The decade-long saga that is Stranger Things comes to a grand finale on New Year's Eve, with Netflix today releasing the trailer for the finale episode of the fifth season, known as “The Rightside Up”.
Returning for the last Hawkins hurrah, which follows Vol. 1 and Vol. 2, released on Thanksgiving and Christmas respectively, are stars Winona Ryder, David Harbour, Millie Bobby Brown, Finn Wolfhard, Noah Schnapp, Caleb McLaughlin, Gaten Matarazzo, Sadie Sink, Maya Hawke and Jamie Campbell Bower.
The two hour and five minute long finale of Stranger Things, which will also play in theaters too for the first time ever, has plenty of questions to answer. If you're not yet caught up on Stranger Things 5 Vol. 1 or Vol. 2, skip the following paragraph for spoilers. Max (Sink) has finally regained consciousness and has informed the gang of Vecna's master plan – to merge the world with another parallel dimension known as the Abyss. However, the team now have another powerful psychic weapon on their team, as Vol. 1 saw Will (Schnapp) harnessing Vecna's powers into his own and becoming a new psychic weapon for the team, while Vol. 2 saw the youngest of the Byers clan come out as gay to his family and friends in an emotional monologue that strengthened his resolve against the series' big bad.
It's been a long journey to get here – the Duffer Brothers' hit sci-fi horror show first premiered back in 2016, quickly becoming a global phenomenon that sparked four more seasons, racking up a total of 1.2 billion total views. We've watched the core cast grow up before our eyes, and watched as stars like Joseph Quinn shot to superstardom. Needless to say, the finale is going to be an emotional one, and from the looks of today's trailer, we might have to start preparing to say goodbye to some of our favorite characters.
However, if you're torn up about saying goodbye to Eleven, Mike, Dustin et al, don't forget that they will be returning – in animated form, at least – in the first Stranger Things spinoff series, Tales from '85.
Check out the trailer for Stranger Things‘ final episode below, and for more, here's our roundup of the 15 best horror TV shows of 2025.
