
The highly anticipated Stranger Things Season 5 is set to break a frustrating record for the series, with fans facing a nearly three-year wait since the release of Season 4. The delay in the release of the final season is largely due to the 2023 WGA and SAG-AFTRA strikes, which significantly disrupted production timelines.
Although the scripts for Stranger Things 5 were completed before the writers’ strike began in May 2023, production had to be delayed until the strike was resolved. The Duffer Brothers, the show’s creators, explained on social media that “writing does not stop when filming begins,” and filming couldn’t proceed until a fair deal was reached. The WGA strike was resolved on September 27, 2023, but the SAG-AFTRA strike kept actors away from set until November 7, 2023.
Filming finally began in January 2024, and despite the delays, actress Maya Hawke mentioned that the lengthy episodes—described as “basically, eight movies”—were another factor contributing to the production time. The final episode wrapped on December 20, 2024.
As of now, Netflix has not given an exact release date but has confirmed that Stranger Things 5 will premiere in 2025. Given the production timeline, a release in the second half of 2025 seems likely, potentially around late summer or fall, as extensive post-production work will likely be needed due to the scale of the season.
Fans will likely get more concrete information about the release date soon, as Netflix promised an official announcement just before Christmas 2024.