Netflix surprised fans at the Stranger Things season 5 premiere with the first five minutes of the final season, featuring a young Will Byers facing Vecna in the Upside Down. The event, held on Stranger Things Day, also highlighted awards campaigns for the cast. The season rolls out in three volumes starting November 26.
Premiere Event
The world premiere of 'Stranger Things' season 5 took place on November 6, 2025, at the TCL Chinese Theatre in Los Angeles, coinciding with Stranger Things Day. The screening featured the season opener titled 'The Crawl,' seamlessly edited with 10 minutes from the second episode. Attendees got an early look at the series' conclusion, set in the fall of 1987 amid rifts in Hawkins and a hunt for the vanished Vecna.
Opening Clip Details
Immediately following the premiere, Netflix released the first five minutes on YouTube. The sequence revisits 1983, showing a young Will Byers (Noah Schnapp) in the Upside Down, singing The Clash's 'Should I Stay or Should I Go' to calm himself. A Demogorgon attacks, chasing Will up a tree before he falls unconscious and is dragged to Vecna's (Jamie Campbell Bower) lair. Vecna declares, 'At long last, we can begin. You and I, we are going to do such beautiful things together,' as vines ensnare Will.
Awards Strategy
Netflix submitted the full ensemble cast in supporting roles for the Golden Globes, emphasizing the show's collaborative nature—a shift from prior seasons where Winona Ryder competed in lead. For the SAG Awards, actors like David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, and Sadie Sink vie in ensemble and individual categories. The series is entered for best drama series at the Globes, with voters considering only the first four episodes. This follows 57 Emmy nominations and prior wins.
Release Schedule
Season 5 drops in volumes: four episodes on November 26 at 5 p.m. PST, three on December 25, and the finale on December 31. The staggered rollout aims to sustain buzz through the holidays.
Post-premiere, Sadie Sink shared she kept Max's skateboard and a cassette Walkman from the set, the latter tied to her character's Kate Bush-fueled survival in earlier seasons.