After nearly nine years, Stranger Things is finally coming to an end. Fans who have followed the story from Hawkins to the Upside Down are now eagerly waiting for Season 5 Volume 3, which will feature the series finale. Netflix has confirmed that the last episode will drop on Wednesday, December 31, officially closing the story.
Season 5 has been released in three parts. Volume I, with four episodes, premiered on November 26 and ended on a cliffhanger. Volume II followed on December 25 with three episodes released on Christmas Day. Now only the finale remains.
Volume 3 will include a single episode, airing on New Year’s Eve, December 31, at 8 pm ET / 5 pm PT. It will be available exclusively on Netflix.
The final episode is titled “Chapter 8: The Rightside Up” and runs for 2 hours and 8 minutes, making it the longest episode of the season. Ross Duffer shared the runtimes for the last four episodes on Instagram: Episode 5, “Shock Jock,” is 1 hour 8 minutes; Episode 6, “Escape From Camazotz,” is 1 hour 15 minutes; Episode 7, “The Bridge,” is 1 hour 6 minutes; and Episode 8, “The Rightside Up,” is 2 hours 8 minutes.
For the first time, fans will have two ways to watch the finale. Netflix announced that Volume 3 will premiere both on the streaming platform and in over 350 theaters across the US and Canada. The theater screenings start December 31 at 8 pm ET and continue through January 1, 2026.
Episodes 5, 6, and 7, which dropped on Christmas Day, continue immediately from Volume I and set the stage for the final showdown. The last episode is expected to resolve the biggest storylines and bring closure to fan-favorite characters.
