The long wait is finally over, with Stranger Things season 5 officially upon us – and thankfully there’s not much longer to wait until volume 2 is out.

After 3 years, we’ve finally welcomed our heroes back onto our screens, with Netflix offering up four new episodes – complete with a jaw-dropping final scene.

As we suspected from the first five minutes (which were made available by Netflix before release date), Noah Schnapp’s Will Byers comes into his own in season 5, while volume 1 also gave us quite the unexpected character return.

New characters are also introduced, from Linda Hamilton’s Dr Kay to Jake Connelly’s Derek Turnbow, while Nell Fisher stuns in her role as Holly Wheeler.

Much of the speculation before the show’s release centred on the episode runtimes – and we haven’t been left disappointed, as the first four episodes are absolutely monumental in length.

While previous rumours have suggested that some episodes in season 5 could top two hours — and that the finale could be three hours long — those theories weren’t correct.

So, how long are each of the episodes and when can we expect more? Read on for everything you need to know about the Stranger Things season 5’s episode runtimes, as well as the full release schedule and episode titles.

Want more from Stranger Things? Check out our review on season 5, or delve into the epic soundtrack that we’ll be bopping along to for weeks.

Stranger Things season 5 episode runtimes

While the Duffer Brothers recently revealed the runtimes for volume 1, we don’t have the official runtimes for volume 2 just yet.

Here’s what we’re looking at so far:

Chapter One: The Crawl – 1 hour and 8 minutes
Chapter Two: The Vanishing of Holly Wheeler – 54 minutes
Chapter Three: The Turnbow Trap – 1 hour and 6 minutes
Chapter Four: Sorcerer – 1 hour and 23 minutes
Chapter Five: Shock Jock – TBC
Chapter Six: Escape from Camazotz – TBC
Chapter Seven: The Bridge – TBC
Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up – about two hours

Finn Wolfhard as Mike Wheeler and Millie Bobby Brown as Eleven in Stranger Things season 5. Netflix

Stranger Things season 5 release schedule

Stranger Things season 5 will be released in three parts. Volume 1 is out now and was released on 26th November (27th November in the UK), Volume 2 will arrive on 25th December (possibly 26th December in the UK due to time differences) and the finale will be here on 31st December (possibly 1st January in the UK due to time differences).

That means the release schedule is as follows:

Volume 1

Chapter One: The Crawl – 26th November (27th November in the UK) – out now
Chapter Two: The Vanishing of… – 26th November (27th November in the UK) – out now
Chapter Three: The Turnbow Trap – 26th November (27th November in the UK) – out now
Chapter Four: Sorcerer – 26th November (27th November in the UK) – out now

Volume 2

Chapter Five: Shock Jock – 25th December (possibly 26th December in the UK)
Chapter Six: Escape from Camazotz – 25th December (possibly 26th December in the UK)
Chapter Seven: The Bridge – 25th December (possibly 26th December in the UK)

The finale

Chapter Eight: The Rightside Up – 31st December (possibly 1st January in the UK)

Charlie Heaton as Jonathan Byers and Natalia Dyer as Nancy Wheeler in Stranger Things. Netflix
While the Duffer Brothers have kept tight-lipped about what to expect from the finale episode, including who might meet their demise. However, recently speaking to RadioTimes.com, the pair did offer up a clue about how things are going to end.

Matt Duffer explained: “There’s a sense of inevitability. When you’re looking at shows that don’t work, or the endings that don’t work, it is when it feels like sometimes the shows are trying too hard to surprise fans or do something different.

“So we want it to feel very much in line with the show and the endings for each of the characters to feel inevitable. That’s what we’re striving for.”

Gaten Matarazzo as Dustin Henderson in Stranger Things: Season 5 Netflix

Stranger Things season 5 release time

Usually, Netflix releases arrive at 8am UK time, but Stranger Things season 5 will buck this trend, with episodes dropping at 1am GMT.

Here’s what time that works out to some time zones around the world:

2am CET (Central Europe)
10am JST (Japan)
5pm PST (United States)
8pm EST (United States)
12pm AEDT (Australia)

Netflix also has a comprehensive list of when the episodes will be released depending on which country you’re in.

Buckle in – it’s time to return to the Upside Down.

Stranger Thing season 5 volume 2 premieres on 25th December 2025.